That all-important J-school training

So, by now everybody knows that Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot 78-year-old hunting partner Harry Whittington over the weekend. And I'm sure a lot of you have seen or heard clips from the feeding frenzy press conference at the White house today. I found the transcript at the White House's website, and if you scroll a little more than halfway down the page, you'll find my favorite question, asked by someone identified as "Connie."

Scott, would this be much more serious if the man had died?

This question was asked by, from what I could tell, a grown-up woman. A grown-up woman who, one assumes, works professionally as a member of the White House press corps. Someone who, it's fairly likely, went to journalism school at a decent (if not elite) college or university. A professional journalist, in other words.

And she had to ask Press Secretary Scott McClellan if this would've been "much more serious" if Whittington had died. Yeah...I'll just let that sink in.

Anyway, McClellan answered her question thusly:

Of course it would, Connie. It would have been terrible. Personally, I don't know him very well, but I know Mr. Whittington and I have great respect for him from knowing who he is and what he's done. And it would be horrible news.

And that, in a nutshell, is why I could never do the job that McClellan does. Because I'd have been seriously tempted to use words like "fucking moron," ask "Connie" to stop wasting everybody's time, and beseech someone seated near her to smack her in the back of the head.

Sheesh.