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The Community Service Society's Walter Fields

[listen to Walter Fields on the BL Show 3/21/06]

For the first time in years, WH press corps senior prefect Helen Thomas got to ask the Prez a question in his Q & A today. Thomas then tried valiantly to get in a follow up on Rumsfeld, but W won round II.

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

Helen. After that brilliant performance at the Grid Iron, I am -- (laughter.)

Q You're going to be sorry. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Well, then, let me take it back. (Laughter.)

Q I'd like to ask you, Mr. President, your decision to invade Iraq has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, wounds of Americans and Iraqis for a lifetime. Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true. My question is, why did you really want to go to war? From the moment you stepped into the White House, from your Cabinet -- your Cabinet officers, intelligence people, and so forth -- what was your real reason? You have said it wasn't oil -- quest for oil, it hasn't been Israel, or anything else. What was it?

THE PRESIDENT: I think your premise -- in all due respect to your question and to you as a lifelong journalist -- is that -- I didn't want war. To assume I wanted war is just flat wrong, Helen, in all due respect --

This morning Brian speaks with David Grandeau, the head of the New York Temporary Lobbying Commission, who's recently reinterpreted the rules to dramatically limit gifts to Albany legislators.

In the meantime, check out these stats on the top lobbyists and lobby-ers of 2005, courtesy of the State Lobbying Commission:

FBI agent testifies he warned about Moussaoui more than 70 times (Washington Post)

Conflicting positions on Dubai ports deal has provoked Hillary to insist on "veto right" over Bill's activities (NY Daily News)

Silverstein reaches out to Spitzer (NY Sun)

Bloomberg defends teaching the young about ...