At Democracy Now, from yesterday:
HELEN THOMAS: Our initial reaction to this flotilla massacre, deliberate massacre, an international crime, was pitiful. What do you mean you regret when something should be so strongly condemned? And if any other nation in the world had done it, we would have been up in arms. What is this sacrosanct, iron-clad relationship, where a country that deliberately kills people–
ROBERT GIBBS: Well, again, Helen, I–
HELEN THOMAS: –and boycotts, and we aid and abet the boycott?
ROBERT GIBBS: Well, look, I think the initial reaction, regretted the loss of life, as we tried and still continue to try to gather the relevant–
HELEN THOMAS: Regret won’t bring them back.
ROBERT GIBBS: Nothing can bring them back, Helen. We know that for sure, because
I think if you could, that wouldn’t be up for debate. We are–we believe that a credible and transparent investigation has to look into the facts. And as I said earlier, we’re open to international participation in that investigation.
HELEN THOMAS: Why did you think of it so late?
ROBERT GIBBS: Why did we think of…?
HELEN THOMAS: Why didn’t you initially condemn it?
