Minimizing Civilian Loss or Helping Innocent Civilians - Which is it?

Ask to see hypocrisy in action and you get it. Here you go, Scotty, but it's you executing it:

Q Scott, you said that the United States is working carefully with Pakistan in going after al Qaeda. And Pakistani officials say at least maybe four or five top al Qaeda perhaps were hit in the air strike last week. Is there any expression of regret to the tens of thousands of Pakistanis who took to the streets over the weekend saying that there were civilians, there were children who were also killed in that attack?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, as I said, first of all, Pakistan is a valued ally in the war on terrorism and we work very closely with Pakistan. I'm not going to get into discussing any operational activities or alleged operational activities relating to the ongoing war on terrorism. I never have from this podium. We are engaged in a war on terrorism against a deadly and determined enemy, an enemy that continues to target innocent civilians.

In this war, we go out of our way to target the enemy, to target the terrorists, those who want to do harm to innocent civilians in Pakistan, in that region, in the United States. We work very hard to minimize the loss of civilians. And we go out of our way to minimize civilian loss.

The enemy, as I said, targets innocent civilians. That's the difference. They target innocent civilians. We help innocent civilians. That's what we've been doing in Pakistan through our relief and reconstruction support in the aftermath of the earthquakes, and that's what we will continue to do. So I think our views are very clear, and our philosophy and principles are very clear, too. And they stand in stark contrast to the terrorists, the al Qaeda people that are operating in that region that want to harm innocent people in Pakistan, that want to harm innocent people in the United States. Q Has the administration acknowledged the air strike?

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, I've seen the reports. I'm aware of the reports. I don't have any additional information for you.