Defending the Indefensible

White House spokesman Scott McLellan comes back from his holidays to face yet another hammering from the press:

MR. McCLELLAN: Now, in terms of addressing threats, we've made a lot of progress since the attacks of September 11th. And one of the most important things we're doing is staying on the offensive abroad...

Q First, just to get you on the record, where does the buck stop in this administration?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President.

Q All right. So he will be held accountable as the head of the government for the federal response that he's already acknowledged was inadequate and unacceptable?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President's most important responsibility is the safety and security of the American people. He talks about that often... We are securing the American people by staying on the offensive abroad and working to spread freedom and democracy in the Middle East.

Emphasis, quite obviously, is mine.