When in Doubt, Say "How Dare You!"

A spokesperson has to have a lot of tricks up his or her sleeve -- you never know what the interviewer is going to say or ask, but you've always got to have some sort of answer ready.

Faux indignation is a good one to have, though hopefully it's not something you have to use a lot. For instance:

Question: Isn't it true that your company's shoddy toys kill millions of children in China every year?"

Answer: "I'm not going to even dignify that with an answer."

Effect: giving an answer, but not answering the question or addressing the charges.

Today's little lesson comes courtesy of Ari Fleisher, the onetime Bush Administration mouthpiece. Below is the Youtube of Fleisher on MSNBC's Hardball, but here's the passage in question:

Matthews: We suffered the worst domestic calamity [9/11] on your watch, if we get into who's watch was good, you guys blew it."

Fleisher: "How dare you. If we get attacked again, are you going to say we got attacked on Barack Obama's watch?"