It really couldn’t have been much fun to be Tony Snow on Friday the 13th in the spanking new White House press briefing room.

First up, Martha Raddatz of ABC News:

Q Is the Iraqi government and the Iraqi parliament taking the month of August off?

MR. SNOW: Probably, yes. Just not –

Q They’re taking the entire month of August off, before the September deadline?

MR. SNOW: It looks like they may, yes. Just like the U.S. Congress is.

Q Have you tried to talk them out of that?

MR. SNOW: You know, it’s 130 degrees in Baghdad in August, I’ll pass on your recommendation.

Q Well, Tony, Tony, I’m sorry, that’s — you know — I mean, there are a lot of things that happen by September and it’s 130 degrees for the U.S. military also on the ground –

MR. SNOW: You know, that’s a good point. And it’s 130 degrees for the Iraqi military. The Iraqis, you know, I’ll let them — my understanding is that at this juncture they’re going to take August off, but, you know, they may change their minds.

Q But have you tried to convince them not to?. Does the U.S. government pressure them not to, because then the September deadline –

MR. SNOW: Again, I’m not going to — you know, I’m just not — I’m not getting into the — the Iraqis understand the importance. It’s not a September deadline, it’s a September report. I think it’s very important, in an age where everybody wants to create a sense of, sort of, finishing up on a deadline — it’s a report, it is not a deadline. It is a report that will, in fact, measure progress –

Q It’s a pretty important report –

MR. SNOW: It is a very — it’s a very important –

Q (Inaudible.) I mean, a month they’re not working.

MR. SNOW: Sheryl, will you let me answer Martha’s questions first? And then Helen is next, and then I’ll call on you.

Now, where were we, because –

Q We were a month off, we have –

MR. SNOW: Okay, so what you’re saying — yes –

Q — 130 degrees for the Iraqi parliament, so they need a month off, even though it’s 130 degrees for U.S. soldiers.

MR. SNOW: Well, you know, you’re assuming that nothing is going on. As I said, there are any number of things going on in Iraq. Let’s see what the parliament does during the course of this month. Let’s also see what happens, because quite often when parliaments do not meet, there are also continuing meetings on the side. And there will be progress, I’m sure, on a number of fronts.

I’m just — I’m not in a position at this point to try to gainsay what the Iraqis are doing. We are working with them and trying to help them succeed. They have a vested interest also in doing this and doing it right, and what they’ve done is they’ve set a higher bar for their legislative accomplishments than we do because they’re trying to operate on a basis not of simple majority, but consensus. It’s probably a wise thing to do at the outset of a country that has been driven by strife for so many years. It is a tough business.

But I would suggest not merely looking at the legislative accomplishments, but also, again, taking a look overall at what’s going on in terms of creating a sense of national unity, dealing with problems of sectarian strife — that certainly were rife last year, but are far less prevalent today, at least according to the trajectory mentioned in the report — and, therefore, take a comprehensive and factual look at all the aspects of what’s going on in Iraq.

He’s got nothing. Hence the enormous quantity of hot air he just expelled.

Martha hands the baton to Helen Thomas. Tony tries to take it like a man (nullus?):

Okay, Helen and then –

Q Do we have one-man rule in this country?

MR. SNOW: No.

Q The President –

MR. SNOW: But thank you for asking.

Q No, no, I’m going on.

MR. SNOW: Oh, I’m sure you are.

Q The President has indicated that public opinion through the polls — (inaudible) the polls means nothing. He’s going to ignore totally whatever Congress lays down in terms of deadlines, time lines and so forth. What is this?

MR. SNOW: It’s the way our democracy works. The fact is, Presidents — you know, it’s interesting, Presidents sometimes will make unpopular decisions because they think that their obligations, in terms of saving lives and providing security to the American people, are paramount. And that’s what this President believes.

Q So do members of Congress and so do the American people.

MR. SNOW: Well, but they’re — you know, the President is the one person who is vested with the constitutional obligation to serve as Commander-in-Chief.

Q He also has to respond to people, doesn’t he?

MR. SNOW: He does. As a matter of fact, I believe he responded to you first yesterday. The President –

Q — very, very, very pleased and very kind, but –

MR. SNOW: But the President — no, the President understands, and I think what you’re going to see is a vigorous debate.

I think also that what the President did yesterday was say to the American people, let us all take a careful look at what’s going on in Iraq; and let’s have a debate about the facts on the ground; and let’s also have a debate about what is in our national interest in the long run. And all of those things are legitimate topics for political debate. A President, of course, listens but he also does what he thinks is right, based on his principles and his understanding. It may not be something that people agree with, but it is what he thinks is right.

And, furthermore, this is a President who I think has demonstrated that he is going to do whatever it takes, in his judgment, to keep this country safe and to keep it — and also to create the tools necessary for fighting a war on terror that began before he entered office and will continue long after he leaves office. It is an ideological battle that is waged in constantly changing ways around the globe and it is going to be a chief concern of anybody — Democrat, Republican or otherwise — who is going to occupy the Oval Office for years to come.

Q It’s also the concern of the American people and Congress.

MR. SNOW: And also –

Q And he should be listening to it.

MR. SNOW: They are.

This man’s reserves of hot air are practically infinite, aren’t they? Or maybe the new briefing room has an outlet in the podium that Tony hooks up to, and it keeps recharging his hot air tanks even as he discharges them?