Asked how he could reconcile a strict ban on lobbyists in his administration with a deputy defense secretary nominee who lobbied for Raytheon, Obama interrupted with a knowing smile on his face.
“Ahh, see,” he said, “I came down here to visit. See this is what happens. I can’t end up visiting with you guys and shaking hands if I’m going to get grilled every time I come down here.”
Just like Clinton: when people ask hard questions, evade, and accuse them of being the aggressors. They were being aggressive, but with legitimacy in the political sphere, and the response is to not answer the question and pretend you’ve been attacked.
Passive aggression relies on using the weight of other people’s condemnation against any who ask you to make sense of what you do. It is the worst human trait imaginable, and generally is used by those who hate how their lives have turned out.