Candor, Bush Style

It's no wonder that George W. Bush's handlers try their best to avoid press conferences. He just doesn't do well in these setting where they cannot carefully control admittance to ensure a room full of sycophants and where he has to think on his feet.

But because the media allots only enough space for small clips of the entire proceeding, most of Americans miss some of the better moments:

In response to the straightforward question: "What would you say to the American people, including a significant number who supported you at the beginning of the war, who now say this is not what we were led to believe would happen?" Bush blamed it on the Iraqi people:

PRESIDENT BUSH: "Listen, this problem will eventually be solved when the Iraqis take the initiative. And the Iraqi people see Iraqi soldiers willing to defend them. And so...and the American people, when they see the Iraqis step up and begin to fight, will see progress being made toward an objective which will make this world a better place."

(If your son or daughter was among those killed or maimed, I'm sure that would make it all worthwhile.)

Or, in response to a more complex query asking if, philosophically, the long struggle for civil rights in this country should be considered a part of his rubric to bring freedom to the world, he deftly redefined "civil rights" (the grammar is all his):

PRESIDENT BUSH: "Yeah. Civil rights is...is a good education. Civil rights is opportunity. Civil rights is homeownership. Civil rights is owning your own business. Civil rights is making sure all aspects of our society are open for everybody. And we discussed that yesterday. And I believe that what I said was important; that we've got to, you know, shed ourselves of bigotry if we expect to lead by example. And I'll do the very best I can, as the president, to make sure the promise...and I believe in the promise of America...is available for everybody. Let's see."

(That sound is the gasping of all of those who have died fighting civil rights in this country as their struggle is reduced to some capitalist-utopian venture.)

But when he's really cornered, and all else has failed, he reverts to his frat-boy sense of humor and simply bullies the reporter into submission thereby avoiding the question entirely, as in this exchange with a reporter from Texas:

Q: "I seem to remember a time in Texas on another problem...taxes...where you tried to get out in front and tell people it's not a crisis now, it's going to be a crisis down the line. You went down in flames on that one. Why is there..."

PRESIDENT BUSH: "Actually, I...let me...let me, if I might...I don't think a billion dollar tax relief that permanently reduced property taxes on senior citizens was flames..."

Q: ...(attempting to continue, but off mike)...

PRESIDENT BUSH: "...but since you weren't a senior citizen, perhaps that's your definition of flame. Yeah..."

Q: "What is there about government..."

PRESIDENT BUSH: "...'cause you're not a senior citizen yet."

Q: "I'm getting there. What is there about government that makes it hard..."

PRESIDENT BUSH: "Acting like one, however. Go ahead."

Q: "...that makes it hard for government to get..."

PRESIDENT BUSH: "Faulty memory."

Q: "...to address things in advance, before it's a crisis?"

PRESIDENT BUSH: "Do we have a crisis in Texas now in school property taxes?"

Q: "Yes, we do."

PRESIDENT BUSH: "Thank you. Therefore, the...it is important that we continue to press forward with proper training."

(Interestingly, it seemed like that reporter was actually trying to ask a softball question favorable to Bush's alarmist approach to Social Security.)

New York Times Transcript: President Bush's News Conference 01/26/2005