Wonderful quotes from The Prez...
 

From Brian William's interview with President Bush on NBC Nightly News...

Bush said that he's probably to blame for creating the "myth" that he doesn't read newspapers.

"But it's a myth to think I don't know what's going on. And it's a myth to think that I'm not aware that there is opinions that don't agree with mine. Because I'm fully aware of that."

Bush told Williams that he reads a newspaper every day; that he gets more news from aides; that he sees protests on the streets when he travels but they're "smaller than they used to be"

When meeting with the families (of dead soldiers), Bush said, "I try to be patient and absorb the anguish of a family that's just mourning."

Asked whether he agreed that the war in Iraq was an "elective" war, Bush said, "troops don't move unless I give the order. So, from that sense it was elective. I mean, I could have said, 'No, we'll try to, you know, hope for the best with Saddam Hussein.'

"Remember, at the time we didn't know the facts on the ground. We -- everybody thought the guy had weapons of mass destruction. Everybody knew that he'd used weapons of mass destruction and had provided safe haven for terrorists. I mean, those were facts. Whether or not it had to happen is -- it didn't have to happen since a human being made the decision. Whether or not it needed to happen, I'm still convinced it needed to happen."

As for Vice President Cheny's claim that Coalition forces would be welcomed as "liberators" in Iraq. "I think we are welcomed," Bush said, "but it was not a peaceful welcome."

(DA note -- Huh?)

Good interview.

-Rudey

Stealing one of your lines:

"On opposite day".

What was wrong about it?

-Rudey

Nothing was "wrong" I suppose, in fact, factually, he was accurate. A reasonably objective person would first hope that the President wasn't serious when he said this:

"As for Vice President Cheny's claim that Coalition forces would be welcomed as "liberators" in Iraq. "I think we are welcomed," Bush said, "but it was not a peaceful welcome."

Was he joking? Did he think that was funny? It's not really something I'd make light about.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a supporter of what's being done in Iraq. I just think that if the Pres. is saying things like this, it appears that he's aloof and insensitve. If he's going to say things like this (giving anti-war folks more ammo), I wish he'd just stay home.

Giving them more ammo?

We were welcome. The majority did not want Saddam Hussein in power. But that's just one aspect of it.

-Rudey

Were American forces welcomed? According to all reports, both media and anecdotal, the overwhelming majority of Iraqis welcomed American forces.

Was there violence mixed into this welcome? Yes. So it was not a peaceful welcome.

The diction could have been better, but I don't see this as being somehow glib regarding American troops.

Truth and perception are two different things. Even if the majority were thankful that we were there, all the people of the US care about is that our soldiers are getting killed over there, thereby not appearing welcome.

Most folks don't care about or don't understand the fact that the people killing our soldiers are for the most part not even Iraqi.

When the President does an interview like this, the media will always focus on the aspects of it that are the most potentially damaging, just as are the lines quoted above. If he truly wants to do anything more in his Presidency other than acting as a great vote getter for Democrats, he should just stay home.

You're much smarter and more sophisticated than the average American.

c'mon... admit it.

I think the majority get it. They don't like it given the deaths right now, but they get it.

In reality, it doesn't matter how many soldiers die from a political standpoint as long as there is a perception of victory at the end. Hopefully there will be.

Americans have short memories.

-Rudey

They just shouldn't ever let him ad-lib.

He just isn't good at it.

Otherwise, I think he's a good communicator. He certainly has excellent writers working for him.

He will wish he had never used that Cheny line, though.

How much more can it hurt him? Kennedy's speeches are cataloged because of their impressiveness and Bush's are written on calendars that brighten up your days.

-Rudey

I wish they would.

you should get one with a new word everyday on it.....or dilbert, i think you would like dilbert....i prefer calvin and hobbes

This seems like as good a place as any to post the bumper sticker I saw this morning...

I love the United States of America
It's the government that scares me.