lily
10-25-2007, 10:24 PM
Bush in his own little world (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2007/10/17/BL2007101701274.html)
Bush: 'I Am Relevant'
By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Wednesday, October 17, 2007; 1:10 PM
A defensive President Bush insisted that he was still relevant this morning
in a news conference dominated by his bitter complaints about the Democratic
Congress.
Asked how he found himself vetoing a children's health insurance bill that
had passed Congress with bipartisan support, Bush insisted that using a veto
is "one way to ensure I am relevant."
When a reporter followed up and asked Bush if he felt he was losing leverage
and relevance, Bush replied: "I've never felt more engaged and more capable
of getting the American people to realize there's a lot of unfinished
business."
Which, let's be blunt, is hard to believe.
Everything you need to know about today's hastily scheduled press conference
was telegraphed by John Whitesides of Reuters: "Deepening unhappiness with
President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress soured the mood of Americans
and sent Bush's approval rating to another record low this month, according
to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday. . . .
"Bush's job approval rating fell to 24 percent from last month's record low
for a Zogby poll of 29 percent. A paltry 11 percent gave Congress a positive
grade, tying last month's record low."
"There is a real question among Americans now about how relevant this
government is to them," pollster John Zogby told Whitesides. "They tell us
they want action on health care, education, the war and immigration, but
they don't believe they are going to get it."
Bush has now tied President Nixon's all-time low approval rating as measured
by the Gallup Poll. But Congress is doing even worse.
"Congress has little to show for all the time that has gone by" since
Democrats gained control in January of both the House and the Senate, Bush
said.
At the end of the press conference, Bush celebrated what he called his
"bully pulpit," telling reporters "I was trying to get your attention
focused on the fact that major pieces of legislation aren't moving, and
those that are, are at a snail's pace. And I hope I did that. I hope I was
able to accomplish that."
'Common Ground'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bush said that "now it's time to put politics aside and seek common ground."
But New York Times reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg asked: "This morning, you
gave us a pretty scathing report card on Democrats. . . . I'm wondering, how
would you assess yourself in dealing with Democrats this past year? How
effective have you been in dealing with them on various issues? And do you
think you've done a good job in finding common ground?"
In his response, Bush demonstrated that his idea of common ground involves
Democrats caving in and giving him whatever he asks for.
"We're finding common ground on Iraq," he told Stolberg. "We're -- I
recognize there are people in Congress who said we shouldn't have been there
in the first place. But it sounds to me as if the debate has shifted, that
David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker's testimony made a difference to a lot of
members. . . .
"We found common ground on FISA," Bush said, referring to the gutting of the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that Congress temporarily approved in
August but is now reconsidering.
Torture Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsweek's Richard Wolffe asked Bush exactly the question I would have
asked:
"QUESTION: Thank you, sir. A simple question.
"BUSH: Yes?
"QUESTION: What's your definition of --
"BUSH: It may require a simple answer.
"(LAUGHTER)
"QUESTION: What's your definition of the word torture?
"BUSH: Of what?
"QUESTION: The word torture, what's your definition?
"BUSH: That's defined in U.S. law, and we don't torture.
QUESTION: Can you give me your version of it, sir?
"BUSH: No. Whatever the law says."
Bush has consistently refused to say what he means when he says "we don't
torture," rendering the phrase essentially meaningless. Saying "whatever the
law says" doesn't clear things up at all. It just means that if we do it,
his lawyers have found a way not to call it torture.
Bush: 'I Am Relevant'
By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Wednesday, October 17, 2007; 1:10 PM
A defensive President Bush insisted that he was still relevant this morning
in a news conference dominated by his bitter complaints about the Democratic
Congress.
Asked how he found himself vetoing a children's health insurance bill that
had passed Congress with bipartisan support, Bush insisted that using a veto
is "one way to ensure I am relevant."
When a reporter followed up and asked Bush if he felt he was losing leverage
and relevance, Bush replied: "I've never felt more engaged and more capable
of getting the American people to realize there's a lot of unfinished
business."
Which, let's be blunt, is hard to believe.
Everything you need to know about today's hastily scheduled press conference
was telegraphed by John Whitesides of Reuters: "Deepening unhappiness with
President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress soured the mood of Americans
and sent Bush's approval rating to another record low this month, according
to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday. . . .
"Bush's job approval rating fell to 24 percent from last month's record low
for a Zogby poll of 29 percent. A paltry 11 percent gave Congress a positive
grade, tying last month's record low."
"There is a real question among Americans now about how relevant this
government is to them," pollster John Zogby told Whitesides. "They tell us
they want action on health care, education, the war and immigration, but
they don't believe they are going to get it."
Bush has now tied President Nixon's all-time low approval rating as measured
by the Gallup Poll. But Congress is doing even worse.
"Congress has little to show for all the time that has gone by" since
Democrats gained control in January of both the House and the Senate, Bush
said.
At the end of the press conference, Bush celebrated what he called his
"bully pulpit," telling reporters "I was trying to get your attention
focused on the fact that major pieces of legislation aren't moving, and
those that are, are at a snail's pace. And I hope I did that. I hope I was
able to accomplish that."
'Common Ground'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bush said that "now it's time to put politics aside and seek common ground."
But New York Times reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg asked: "This morning, you
gave us a pretty scathing report card on Democrats. . . . I'm wondering, how
would you assess yourself in dealing with Democrats this past year? How
effective have you been in dealing with them on various issues? And do you
think you've done a good job in finding common ground?"
In his response, Bush demonstrated that his idea of common ground involves
Democrats caving in and giving him whatever he asks for.
"We're finding common ground on Iraq," he told Stolberg. "We're -- I
recognize there are people in Congress who said we shouldn't have been there
in the first place. But it sounds to me as if the debate has shifted, that
David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker's testimony made a difference to a lot of
members. . . .
"We found common ground on FISA," Bush said, referring to the gutting of the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that Congress temporarily approved in
August but is now reconsidering.
Torture Watch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsweek's Richard Wolffe asked Bush exactly the question I would have
asked:
"QUESTION: Thank you, sir. A simple question.
"BUSH: Yes?
"QUESTION: What's your definition of --
"BUSH: It may require a simple answer.
"(LAUGHTER)
"QUESTION: What's your definition of the word torture?
"BUSH: Of what?
"QUESTION: The word torture, what's your definition?
"BUSH: That's defined in U.S. law, and we don't torture.
QUESTION: Can you give me your version of it, sir?
"BUSH: No. Whatever the law says."
Bush has consistently refused to say what he means when he says "we don't
torture," rendering the phrase essentially meaningless. Saying "whatever the
law says" doesn't clear things up at all. It just means that if we do it,
his lawyers have found a way not to call it torture.