George W. Bush’s last scheduled news conference fit the pattern of his exit interviews so far. He reluctantly acknowledged only a few disappointments (Abu Graib, no WMDs) or mistakes (”Mission Accomplished” banner, some of his rhetoric, and not making immigration reform the centerpiece of his second term) while defending his record on Iraq, post-Katrina New Orleans, detainee treatment, the economy and even Social Security reform (a nonstarter). “I think it’s a good, strong record,” he said, going on to repeat his contention that he’s been criticized because he made tough decisions. He also took issue with the contention that U.S. image has suffered overseas on his watch, insisting that “people still understand America stands for freedom.” Sadly, such comments only underscore the impression that he’s been governing as if in another world.
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41 Comments
“the impression that he’s been governing as if in another world.”
yep
What the heck is the Weblog going to do when Bush is gone and they can’t post anymore ugly photo’s of him? Probably hang onto him like you did Palin, heh?
Can’t wait to see you post threads about Obama with ugly photo’s.
I mean you are fair and balances [choking]
BTW, for Social Security being a “NONSTARTER” because libs say the old FDR program was fine -
Obama is sure saying it needs fixing.
How do you explain that?
Is this the Bush bash blog?
IMNSHO the editors of this worthless rag think that a low approval rating means that everyone hates everything about the president, like they do. No wonder they are leaking money like a sieve. Liberal twits.
Let’s see how honest they are about the new president.
A truly embarassing end to a truly pathetic administration. As my grandfather would say, at least we’re well shet of him.
“I think it’s a good, strong record,”,bush is always good for a laugh, We’ll miss ye duffus!
Substance22
You’re evidence that a disproportionate number of the bush dead enders reside in Ks.
Saw a mini-van with the words Bye, bye Bush in white shoe polish on the back window. It also had a bumper sticker saying: Embarrassed? Vote for a change. Wish I had had one of those before the election.
Dennis
You won’t see Obama trying to get your S.S. into the markets, bush’s biggest regret.
Hope it was an old van, likely to get vandalized in these here parts!
Since these journalists knew sooo very much, I wish we’d had any one of them as POTUS for the last eight years.
————
“And, you know, if the image is “We don’t like immigrants,”
“And so, you know, look, there’s plenty of critics in this business.”
“You know, most people I see — you know, as I’m moving around the country,…”
“You know, presidents can try to avoid hard decisions,…”
“You know, the — President-elect Obama will find this, too.”
“You know, I’m not going to speculate about what he’s going to do.”
“You know, I’m confident — you know, you’ll catch me opining on occasion.”
“You know, people can maybe try to write that off as, you know, he’s trying to set something up.”
“You know, one of the very difficult parts of the decision I made on the financial crisis was to use of hardworking people’s money to help prevent there to be a crisis,…”
“And the reason why is is that — you know, one of the lessons I learned as governor of Texas,…”
“And the — one thing about the presidency is that you can make — only make decisions, you know, on the information at hand.”
“You know, not having weapons of mass destruction was a significant disappointment.”
“You know, where does a president’s…”
“And — so, you know, I just disagree with the assessment.”
“The question won’t be, you know, “Were you critical of this plan or not?” The question’s going to be, “Why didn’t you do something?”"
“And — so, you know, I’ve heard all that. I’ve heard all that.”
“And so, therefore, we have moved, you know, aggressively.”
“He will find, you know, the people that don’t like you,…”
“We had — you know, people — I had a fabulous team around me of highly dedicated, smart, capable people. And we had fun.”
“I tell people that, you know, some days happy, some days not so happy; every day has been joyous.”
“And people, you know, they say, “I just don’t believe that to be the case.”
“And, you know, I built a team of really capable team…”
“And President-elect Obama will find, you know, as he makes these tough calls and tough decisions…”
“”Well, let’s just throw up barriers and, you know, protect our own,” and not compete.”
“…to give people a chance to realize, you know, a better future is through trade.”
“Well, more people need to get in their houses. More people need to, you know, have their own home there.”
“You know, people said, “Well, the federal response was slow.”
“You know, I remember going to see those helicopter drivers…”
“You know, Mike, I don’t know,…”
“first of all, I’m not sure what to expect. For the last eight years, you know,…”
“It’s just a daily reminder about, you know, what may or may not happen.”
“…you know, what you anticipate.”
“And that, in itself, creates a — you know, gets your attention, when you start thinking about what could happen.”
“And the key there, of course is that to take these — you know, these different analyses seriously…”
“…thinking about this issue or that issue has been just, you know, part of my life for eight years.”
“I suspect I’ll make Laura coffee and, you know, go get it for her.”
“You know, I worry about people looking at our system, saying, “Why would I want to go up there and, you know, work in that kind of environment?”
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/01/12/raw-data-transcript-bushs-white-house-press-conference/
“lindainks55″ –
I wonder where all the CONs are who wet their panties over Caroline Kennedy’s verbal tic?
You know?
Another gem, is bush advises Obama (same as Clinton advised bush) the real danger to America isn’t the Axis of Evil, but the threat of a terrorist attack on America. If only bush had heeded the advice he’s now giving!
One of the most ignored stories about George WMD Bush is how he says he’s retiring to Crawford and Laura is headed for Dallas.
She’s also got an $8 million dollar book deal for the story of her upcoming divorce. I mean, what else could possibly justify that kind of advance?
Shrub will be out on the prairie, drinking again, clearing brush, and milking the male horses.
Substance 22
re: your 2:18pm post
Do you believe that if a person disagrees with something a president or other elected official does means that you hate that person? I don’t believe that. I think it is possible to care about our leader while disagreeing with one or more(!) things he has or hasn’t done. If you disagree with something President Obama does, will you hate him? If so, that is quite a burden to carry around in your heart and mind.
What a looser, the people will be glad to get rid of this joker. Wonder what the families of the kids that died in this war now thinks about this guy? Lost of life.
Looser?
I wonder what was loose?
“I wonder what was loose?”
—-
I think most everything — the screws mainly.
Bush’s farewell address to the nation
The personal and introspective assessment that President Bush delivered about his presidency at his final press conference today is not the president’s last word.
Bush will deliver a primetime farewell address to the nation Thursday evening from the East Room of the White House, Press Secretary Dana Perino announced today.
No time has been set for the address, and the White House has not yet received word on whether the broadcast networks will carry the speech live, Perino said.
It will run 10-15 minutes and will be delivered before a live audience, including “courageous people” whom Bush has met with during his eight years in office, his spokeswoman says. Think of it like the president’s box at the State of the Union.
“This would be the last scheduled public event before the president-elect arrives at the North Portico on Inauguration Day,” Perino added.
“This is not going to be a swan song.”
Bush will “defend his record,” she said, but he will not be “looking to refight old battles… He will reflect on his time in office and the ways our country has changed these past eight years. He will also uphold the tradition of presidents using farewell addresses to look forward – by sharing his thoughts on greatest challenges facing the country, and on what it will take to meet them.”
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/01/bushs_farewell_address_to_the.html
Bush defended his idea on social security reform which would have people invest their funds into the stock market (which later collapsed). It would also cut off social security benefits to those who are retired driving many into poverty.
A similar program was tried in Italy.
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/finance/10713181.asp?scr=1
No surprise that it failed miserably. Thankfully Bush wasn’t successful in unleashing this other economic disaster on the American people.
American_Way
Posted January 12, 2009 at 2:03 pm | Permalink
BTW, for Social Security being a “NONSTARTER” because libs say the old FDR program was fine -
Obama is sure saying it needs fixing.
How do you explain that?
—
I think that Obama realizes, like everybody else, that Augustus Stupidus came waaay close to actually dragging SS to the proverbial bathtub (to drown it, in Grover Norquists infamous words).
To keep the “security” in the program — that is, to prevent the shifting of risk from Uncle Sam to the SS beneficiary — it needs some tweaking. Without some combination of new payroll and other income taxes, a new definition of retirement age and other elibility criteria the “security” will very likely be removed in the next generation or so (ie, risk will be shifted from Uncle Sam to the beneficiary).
It’s a smart move, imo. Just a wee bit of tweak can let a lot of steam outta Grover’s “ownership society” bathroom.
eligibility
“This is not going to be a swan song.”
No, it’s going to be the pathetic quacking of the lame duck, getting an early start on re-writing history.
PLEASE let the swan song be as wheedling, defensive, and pathetic as the final press conference.
For 8 years, most of America has said bush is just not Presidential. And today, he once again proved them right.
Embarrassing
At least it’s almost over…where are we going to celebrate?
“where are we going to celebrate?”
Good question! We’re running out of time to decide. Can we have some choices suggested or how to you think we should go about making progress?
I think we should meet downtown on a weekend night. I think more will show up if we don’t have to work the next day. The Anchor has a big room with a long table…good food and drink with a casual atmosphere. That’s got my vote!
Wouldn’t the day be so much more exciting? Even if it was just an hour or so right after work?
But then, there are those who are from out of town who might consider coming…
I’ll just wait for the consensus and be there!
… and Holman sticks to her’s.
“W” will be a sigularly, unique destructive mark on the US DNA for it is not how we will perceive ourselves but how others will. Now known as no better than the basest of governances and disrespected worldwide bacause of it, there is a new world and Americas’ place in it is no longer automatic in placement. The majority of our former friends dislike America. Their governments don’t mention it, their press delights to ridicule us, but it is the vox populi that has sealed our chance of ever being what we were. Respected, an attribute soley generated by others.
A gallery of Bush gaffes:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/24508043#24526551
Sorry, bush, history is not your friend.
His failures were enormous before being elected, which dems pointed out, but republicans ignored.
I said this would be the worst president in history the day he was elected.
George W. Bush is a man of character. Do you all recall the Clinton administration with its numerous scandals, Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky and the cigar, and the despicable pardons at the end of the Clinton administration? George W. said that he would restore “dignity and respect” to the Oval Office. I think that he did that.
The Shrub is his own joke; he just doesn’t get “it”, and probably never will!
“George W. Bush is a man of character. Do you all recall the Clinton administration with its numerous scandals, Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky and the cigar, and the despicable pardons at the end of the Clinton administration? George W. said that he would restore “dignity and respect” to the Oval Office. I think that he did that.”
LOL!!! You’re kidding right, that’s a joke?
Bush was so busy f**king up the country, he didn’t have time to think about sex. I’d much rather seen him getting a BJ from some bimbo than putting our country trillions of dollars in debt for a phony war and ruining the economy because he was too stupid to pay attention to what was going on right under his nose.
“Dignity and Respect?” Very funny.
Political – do you think just because George W. Bush has not been involved in any sex scandals that makes him a man of character? Sex is not the only measurement of one’s character.
Bush promised to restore honesty and integrity to the White House and, in my opinion, he has not done either one. An honest man would not send our troops into war based on cherry-picked intelligence. And how can someone with such blatant arrogance have integrity?
Bush has allowed the NeoCons to rule the country for the last eight years and they have brought us two wars, a failed economy, millions of lost jobs, failing schools, infrastructure in dire need of repair and the list goes on. But the worst thing Bush did was to tarnish the image of the US among the world. And just because Bush states that he disagrees with that assessment, does not make it so. The man needs to wake up from his arrogant, delusional dream.
Only a fool thinks himself to be right all the time.
Pol,
“Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky and the cigar, and the despicable pardons at the end of the Clinton administration? George W. said that he would restore “dignity and respect” to the Oval Office. I think that he did that.”
Jeez pol, you need a long visit to the ophthalmologist! Dignity and respect? From the sound of it, even Laura is bailing on that pathetic loser. At least Clinton left office with a surplus in the treasury; Bush has blown that and put our children and grandchildren in hock for generations to come, he’s destroyed any respect we might have had in the rest of the world, he’s sacrificed thousands of our nation’s youth and untold thousands of innocent iraqi civilians to fight a made-up war that serves no purpose whatsoever but enrich Halliburton Corporation! Dignity and respect? The only difference between him and a crackhead is choice of drugs!
Does anyone know who is paying for the new house in Dallas?
Delilah
Posted January 13, 2009 at 5:58 pm | Permalink
Does anyone know who is paying for the new house in Dallas
————————
As far as I know, President Bush bought the land and house. At least, insiders in real estate in the Dallas area say so.
It is to be near the Southern Methodist University, where the Presidential library for President Bush will be located.
Anybody know where Augustus Stupidus will be buried?
I’m bettin’ dollars to donuts that, if he’s eligible, he’ll choose Arlington Cemetery. That would fit right in line with his public “character” as prez. What I mean is this: just as Bush shunned public judgment when it came to communicating with ordinary Americans (he needed a handpicked audience just to rise to the level of stupidus) he’ll shun the public judgment when it comes to bein’ buried.
It’s a shame. ‘Cause if he chooses any public place in Texas then I’m pretty sure there’s a spot in that state that I’ll visit some day, just to ah relieve certain internal pressures of perhaps the bladder variety. >wink wink nudge nudge<
:D