It's no mystery that the president doesn't care for press conferences; and it's no secret why — he's not very good in this setting. It makes the Q&A fairly painful for everyone — the reporters' questions are largely ignored, the president's answers are meandering and broken up by awkward pauses, and viewers learn nothing.
Monday's press conference wasn't terribly different from any other, but it was interesting to see how Bush responded to Iraq-related questions by reframing every question into a context in which he could repeat the exact same talking point. After a while, it became almost comical.
Asked if it's time for a "new strategy" in Iraq, Bush said:
"[W]e're not leaving…. Now, if you say, are you going to change your strategic objective, it means you're leaving before the mission is complete. And we're not going to leave before the mission is complete.
When the same reporter said the response didn't answer the question, and re-asked the president if his strategy is working, Bush added:
"There are a lot of good, decent people saying, 'Get out now; vote for me, I will do everything I can to, I guess, cut off money' is what they'll try to do to get our troops out. It's a big mistake. It would be wrong, in my judgment, for us to leave before the mission is complete in Iraq."
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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle
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