Replies to post #199628 on Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

[teapeebubbles]

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."

[teapeebubbles]

Just yesterday, the president was asked whether he cared about public support for the war, or whether he's content with letting the results vindicate his strategy eventually. Bush said, "Yes, I care, I really do. I wish — and so, therefore, I'm going to spend a lot of time trying to explain as best I can why it's important for us to succeed in Iraq."

He may want to consider a different tack. He's been trying to explain this for years, and support for the war has never been this low.

Opposition among Americans to the war in Iraq has reached a new high, with only about a third of respondents saying they favor it, according to a poll released Monday.

Just 35 percent of 1,033 adults polled say they favor the war in Iraq; 61 percent say they oppose it — the highest opposition noted in any CNN poll since the conflict began more than three years ago.

And this isn't a situation in which the president can just spin his way out of the problem. The same poll showed that most Americans (54%) don't consider him honest, most (54%) don't think he shares their values, and most (58%) say he does not inspire confidence.

First, Republicans are still planning to make Iraq a key part of the midterm cycle? Really?

And second, if the GOP's plan is to smear war critics as unpatriotic terrorist-sympathizers, are they really poised to condemn three-fifths of the country?

[teapeebubbles]

From U.S. News and World Report: "He loves to cuss, gets a jolly when a mountain biker wipes out trying to keep up with him, and now we're learning that the first frat boy loves flatulence jokes. A top insider let that slip when explaining why President Bush is paranoid around women, always worried about his behavior. But he's still a funny, earthy guy who, for example, can't get enough of fart jokes."

[teapeebubbles]

Bush Says His Head Is Half Full, Not Half Empty....