October 12, 2005

Bush's Body Language But this much could be seen watching the tape of NBC's broadcast during Bush's 14-minute pre-sunrise interview, in which he stood unprotected by the usual lectern. The president was a blur of blinks, taps, jiggles, pivots and shifts. Also see his weird jaw thing. Then there's the 10 year thing. ?

Perhaps, too, the president's body language said nothing about his true state of mind. But the White House gave little other information that might shed light on this. A White House spokesman, Trent Duffy, entered the press cabin on Air Force One to brief reporters at 1:58 p.m. He left two minutes later, after answering the only question by saying, "We don't have anything to announce." The first person to Godwin the thread with comparisons to Hitler in the bunker cranked up on amphetamines wins.

posted by petebest 18 years ago
  • well, crap.
  • I was thinking of Hitler when I read the post. Bizarre!
  • He's nutty and a self-hating untreated alcoholic pumped full of anti-depressants.
  • Delirium Tremens a.k.a: DT's, Alcohol withdrawal Symptoms: Feeling jumpy or nervous Feeling shaky Anxiety Irritability or easily excited Emotional volatility, rapid emotional changes Depression Fatigue Difficulty thinking clearly Palpitations (sensation of feeling the heart beat) Headache, general, pulsating Sweating, especially the palms of the hands or the face Nausea Vomiting Loss of appetite Insomnia (difficulty falling and staying asleep) Pale skin
  • Aren't those the same symptoms you get when you realize that everyone fucking hates you because you're the world's biggest douchebag? I mean, not that I would know....
  • There have been rumours that he recently fell off the wagon. If true, and he's trying to quit again, he may exhibit these symptoms. One symptom - difficulty thinking clearly - seems to be more of a long-term personality trait.
  • That, or the fact that he's a douchebag. Either one is good.
  • Did Hitler blink a lot?
  • Did you see the jaw thing? Watch the jaw thing. If that's not coke jaw, then it's doubly weird.
  • Somehow this belongs in this thread.
  • The jaw thing is weird. Strange tic.
  • Oh man, I am so glad I am not where he is (in the spiritual sense). It looks mighty uncomfortable. He is obviously under extreme stress, as well he should be. Brought about by being a liar surrounded by other liars who are slowly being called out. I would guess that he is on speed of a sort--prescribed. Or else he is highly caffeinated--and he must sleep like total shit--probably takes sleeping pills and needs something to offset them. The guy is a wreck. I wonder if Laura hates him. She was a democrat until she met him.
  • I haven't watched a lot of presidential video (always been more of a reader), so I can't really compare Bush's behaviour to a lot of Presidents. There is one President though that I have seen a number of videos of, and whom Bush can't help but bring to mind at this point... Nixon. Lauer asked Laura Bush about the strain on her husband. "He can barely stand!" the president said, interrupting. "He's about to drop on the spot." Is that something you even want to hear your President joke about? For an administration built on an almost magical level of media control, they can be incredibly tone deaf on occasion.
  • At least he's not Franklin Roosevelt. That guy had awful body language - always slouched over in that chair...
  • too soon, drjimmy . . .
  • ha.
  • I'm more concerned about how he keeps rubbing his crotch, panting, and whispering, "Buffybuffybuffybuffy..."
  • Much like Hitler did, I might add.
  • I think you're reading too much into that. I see it as emphasis. Don't toss him out quite yet. Of course, he is inarticulate.
  • Our goal is to bring democracy to Iraq, buffybuffybuffy, and to create in that country a new ally in the War on Terror, buffybuffybuffy...Yes! Yes! Yes!
  • Heh-heh, have I ever told you about the weapon of mass destruction I keep in my pants?
  • Surely it's a result of the trembling that a mighty warrior doing the Great Work of the Lord feels as the Holy Spirit fills him once again? A Neo-Quaker to follow Nixon.
  • Jeebus hole-drillin' Crispy you may be on to something there Mr. Coppe.
  • LOOK! The guy is tongue-tied! He's not a toastmaster, OK? Shit's happening, and he's unprepared. Give the man ze break. Thanks.
  • Mr./Ms. Coppe, what would you do RIGHT THIS MINUTE to mitigate the immediate situation? Mr./Ms. Wingo, how would you respond to the question of "What Now?"
  • Hurry, the (non-coopted) press is waiting.
  • cynnbad, I'd send Buffy in to slap him around and make him get his shit straight.
  • cynnbad, not sure what you mean here. From an outsider's point of view it seems the POTUS is more and more a figurehead rather than a heavyweight political figure in his own right, so really this 'situation' is just a problem of presentation for the administration. So, as a solution, next time out hire a more consummate actor who's quicker on his feet and can improvise convincingly around the themes he's given (whilst still looking good in a cowboy hat)?
  • But is that realistic? Why not disappear him, and send Geena Davis in to do the big Cleanup Act and be done with it? Is everything a cutesy liberal avoidance zinger? Any real solution?
  • Mr./Ms. Coppe: Your view of the Supreme Court is painful to me. I have always believed that the American Supreme Court was composed of justices who were appointed on the strengths of their judicial qualifications. They were vetted in Congress to ferret out their political complications. That's what I thought. Now it's, once again, not so.
  • cynnbad, do you seriously see nothing wrong with how he is acting? Doesn't his behavior seem even more off than usual to you? Every president before his time has had to deal with some nerve-wracking shit and most of them were able to fake their way through it FAR better than this. Face it, this dude has waaaay too many problems to have this job--and most of those problems, AFAIAC, are his own fault.
  • OK, Darshon. As one NOT in recovery, I can only say this: If he is so out of control, why hasn't he been pulled and a "surrogate" been named (as if that hasn't been happening already). Why is this little puppet being tolerated as the leader of my party? Can anyone answer me? Or, as I said, if it's not the right forum, I'll close it down.
  • Err, cynnbad, I may have this wrong but I thought when I said 'POTUS' I was referring to your President, not your Supreme Court. It would be 'Mr' Coppe, but please, call me Abiezer!
  • Thanks, Mr. Abeizer. I was conflating this with the Supreme Court because it all seems too real right now. Another issue; sorry.
  • If he is so out of control, why hasn't he been pulled and a "surrogate" been named (as if that hasn't been happening already). Why is this little puppet being tolerated as the leader of my party? Well, I would say that we are in the classic "abusive" relationship with our president. The abuse started slowly, he had a myriad of excuses that many of us (NOT ME) accepted. Then it started happening more and more, with more and more excuses. Soon we were too numb to notice much, too tired to care, started to expect it and now don't even question it. Well, except for those who DIDN'T vote for him. And this little puppet is being tolerated as the leader of your party because.....well......he's a puppet. Well, actually it's because he is very well connected. And if things don't work out, he will be the one blamed for it. Part of his current appearance may be due to his realization that he is the fallguy. He's totally out of his league.
  • While I tend to think an article about how much our president is blinking is rather overkill, I think it's a very relevant point that Bush's bravado seems to be waning. This is obviously not good for POTUS publicity, but for many of the anti-bush people it's also a major victory to see that bravado, which seemed so obviously manufactured, undeserved, and just goddamn irritating, finally fail. The idea that he could be publicly displaying second thoughts about his presidency so far is HUGE, because his obstinacy has been the solid rock on which the horrendous policies of the neocons and the rest of his administration have been built on. Not that I'm expecting any kind of Jericho-like collapse of the right wing, much less a corresponding rise of something sane... but it's nice to dream, eh?
  • Regarding the "10 years thing", "some people say" Bush (or his speachwriters or trainers) purposefully dumb down some of his talks. I am quite sure he has a some very active media advisors. Regarding the earlier debates shown in the video (which surprised me, I admit), he sounds very rehearsed ...and not in way over his head.
  • But I didn't WANT a president over his head. That is what I banked on; that's what's the promise was. I did't count on Mr. Twitchy. I didn't bet my life on that shaky son of a bitch. Sorry, I'm just a lost cause venting.
  • No, I have to believe that his handlers have dropped the ball! Bush has simply been unfit for the the public, and we've gotten a glipmse of the slinky slips peeping out from under the skirts of state.
  • cynnbad, there's lots of talk from folks in the know that Reagan's Alzheimer's started to kick in while he was still in office, but he stayed on the job. So it's not like there's no precedent for what might be happening. (btw I'm kind of like you, in the end, in that I think WAY more evidence needs to come to light before we can state with assurance that his mental capacity is diminishing/he's drinking again/whatever. Still, it's an interesting question, and one worth asking.)
  • Oops. Didn't read your last post. Make that "I'm kind of UNLIKE you, in the end..." Another point: I think it's fascinating how much he's come to rely on a kind of condescending tone in his public appearances, when responding to questions or outlining his policies. The 10-year thing really brought this home for me. To pop-psychologize: Kind of like an unrecovering alcoholic, defensively discussing his drinking?
  • Just to be clear, did we all watch the videos in the initial post? Having so watched, can it not be said that his actions are odd at the very least? Also that he "has his finger on the button" and obviously no compunction about plunging us into war by attacking a sovereign nation on little intelligence makes his behavior cause for some concern, isn't it? Reagan's handlers may have allowed or participated in "evil" acts but they weren't a pack of evangelical Jeebus babblers either. What the extremely slim majority of the yoo ess voters have elected is extremely frightening. What will it take to expose the of lies, corruption and spin manufacturing that are ShrubCo? Speaking in tongues during the State of the Union? Somehow I doubt it.
  • "..they weren't a pack of evangelical Jeebus babblers either." Neither is Bush or his cronies. They just use that as a way to spin votes. Xtianity for Chimpy is a platform, not a way of life. When was the last time Chimpy attended church? I read somewhere I think it was only once in however many years he's been in office. The United Methodist council or whatever it is called actually censured Bush & Cheney. He has consistantly avoided ever identifying himself as evangelical or 'born again'. It's all a crock.
  • I wouldn't argue that it's a political tool for him. It's also a question of what one professes versus how one acts Re: one's faith. But consider Rove wandering the White House whistling "Onward Christian Soldiers" and Ashcroft annointing himself with Crisco on being appointed to Atty General. His bizarre labeling of groups as "evil", his publicized born-again conversion, the crucifix symbol all over the RNC stage, his pre-interview comment that such-and-such an aide is "a good soul", his defense of SCOTUS nominee Meiers by deferring to her religious beliefs, . . . and such. Can't buy that it's a crock, but that is an interesting angle. What else makes you say that?
  • He's just a bit stressed out, that's all. He is the figurehead of this neocon movement which has been pushing the absolute limits of republican power for the past few years, and because they went too far, everything's falling apart. The house and senate leaders in legal trouble, the main GOP fundraisers are in legal trouble, key members of the WH staff are in legal trouble, every poll number being counted is in the 30s, he can't pass his SS legislation, can't pack the court with ass-kissers, the whole Iraq/WMD/Plame thing is catching up to him real fast, Card and Rove are at each others throats, his base is turning against him over Katrina and Miers, pundits are already starting to call the house in 06 for the dems even though the elections are over a year off. He blinks??? He's lucky he's able to stand up there without pissing himself. Queue the f8x's standard reality denying troll post in 5...4...3...
  • It seems, uh, "less than helpful" to accuse someone of trolling before they've even said anything. Regarding god, I'm not sure it makes sense to separate Bush's politics from his religion. To me is seems that the two go hand in hand in his mind --mostly this means there is no conflict between the two. God = good = democracy = America's mission to the world, and Satan = evil = Islamic fundamentalism. Things like securing oil and free trade are logical extensions of the good side. The most succinct explanation of Bush I've read was from Al Gore (post 2000 election), who said he didn't see Bush as unintelligent, just incurious. I think this is a good way of explaining the man.
  • Yeah I dunno, it still seems a bit involuntary for stress alone. I guess we'll see even fewer press conferences from him. Wait, that's not possible, is it.
  • Keep watching though. If we're lucky... who knows... we may get to see some kind of monkey-trial-esque collapse.
  • I'm not saying he's not acting a bit odd. I'm saying there's no evidence he's ANYWHERE CLOSE to "speaking in tongues during the State of the Union." And you know I don't like the guy or what he's doing as presdident, so it's not like that's why I'm trying to defend him. I'm just trying not to jump to conclusions.
  • Wow, that 10-year thing is seriously scary. I was listening to Bush's video address to the Iraq troops on the radio this morning, and he had to pause every three words or so, inserting an "ummmm" while he struggled for the next few. If that's an act his handlers have coached him to use, he's one hell of an actor.
  • I hear ya Wingo, I think it's interesting enough to note, and perhaps speculate on, but I haven't alerted my duly elected representatives yet either. And Bush's "uhmm"s are - wow this just occured to me - are just like Reagan's "well . . "s. Maybe it is pre-senile dementia and not just failed synapses from years of cocaine and alcohol abuse. Or is that the same thing?
  • He's just a string puppet with TMJ. My cat does the same thing. The one we call 'Special Ed'.
  • smallish bear wrote: Queue the f8x's standard reality denying troll post in 5...4...3... Just because someone disagrees with you does not automatically make them a troll. f8x is generally courteous and is not here for the sole purpose of stirring up shit (and I say this as someone who categorically disagrees with him on probably every political issue). The only political threads I've seen him in recently have been ones where someone baited him in, much as you are doing now... and to me, "insulting someone who has a different point of view who isn't even participating in the thread" is an action much closer to the standard definition of "trolling" than simply "being a conservative on a predominately liberal website."
  • agreed.
  • Queue the f8x's standard reality denying troll ONLY THOSE WHO THINK EXACTLY LIKE ME WILL BE SAVED
  • Thanks, stripe and the_bone, for saying what I think many of us were thinking, only in much more adult terms.
  • And it's "cue".
  • Unless there's several in a row and you have to sequence them.
  • This thread reminded me of 'The President's Speech', a chapter in the book 'The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat' by Oliver Sacks. It's very interesting reading if you're into this sort of thing.
  • Agreed, the_bone. I think that f8xy adds excellent, thoughtful perspective to MoFi, generally, and I applaud him for remaining a vital part of the community. Would even say that smallish bear is being a troll in this case.
  • no, you're being the troll! (Or possibly a ventriloquistic Zanshin)
  • I think Zanshin is the mole.
  • You shut up, petebest, or I'll shove you up there, too! And beware: I've been taking this stuff!
  • If you think Chimpy McFuckhead is gibbering now, wait till you see him next week.
  • Love the link rocket88.
  • rocket, dude, I'm in love with that picture.
  • rocket--excellent!!!!!
  • Man, what a total ass rocket is being.
  • seriously - trolling us with that awesome cartoon like that . . . It's like he's refusing to validate how correct and righteous I am! Ass!
  • busted And whats even more interesting is with all that stage management he still barely squeaks by.
  • I was listening to Bush's video address to the Iraq troops on the radio this morning, and he had to pause every three words or so, inserting an "ummmm" while he struggled for the next few. It's hard to read a teleprompter when you're dyslexic. Seriously. And regarding f8x, and trolls, and everyone else...I don't really care. I don't care who likes who's posts, or whether it's cue or queue. The GOP's gone to shit and it's now catching up with them. I'm going to fucking gloat, and I'm going to rub it in some faces. Hey, that makes me a troll? You bet, and I still don't care. Your party's done everything they can to fuck up people's lives with the war, and the bankruptcy bill, and not giving a shit about the people in NOLA, and medicare, and an epic national debt, and not protecting us from terrorists and then having the fucking gall to tell us to buy duct tape so we can protect ourselves. The least I can do is gloat on the fucking internet when people start to turn against them and the law catches up with those fucking crooks.
  • And regarding f8x, and trolls, and everyone else...I don't really care. I don't care who likes who's posts... You make an AWFUL lot of noise about other people's posts and comments for someone who doesn't care. And when you call out others for "trolling" but say it's fine for you to do it...well, there's a word for that.
  • Fuck tards! All ya-all! I'm paraphrasing.
  • Y'know there will be a quiz . . . *taps topic*
  • You make an AWFUL lot of noise about other people's posts and comments for someone who doesn't care. I used to attempt to respond to f8x's retarded posts, way back, with stuff along the lines of, your point of view is off, and here are some links explaining why. Way back. But then at some point I decided that I'd rather troll him. And I never said it was fine for me to do it. But it's not as bad as that little cartoon seems to state. I have at times argued with, and then proceeded to troll tech and rocket, but I don't think I've done that recently (recent in internet terms is...a week or 2?), at least since the last spat over mp3s when I made that weird post about things I haven't done with gerbils and pies. Those 2 just aren't consistent like old f8xy. I still disagree with their views on mp3s and fair use, and even though they are conservative, it's not enough that I can troll them and not feel kind of bad about it. I have republican friends too, that I get along with, and sometimes even discuss politics with, and I sometimes even agree with them on some points. But I just cannot abide the people who constantly spout GOP propaganda. You meet them a lot where I live. There was this one kid, fresh out of college, wrote speeches for rumsfeld, he was a friend of a friend of a friend of mine or some shit. I made some comment over dinner about the latest troops that died (it was in the news that day, I didn't know where he worked and I wasn't looking for a fight), and I said how horrible it is, and how lucky I am that everyone I know over there is still ok (and hasn't tortured anyone). I think the snark about the torture set him off, and his main argument is that we took Baghdad, therefor we won, and nothing else that happened after that matters because WE WON. No matter how many people die and many people we torture, we kicked ass. Why argue with these people? I've given up. I troll them now. Is that wrong? Is it obnoxious? Yes, but I don't care. That is what I don't care about, just to clarify.
  • Uhhhhhhh...yeah. We get your point, Sm'ish Bear. It's fine. You don't need to repost. If everyone will just STAY QUIET maybe he'll leave, and the party can go on. We can clean the turds off the rug later. Bush implosion in five, four, three...
  • MonkeyFilter: Is it obnoxious? Yes, but I don't care.
  • Dude, you might want to look at how facilely you said "these people."
  • Somedays, Monkeyfilter fills me with sadness
  • There is an old saying: If one waits by the river long enough, one sees the bodies of our enemies floating by. By hating one's enemies beyond their demise, one becomes one's enemies, because we allow their destructive nature to live-on like a seed within us. To truly defeat them, we must reject this hate. Negative people create their own end; when it inevitably happens, for those that forsaw it, it is sufficient to say "there, that is what ignorance creates." By gloating, dancing on their graves, taking joy in their demise, we become them, and learn nothing, no matter what momentary joy it engenders (and I know this joy, and am ashamed in my moments of fleeting awareness). By releasing the hate, their legacy is blown to the wind and is made impotent.
  • Yeah that was pretty sad, smallish bear. Trolling demeans us both.
  • On post - well spoke, you sick bastard. Cheers.
  • MonkeyFilter: total ass rocket
  • I just got back from Reno -- what'd I miss?
  • The death of your society.
  • But then at some point I decided that I'd rather troll him. And I never said it was fine for me to do it. Goddamn if that isn't the saddest thing I've read on MoFi.
  • What, Grimsby? Does that mean I can kick out of work early?
  • Bush is on television RIGHT NOW, and he's clucking like a chicken!
  • Hitler's favorite food was scrambled eggs. Coincidence?
  • Capt: Grimsby's always been dead, except for that one week each summer when the peaches ripen.
  • Touche.
  • Now i'm confused. Except for the part about Bush eating Hitler chicken eggs.
  • OK, I'll put it here rather than elsewhere. Rocket88, you are perfect in every sense of the word, and I usually say that about nobody.
  • Very little has been written about the White House Iraq Group, or WHIG. Its inception in August 2002, seven months before the invasion of Iraq, was never announced. Only much later would a newspaper article or two mention it in passing, reporting that it had been set up by Andrew Card, the White House chief of staff. Its eight members included Mr. Rove, Mr. Libby, Condoleezza Rice and the spinmeisters Karen Hughes and Mary Matalin. Its mission: to market a war in Iraq. good link, thanks h-dogg
  • I have at times argued with, and then proceeded to troll tech and rocket I kinda remember this... but I'm not sure how I'd search for it. I guess I have to start making MoFI notes??
  • If you didn't notice it all that much at the time, techsmith, that fact that you didn't focus on it is a good thing. No sense getting upset now about something you shrugged off in the past.
  • Good advice, I think. I just sometimes wonder how others see certain monkeys things :)
  • We thank you for your . .uhhh . . your service, techsmith, in your defense of uhhh . . democracy for free people . .uhh in the brown skins all - for all the world to uhhh . . to see! /smirk-grin
  • Word is that Chimpy McAphasia will be wiggling and jiggling when he's the world's first brain donor on Wednesday...
  • Wiggling Bush.
  • Oops. Wrong thread.
  • Okay, this Wednesday... or Friday..
  • yyyyyyeeeeeasss?
  • And Nooowwww - from the Home Office in Wahoo, Nebraska: Top Ten Ways To Cheer Up George W. Bush 10. "Fully loaded Tex-Mex fixins bar at every cabinet meeting" 9. "Use wacky sound effects for weekly radio addresses" 8. "Replace Oval Office bust of Theodore Roosevelt with bust of Kenny Rogers" 7. "Remind him it's only 6 weeks until 'The Dukes of Hazzard' comes out on DVD" 6. "Talk to him about things he holds dear: Health, Family, Shady Halliburton Contracts" 5. "Speechwriters sprinkle in the occasional 'You might be a redneck if...' joke" 4. "Two words: Free Gum" 3. "Get Air Force One pimped" 2. "Suprise him with invasion plans for every country on Earth" 1. "Remind him in a few years, Iraq will be Hillary's mess"
  • Clip of Andy Dick as Bush's "Presidential Speechalist." "Holy crap, that's a lot of blinking!"
  • I think the smirk is trying to fuse itself to his face.
  • Maybe he gets it from Cheney
  • Drunk?(Windows media) from another FPP
  • from the thread fish tick posted: That said, if you crank someone up on L-dopa, cocaine, amphetamine, or whatever your stimulant du jour is, you can see jaw, mouth, tongue, and lip movements like this; in their florid form they are much more pronounced. These are called 'extrapyramidal movements' because of their origin outside the pyramidal tracts of your brain's motor system. That's what I think too. Years of snortin' up Pops's money, comin' home to roost. Probably triggered by stress and the accelerated aging Presidents routinely experience.
  • Does Bush Get Teh Ghey? What surprised me on seeing this after hearing it a couple of times is that if you only hear it, you don't get the visual that he figures out *mid reply* that the crowd is reacting to the gay subtext. or something. His candle lights up after something occurs to him.
  • The jaw thing is getting more pronounced.
  • Some say, Bush pants like a dog, but I think he's just overplaying the folksy hokum bit.
  • Pants like a dog? Don't most sons o'bitches?
  • Zing!
  • Some say, Bush pants like a dog, but I think he's just overplaying the folksy hokum bit. I know the woman asking that question. Well, by "know" I mean, know someone who knows her fiancĂ©. That counts, right?
  • No. Shutup.
  • Aww... it's ok little Chy. Let it out.
  • You know, I was rereading part of the Steven Pinker book The Language Instinct last night, and he has a whole little section in which he uses W.'s old man as an example of someone who has a hard time putting together sentences, a hard time not stuttering, hemming, and hawing. Remember the Dana Carvey SNL sketches? "Uh . . . wouldn't be prudent . . . uh . . . thousand points of light . . . " It may well be that most of Bush's fumbling nature is not about booze or blow but more about genes.
  • THEY KILLED!! . . THREE Thousand . . before we started the freedom agenda in the middle east. *scowl* What'd Iraq have to do with what?! Seriously, you jokers voted for some wack @$% loony. (Daily Show YouTube video of Bush doin' the wiggy at press conference)
  • Why Bush Smirks Long story short: left side and right side aren't talking to each other. Most individual can coordinate both of their hemispheres to produce a symmetrical smile or frown. George Bush seems unable to accomplish this feat in his unguarded moments or when he becomes agitated. His lopsided smirk reveals an inner disconnectedness between the two sides of his brain. And the left sided scowl, and glaring left eye provides a more accurate window into his soul and psyche than does his smiling right. I would further speculate that this disconnect evident in his facial expression might have something to do with the president's unprecedented syntactical mangling of the English language. Sentences inarticulately constructed often belie a disordering of thought processes. That's what I said all 'long. That boy ain't raiht.
  • From today's Bush-Blair press conference: "Q Mr. President, the Iraq Study Group described the situation in Iraq as grave and deteriorating. You said that the increase in attacks is unsettling. That won't convince many people that you're still in denial about how bad things are in Iraq, and question your sincerity about changing course. PRESIDENT BUSH: It's bad in Iraq. Does that help? (Laughter.) Q Why did it take others to say it before you've been willing to acknowledge for the world -- PRESIDENT BUSH: In all due respect, I've been saying it a lot. I understand how tough it is. And I've been telling the American people how tough it is. And they know how tough it is. And the fundamental question is, do we have a plan to achieve our objective. Are we willing to change as the enemy has changed? And what the Baker-Hamilton study has done is it shows good ideas as to how to go forward. What our Pentagon is doing is figuring out ways to go forward, all aiming to achieve our objective. Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die. I understand there's sectarian violence. I also understand that we're hunting down al Qaeda on a regular basis and we're bringing them to justice. I understand how hard our troops are working. I know how brave the men and women who wear the uniform are, and therefore, they'll have the full support of this government. I understand what long deployments mean to wives and husbands, and mothers and fathers, particularly as we come into a holiday season. I understand. And I have made it abundantly clear how tough it is. I also believe we're going to succeed. I believe we'll prevail. Not only do I know how important it is to prevail, I believe we will prevail. I understand how hard it is to prevail. But I also want the American people to understand that if we were to fail -- and one way to assure failure is just to quit, is not to adjust, and say it's just not worth it -- if we were to fail, that failed policy will come to hurt generations of Americans in the future. And as I said in my opening statement, I believe we're in an ideological struggle between forces that are reasonable and want to live in peace, and radicals and extremists. And when you throw into the mix radical Shia and radical Sunni trying to gain power and topple moderate governments, with energy which they could use to blackmail Great Britain or America, or anybody else who doesn't kowtow to them, and a nuclear weapon in the hands of a government that is -- would be using that nuclear weapon to blackmail to achieve political objectives -- historians will look back and say, how come Bush and Blair couldn't see the threat? That's what they'll be asking. And I want to tell you, I see the threat and I believe it is up to our governments to help lead the forces of moderation to prevail. It's in our interests. And one of the things that has changed for American foreign policy is a threat overseas can now come home to hurt us, and September the 11th should be a wake-up call for the American people to understand what happens if there is violence and safe havens in a part of the world. And what happens is people can die here at home. So, no, I appreciate your question. As you can tell, I feel strongly about making sure you understand that I understand it's tough. But I want you to know, sir, that I believe we'll prevail. I know we have to adjust to prevail, but I wouldn't have our troops in harm's way if I didn't believe that, one, it was important, and, two, we'll succeed. Thank you."
  • Reminds me of a dot-com meeting I was at in 1998, in which the CEO gave "the troops" the pitch he was using to try to drum up VC money. CEO: "As these colorful charts and graphs prove, if we get just 1 percent of the market, that makes us a $1 billion company -- within just 5 years! So, what do you guys think? Tim?" HR Director: "I believe!"
  • The Bush quote is so wrong from so many directions that it's hard to get my mind around it. Yes, It's "tough," but it'd be nice to know what we'll do that will allow us to "prevail." Since the new reports are just out, he'd be better off if he just said, "we're studying the possibilities and I hope the results will let us turn the situation around." Do you suppose they tried to prepare him for that sort of question and it just didn't take? Or, couldn't he admit that the earlier efforts just made things worse? Any Bush in Iraq supporters out there who can help me understand this, could you tell me how to interpret this? I'm curious to the point that I'll coldcock anyone who tries to deride you.
  • But the Bush in Iraq supporters are all a bunch of raving - *BLAM!!!!* *falls to floor.*
  • Do you suppose they tried to prepare him for that sort of question and it just didn't take? His voice was in that whiny spoiled-rich-frat-boy zone that indicates he's gone off-script and has let his temper get the better of him again. (i.e. "I read the papers, and I know the speculation, but I'm the decider!") But of course three seconds into it, even he knows he needs to use the crutches they gave him: * He understands how hard it is (and he talks to families that have died, amazingly) * We will prevail (4 times in 3 concurrent sentences) * Nuclear weapon (ding! Take that liberal media!) * 9/11 Ah yes. 9/11. Nine-eleven, everbody! 9/11. 9/11. 9/11? Yes, 9/11. 9/11. FFS 9/11!