Posted on 09/10/2002 8:32:22 PM PDT by Hillary's Lovely Legs
CBS' Scott Pelley isn't the first person to observe that in a world of grays, President Bush sees mainly black and white.
But Pelley says there are aspects about the Bush's personality that might surprise some people during Bush's only TV interview this Sept. 11 anniversary week - on 60 Minutes II Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
"There are times in the interview where he is pounding the desk, he's so angry," Pelley said Monday. "There are parts where tears are running down his face as he's describing the people (he) met in New York. Viewers are going to see a man who has a great deal more range of emotion that he betrays in public."
But they'll also see Bush repeating a familiar refrain: "He sees this (the war on terrorism) as a struggle between good an evil and he sees America as the leading champion of good in the world, with a responsibility to put an end to this evil wherever it is - way beyond Afghanistan."
Pelley spent 2 1/2 hours with Bush, speaking to him aboard Air Force One and at the White House. Pelley said Bush gets "a little testy. But I think he has fun with it: He likes the give and take."
Pelley also talked to 20 other Bush administration officials about their recollections of Sept. 11 and ensuing days.
But Pelley devotes a full 40 minutes of the show to examining what happened in the hours immediately after the attacks, when Bush remained largely aboard Air Force One instead of returning to the White House - a controversial move that Pelley came away thinking was justified.
By the end of the day it was Bush who overruled the Secret Service and ordered Air Force One to return to the the capital. "He said, 'Tell my wife to meet me at the White House' - and they did."
Pelley said that Bush is a bit like President Reagan - he paints the big picture but expects others to figure out the nitty-gritty - but someone who, in this case, needed to talk about the days that changed history.
"He was very engaged and thrilled to talk about it," Pelley said. "It was almost as if it seemed he needed to get it off his chest. He wanted to tell somebody about that week and what has been going through his mind."
Let's speak a little about Honesty Jolly, okay? Honesty means truth. You are saying that Bush was acting in this interview. That is OPINION, not honesty/truth.
I say he is a sincere man, who is driven by the responsibility he feels to this country as it's leader during our most difficult time.
I say it was not acting, but real honest emotion that is certainly understandable considering his position and the times we are facing.
That is my OPINION, Jolly. There is a difference. For you to think that we should all marvel at your perception of the truth because you say it is honesty, is laughable. That perhaps is why they call you Jolly.
So then, let's be honest.
You don't like President Bush, and your comments are highly biased because of that.
Now, having said that, I would like to ask you what you make of the fact that most people I know get choked up when discussing what happened on 9/11 last year. These are normal, everyday people who saw all the images we all saw on TV.
President probably Bush saw the images that weren't shown on TV, the ones I have yet to see. He probably knows the name of that Mom seen holding her baby out the window on one of the towers, he may have seen pictures of the two of them on the pavement.
I don't know that a man would have to fake emotion when talking about 9/11.
The true actor here would probably be the person hiding the ulterior motive behind a facade of "honesty".
Get yourself a mirror.
The issue here is not GW; it is your disdain those in authority.
She works part-time for us and a program run through her full-time job was being spotlighted by the President during his speech. I talked with her in order to write up her account in our company newsletter ..... and found myself in an almost embarrasing position. When I sat down to write up the article, I felt like I was writing campaign material.
This woman couldn't say enough good things about President Bush. The first words out of her mouth were that he was an excellent speaker! Then she went on to say that it was so evident that he was sincere ..... that he genuinely cares about people ...... that he is kind, considerate, and truly compassionate .... that he is so genuine.
A true BushBot, you say? WRONG!!! I asked her if she had been a supporter of the President before ..... and she said quite bluntly "No." She had not voted for him and hadn't really paid him that much attention before. I didn't inquire but I fully suspect that she is a Democrat.
On what did she base her opinion? Part of it was the speech itself. But a big part of it was the interaction she saw between him and others ..... including the lady who introduced him ..... a single mother who had worked her way off of welfare and gotten a decent job. She was quite nervous ..... and the President was very reassuring to her ...... grasped her hand and comforted her. He was truly concerned about her discomfiture.
That's not acting. The cameras were not rolling at the time. That was never seen on tv ..... was in no sound bites.
That was no Hollywood production ...... that was a genuine, sincere, decent, moral, Christian man!
We all have the right, exercised quite freely here on FR, to disagree with his politics. But anyone who claims that he is as artificial and fake-y as x42 is simply not paying attention.
We can only hope.
I was thinking maybe it is swedish for "Holly", like maybe she has a viking ancestry or something.
I agree.
But you wouldn't know about that yet. Nor about maturity. And yes, I do have time for honesty. I will have to look elsewhere for that, however. Good day.
Oops, now you are doing exactly that which you accuse me of.
Why did you come here? Just to inflict emotional pain onto others?
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