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Here is what the doom-and-gloomers over at National Review Online (the corner) had to say:

GWB ON MTP [John Derbyshire]

Just got through watching the President on Meet the Press. I thought it was
a pretty dismal performance. I'll be voting for GWB in November, but let's
face it, the Great Communicator he ain't. The tongue-tied blather was
coming thick and fast. At times, he looked like Al Sharpton on the Federal
Reserve. . .

This stuff isn't going to convince anyone, and will probably turn off some
supporters. The best defense of the Iraq war I have yet seen was given by
Alan Keyes on FNC last week. Crisp, clear, and convincing. POTUS should
hire Keyes as a speechwriter, at any salary he asks for.

It got a bit better. National Guard? Stop denigrating it. (Darn right.)
GWB got honorable discharge--what's to argue with? But then we hit the
economy.

Russert: "Our current fiscal policy is unsustainable, according to the GAO.
Why, as a fiscal conservative, would you allow this deficit disaster?"
GWB: "The budget I have just proposed will cut the deficit... If Congress
is wise with the people's money..." If Congress is ****W*H*A*T****???? Ha
ha ha ha ha ha ha!

There were all sorts of presentational problems that GWB really should not
be suffering from at this stage in his career. He dropped the acronym
"PDB"; Russert had to interrupt to explain to us peons that it means
"President's Daily Briefing." Too reminiscent of Bob Dole in '96 mumbling
about "cloture" (which, as P.J. O'Rourke said at the time, most Americans
probably believe to be a surgical procedure). . .

To place national security up front like this, on its own, has all sorts of
perils. What if there's another big terrorist attack in October? I myself
believe that GWB **IS** the right man in a dangerous time, but he's not
going to convince the unconvinced with feeble performances like this.

RE: "MEET THE PRESS" [Rod Dreher]
I'm afraid I have to side with Michael on the Bush interview. I kept wincing as the president bobbled his answers. Even when he gave what on paper is a decent enough answer, he looked nervous, stumbly and intellectually unsure. He did himself no favors with this interview. I know Bush is not known for being eloquent, but it did strike me that we should be able to expect better than this from the President of the United States, at least after three years in office. I recalled Jay Nordlinger's terrific tribute to British foreign secretary Jack Straw's magisterial and ringing Davos defense of the war in his Jan. 22 Impromptus:

Straw was commanding, unflinching, persuasive, affable, willing, and factual. He was informed to the gills. He proved a superb explainer/defender of all that we are doing, and have done, and will do in Iraq. I dare say that no American official has performed as well — certainly not Straw's counterpart, Colin Powell. How much good it would do, around the world and at home, for Powell to make such efforts, with such conviction and knowledge! My suspicion is that most people would come around to the Coalition point of view — or at least not be hostile to it — if it were explained sufficiently well. This has been a failure of the post-9/11 period. But Jack Straw, trust me, is up to the job.

George W. Bush, I regret to say, is not. He had better get his act together. I found myself watching him slouch and skitter through the Russert interview, and thought how fortunate we are that the president will probably be running against a liberal Democrat from Massa-gay-marriage-chusetts this fall.

"DISASTER" [KJL]
Michael, I don't know that it was a disaster. I don't think it helped much, but it probably didn't do much damage either. He sounded defensive on intel and, oddly, he seemed almost removed from his service answer. I'm taking comfort in the fact its Sunday morning and most people were doing something other than watching meet the press. What I always do think is useful is people seeing how heartfelt is his love for this country, for its people, and for freedom. That came across, as it often does when he does sitdowns. But again, all in all, I don't think it was a disaster, by any stretch.

Etc.

most americans didn't see this interview. many more people get the "news" about it from this post interview spin, and we know there is no way Bush is going to get fair coverage from the manistream media. Direct addresses to the nation, in prime time, is much more effective then an interview with Russert.

He [George W. Bush] had better get his act together. I found myself watching him slouch and skitter through the Russert interview, ... from your NRO excerpts

*****

Have these NR writers forgotten the mannerisms of their founder, Wm F Buckley. There never has been a more slouchy, or circumlocutive (probably a Buckley word) speaker in the history of the conservative movement. However, what he said was worth waiting for, just like President Bush.

Man, I totally disagree with the nervous nellies over at NRO.