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Analysis: Bush stubborn streak an issue
AP | 4/03/04 | TOM RAUM

Posted on 04/03/2004 10:26:53 AM PST by kattracks

WASHINGTON (AP) — While his re-election campaign is capable of lightning-quick responses, President Bush himself is often slow to respond to major dilemmas until forced to do so by rising political heat.

Bush had refused to allow national security adviser Condoleezza Rice to testify before the panel investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks — even after members of Bush's own party, including the panel's Republican chairman, complained.

He finally relented last week, but not until the White House had gone into full damage-control mode.

Perhaps learning from that episode, the administration did a quick public relations pivot later in the week when OPEC announced a price-rising reduction in oil production of 1 million barrels a day.

The White House at first said merely that prices should be set by market forces to ensure adequate supplies. But three hours later, in a dramatic shift in tone, it said Bush was disappointed in the oil cartel's action and that administration officials were in contact with oil-producing countries.

The about face followed criticism from Democratic rival John Kerry that Bush, a former oilman, was slow on the uptake.

As a presidential candidate four years ago, Bush had pledged to use his political influence and "jawbone OPEC" to keep oil prices in check.

Bush has often found himself boxed in by his own statements, sometimes making it hard to act until the pressure becomes overwhelming.

"He is not the most subtle president in terms of leaving escape clauses in his statements about what he stands for," said American University political scientist James Thurber. "So he seems as if he's digging in his heels — and then is forced to compromise."

It's a pattern Bush has set before, one of seeming to be intractable even to the point of political damage:

_He waited until the last minute last December before lifting 20-month-old tariffs on foreign steel. By delaying so long, Bush made it look like he bowed to pressure from the European Union, which was poised to slap $2.2 billion in sanctions on U.S. products. Bush's move will hurt steel makers in states critical in the November presidential election.

_He has never taken responsibility for the fact that weapons of mass destruction haven't been found in Iraq, or acknowledged that intelligence on them may have been faulty. His public jokes about not finding such weapons didn't help, drawing protests from military families.

_ It took Bush weeks to take personal responsibility for his erroneous State of the Union claim in January 2002 that Saddam Hussein was shopping for nuclear materials in Africa. First, he let CIA Director George Tenet and a national security aide take the blame, giving ammunition to Democrats and other Iraq war critics.

_The White House continues to refuse to budge on releasing information about closed-door meetings of Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force, which crafted the administration's energy policy. The matter is now before the Supreme Court.

_His dogged insistence in 2001 on creating a national defense against incoming ballistic missiles from hostile states wore down most of his international and domestic critics.The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, using airplanes, undercut his early emphasis on missile attacks as the nation's biggest security concern.

Restricting Rice's availability, and his own, to the Sept. 11 commission fueled Democratic criticism that the White House had something to hide in the controversy caused by former counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke's accusation that Bush's fixation on Iraq undermined the war on terror.

When he finally capitulated last week and agreed to let Rice testify under oath and in public, and agreed that he and Cheney would go before the full commission in a private session, much of the damage had been done — and it looked like Bush was buckling to political pressure.

The battle over Rice's testimony "was distracting from focusing on the substance," said James Steinberg, a former national security aide in the Clinton administration. Putting aside questions of executive privilege and allowing Rice to testify publicly "was an important thing that had to be done, given the importance of the issue," Steinberg said.

George Washington University historian Leo Ribuffo said Bush isn't the first president to appear intractable in public. Presidents Truman, Eisenhower and Johnson had similar stubborn streaks that sometimes got them into political hot water, Ribuffo said.

Ribuffo noted that Bush usually compromises in the end, and that his obstinacy may seem heightened in the contrast with his predecessor, Bill "Clinton, who would change his views on anything at the spur of the moment."

___

EDITOR'S NOTE — Tom Raum has covered Washington for The Associated Press since 1973, including five presidencies.



TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 911commission; mediabias
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To: kattracks
"excape clauses"

ONLY THE DEMOCRATS WHO LIE ABOUT EVERYTHING NEED ESCAPE CLAUSES.

Also .. I notice they are bringing up the SOTU speech again, saying Bush made an "erroneous" claim about Niger. We, of course, know that the statement was not erroneous, and that the UK still stands by the statement.

To me .. the President is confident and committed .. not stubborn. They use the term "stubborn" because it sounds negative. The dems are mad because they cannot get Bush to act wishy-washy like they do.
21 posted on 04/03/2004 12:48:06 PM PST by CyberAnt (The 2004 Election is for the SOUL of AMERICA)
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To: kattracks
But wait . . . I thought Bush is simply a pawn of his advisors!
22 posted on 04/03/2004 12:49:14 PM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: kattracks
Yeah, and boy do those terrorists HATE that stubborn streak.
23 posted on 04/03/2004 12:52:52 PM PST by McGavin999 (Expecting others to pay for your enjoyment of FreeRepublic is socialism: Donate now!)
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To: kattracks
His public jokes about not finding such weapons didn't help, drawing protests from military families.

Let's see, I recall the Kerry campaign quoting some supposed vet who freepers found photographed prominently at a Wes Clark campaign rally.

As to the rest of this "piece", Raum sounds like a jilted school girl with his petulant tone. It doesn't help that he is merely regurgitating DNC talking points that are inaccurate (to put it in the best light).

24 posted on 04/03/2004 12:58:55 PM PST by cyncooper ("The 'War on Terror ' is not a figure of speech")
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To: kattracks
_ It took Bush weeks to take personal responsibility for his erroneous State of the Union claim in January 2002 that Saddam Hussein was shopping for nuclear materials in Africa. First, he let CIA Director George Tenet and a national security aide take the blame, giving ammunition to Democrats and other Iraq war critics.

And last I checked, the statement from the State of the Union about Hussein seeking uranium from Africa has NOT been shown to be erroneous.

25 posted on 04/03/2004 1:01:08 PM PST by cyncooper ("The 'War on Terror ' is not a figure of speech")
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To: kattracks
Analysis: Raum Bombs.
26 posted on 04/03/2004 1:07:49 PM PST by auboy
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To: kattracks
Another confusion for Liberals, mistaking STUBBORN for CONVICTION.

Feelings are all that matters, no need to get the brain engaged!
27 posted on 04/03/2004 1:16:01 PM PST by leprechaun9
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To: navyblue
(From Merriam-Webster) stubborn - (2) : justifiably unyielding : RESOLUTE

I didn't say that stubbornness is a virtue or that it is a vice.

and....

(From Merriam-Webster) principle - (2) a rule or code of conduct

Being "principled" can be either good or bad, depending on your rule or code of conduct.

28 posted on 04/03/2004 1:18:58 PM PST by pax_et_bonum (Always finish what you st)
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To: kattracks
No it is called a backbone something that your rarely find in Washington these days.
29 posted on 04/03/2004 1:21:41 PM PST by Trueblackman (Terrorism and Liberalism never rest and neither do I)
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To: kattracks
Great comment! That's what I thought, they needed a negative article to fill the daily quota and that's all they could cook up. Bunch of Clymers.
30 posted on 04/03/2004 1:21:49 PM PST by don'tbedenied
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To: kattracks
Proof positive that the Left still has no clue about the rope-a-dope strategy ("strategery") that Bush has been playing on them for years now.
31 posted on 04/03/2004 1:43:26 PM PST by thoughtomator (Voting Bush because there is no reasonable alternative)
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To: kattracks
While his re-election campaign is capable of lightning-quick responses, President Bush
himself is often slow to respond to major dilemmas until forced to do so by
rising political heat.


LOL! If Dubya was a Democrat, this article would be a love-letter focused on
his ability to "stay on point under the most unfair electoral attacks ever on record!".
32 posted on 04/03/2004 1:51:06 PM PST by VOA
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To: kattracks
Is this based on Karen Hughes' comment that W is stubborn? I'm sure of it. Man, liberals and their media enablers are clinging to the last limb of the tree that's standing in the water surrounding their sinking ship. At this point they are a source of amusement, nothing more.
33 posted on 04/03/2004 2:10:20 PM PST by sarasota
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To: kattracks
"He is not the most subtle president in terms of leaving escape clauses in his statements..."


This line fairly SCREAMS for a comment about Slick, but I'm going to let it slide for now...
34 posted on 04/03/2004 3:26:49 PM PST by Maria S (Assigned parking only...all violators will be towed)
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To: finnman69
Its current average rating is 3.82 with 102 vote(s).
35 posted on 04/03/2004 3:59:00 PM PST by adam_az (Call your state Republican party office and VOLUNTEER FOR A CAMPAIGN!!!)
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To: yall
You can send examples of media bias to

kerrywatch@georgewbush.com
36 posted on 04/03/2004 4:00:09 PM PST by adam_az (Call your state Republican party office and VOLUNTEER FOR A CAMPAIGN!!!)
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To: kattracks
lol! Rueters is so peeved that President Bush can outpossum them so well, so perfectly. What a hoot!
37 posted on 04/03/2004 4:00:35 PM PST by Alia (California -- It's Groovy! Baby!)
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To: adam_az; finnman69
After I rated it, I got:

You have given the news article Newsview: Bush Responds to Political Heat a rating of 2.
Its current average rating is 3.47 with 138 vote(s).

The article has some redeeming value; he gets some facts right. I reserve a 1 for articles that are lying and factually incorrect.
38 posted on 04/03/2004 9:27:24 PM PST by Forgiven_Sinner (The Passion of the Christ--the top non-fiction movie of all time)
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