Posted on 03/22/2006 11:08:39 AM PST by CyberAnt
The Washington Post: "President Bush should hold more news conferences. ... In his sometimes blunt, sometimes joking and sometimes unpolished way, he sounded authentic ..." (Editorial, "Mr. Bush Unvarnished," The Washington Post, 3/22/06)
The Washington Post: "[T]he president clearly has not lost sight of the enormous importance of the Iraqi mission ..." (Editorial, "Mr. Bush Unvarnished," The Washington Post, 3/22/06)
The Washington Post: "Mr. Bush ... hasn't lost sight of the stakes." (Editorial, "Mr. Bush Unvarnished," The Washington Post, 3/22/06)
ABC's Elizabeth Vargas: "The President, really striking, though George, a balancing act in this news conference today. Realism on the one hand about the challenges ahead, and yet - optimism about the outcome." (ABC's "World News Tonight," 3/21/06)
CNN's Heidi Collins: "[Tuesday's] news conference was just as remarkable for its style as for its substance." (CNN's "Paula Zahn Now," 3/21/06)
[New York] Daily News: "A rock on Iraq." ("A Rock On Iraq," [New York] Daily News, 3/22/06)
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough: "Today [President Bush] faced a hostile press corps, held his own." (MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," 3/21/06)
MSNBC's Pat Buchanan: "[President Bush] came out confident and ... I think he enjoyed sparring with the press, Joe. I thought he came off excellent today. I think it was a first-rate press conference, and with regard to Iraq, we all -- we don't know what the outcome is, you, I, nobody. I don't even think the president knows, but I think he feels comfortable with the decision he made, and he knows the opposition doesn't have any answers." (MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," 3/21/06)
CBS' Bob Schieffer: "President Bush laid out the most impassioned defense yet of his war policy during a White House news conference ..." (CBS' "Evening News," 3/21/06)
CBS' Jim Axelrod: "It was a passionate and feisty George Bush." (CBS' "Evening News," 3/21/06)
The Washington Post's Jim VandeHei: "[The President] clearly believes in the Iraqi mission. He's shown no signs whatsoever of caving in or giving in ..." (MSNBC's "Countdown," 3/21/06)
"With The Public In Cleveland And With Reporters Tuesday, An Energetic And Confident Bush Bantered With His Questioners, Using Humor -- He Accused A Reporter Tuesday Of Falling 'Half-Asleep' During His Lengthy Remarks The Day Before In Cleveland. In Each Case, He Also Took Tough Questions For About An Hour, Indicating That He's Aware Of Public Criticism And Wants To Respond." (David Jackson, "Bush: U.S. Troops May Stay In Iraq For Years," USA Today, 3/22/06)
"Passionate And Often Aggressive ... Bush Declared That If He Did Not Believe The United States Could Prevail In Iraq, He Would Pull The Troops Out Now." (Carolyn Lochhead, "Bush Says War Could Outlast His Presidency," The San Francisco Chronicle, 3/22/06)
Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria: "The old order in Iraq was built on fear and terror. One group dominated the land, oppressing the others. Now representatives of all three communities -- Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds -- are sitting down at the table, trying to construct a workable bargain they can all live with. ... Iraq may be stumbling toward nation-building by consent, not brutality. And that is a model for the Middle East." (Fareed Zakaria, Op-Ed, "Why Iraq Is Still Worth the Effort," The Washington Post, 3/22/06)
"[M]r. Bush Didn't Back Down As He Defended The Decision To Go To War And The Current U.S. Policy." (Stephen Dinan, "Bush Commits Until 2009," The Washington Times, 3/22/06)
"[President Bush Is] Making An Aggressive Case." (Tom Raum, "Analysis: Bush Throws Weight Behind Iraq," The Associated Press, 3/21/06)
Political Strategist Karen Hanretty: "I think actually what the president did today was very good." (MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," 3/21/06)
Hanretty: "The first word that came to my mind after watching the press conference was solid." (MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," 3/21/06)
"Speaking Energetically, Bush On Tuesday Turned Nearly Every Question On Iraq Into A Megaphone For His Latest Message On The War: That He Understands Americans' Concerns About Its Progress And Cost, But That It Must Be Fought To Deny Terrorists An Iraqi Base From Which They Could Attack The United States." (James Gerstenzang, "Bush Says U.S. in Iraq for Long Haul," Los Angeles Times, 3/22/06)
It seems the NSA terrorist surveillance program is not being mentioned at all.
I wonder if that's because the President actually called their bluff about it when he complained that if they think this is not a good program then they need to defund the program - but nobody is standing up to say that. I can't remember exactly what the President said - but it was strong statement: Either do something or get off the pot .. type of statement.
The media's lack of talk about those statements means THE PRESIDENT HIT THE TARGET!!!
"The Washington Post: "President Bush should hold more news conferences. ... In his sometimes blunt, sometimes joking and sometimes unpolished way, he sounded authentic"
Wow. Surely they put something nasty later in the article.
Surely! LOL!
But it is rather rude - "blunt", "unpolished" - in other words .. a dumb cowboy!
Seriously, your NSA point is dead on balls accurate.
>>>In his sometimes blunt, sometimes joking and sometimes unpolished way, he sounded authentic"
Sounded authentic? I think they got nasty already.
Something very few Democrats could ever be accused of.
I love it when I'm right! It happens so seldom .. LOL!!
"authentic"
Yeah, I love that comment too. Does that mean that the last 5 years Bush was "un-authentic" .. LOL!
[But it is rather rude - "blunt", "unpolished" - in other words .. a dumb cowboy!]
LOL...Not near as much as some in the White House Press Corps.
I think he said something to the effect that if they are so convinced that the Terrorist Surveillance Program (TSP) is so bad, so unnecessary, an so violative, then they should campaign on that. Tell the people that you don't want a TSP. Tell them we shouldn't have a TSP. Tell them you will not support a TSP.
In fact, he said they should speak up now and say it, that's why they're in Washington.
It was 'in your face and right up you a$$' brilliant!
" Today during a Press Conference, the President 'mooed' at me and called me the 'ugliest water buffalo ever to step foot in the White House.' " -- Helen Tomas
I'd love for him to hold pressers and Q&A's in PRIME time.
Live audience, (even the WH press midgets) are his best arena.
LOL...And rightly so!
I was so glad to hear those words about the NSA thing. It gets kind of depressing to hear every other week about the next Democrat attempt to find a way to impeach Bush. The media is either never catching on or (more likely) in on the whole thing and breathlessly reports each new attempt as if none of the others occurred.
They also know these are free and open questions because several of them have bordered on hostile and yet he answered them fully and completely.
Thanks for posting this.
Make sure you save this. They forget so soon, you know.
You're right and after he handled their hostility yesterday "with EASE" they have taken a step back to rearm.
They're poll watchers, are they know Americans hate them and see their bias, but they;re driven by their personal hatred of POTUS and their employers agenda.
Most think they're smarter than POTUS, even after he's bested them everytime. Misunderestimated and statergery.
I wonder if that's because the President actually called their bluff about it when he complained that if they think this is not a good program then they need to defund the program - but nobody is standing up to say that. I can't remember exactly what the President said - but it was strong statement: Either do something or get off the pot .. type of statement. The media's lack of talk about those statements means THE PRESIDENT HIT THE TARGET!!!
Here is W's direct quote, in answer to FOX News' Carl Cameron:
THE PRESIDENT: I think during these difficult times -- and they are difficult when we're at war -- the American people expect there to be a honest and open debate without needless partisanship. And that's how I view it. I did notice that nobody from the Democrat Party has actually stood up and called for getting rid of the terrorist surveillance program. You know, if that's what they believe, if people in the party believe that, then they ought to stand up and say it. They ought to stand up and say the tools we're using to protect the American people shouldn't be used. They ought to take their message to the people and say, vote for me, I promise we're not going to have a terrorist surveillance program. That's what they ought to be doing. That's part of what is an open and honest debate.
I did notice that, at one point in time, they didn't think the Patriot Act ought to be reauthorized -- "they" being at least the Minority Leader in the Senate. He openly said, as I understand -- I don't want to misquote him -- something along the lines that, "We killed the Patriot Act." And if that's what the party believes, they ought to go around the country saying we shouldn't give the people on the front line of protecting us the tools necessary to do so. That's a debate I think the country ought to have.
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