Posted on 04/02/2006 4:52:01 PM PDT by mathprof
George W. Bush is taking time to explain himself, open up to the public in new ways and court the U.S. Congress as he tries to breathe life into a presidency beset by sagging ratings and influence.
With a job-approval rating under 40 percent, Bush, who went to his Crawford ranch for a quiet weekend, has a long way to go. Aides acknowledge it will take a while to rebuild his image, and much will depend on the outcome of the Iraq war.
White House staffers, who have long limited the president's appearances to speeches and photo opportunities with little contact with regular people, are now inclined to let Bush be Bush.
He is talking at length. His March 21 news conference lasted nearly an hour. A Freedom House speech with questions from the audience in Washington on Wednesday went on for an hour and a half.
Bush even took questions from gray-haired retirees at a senior citizens' home recently and they asked some tough ones. More such sessions are planned.
``The president enjoys the open question-and-answer formats,'' White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. ``The more we can put him in settings where people can get a better sense of his thinking and his beliefs, the better.'' SNIP
Democrats are not impressed by the more-open Bush. ``The president can give all the speeches he wants but nothing will change the fact that his Iraq policy is wrong,'' said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
No surprise at all.
"Impeach Bush" = Leftist
Capture.. Murtha: Our troops are being lied to.
ETc. Yep. Sitting in their own soiled diapers ever and always screaming into tvland: Something Stinks!"
Could be... or it could be rightist.
Aides acknowledge it will take a while to rebuild his image, and much will depend on the outcome of the Iraq war.
What a load of Bullshat!
What kind of Aid to the President would acknowledge the Presidents Ratings were down when they know damn well the ratings and pols are fixed !
Keep it up, though........and see how long you last on this forum.
lol, So true. I saw people that said "anchor babies" should be deported. What you mean Americans? Gosh who is next after we deport the 34 year old anchor baby. This whole issue has gone into some fantasy world or horror world.
President Bush has driven ALL extremists mad, and they have joined forces to jump off the proverbial cliff together.
I'm relieved to know I'm not the only one who sees this, ohioWfan: You do too!!! Ya just made my day! :) But hey, Rush also sees it, so you know someone just gotta show up and start the nightly ritual of "bush-botism". Heck they tried "Rush Dittoheads" as a negative, and that didn't work either. Ya'd think some folks might trying growing a synapse.
Bingo.
For the most part, Bush has been Bush for the last five years and three months. Bush and Cheney both have total disdain for the media and who could blame them. Problem is, when your POTUS and VPOTUS, you've got to be smart and hide your contempt from the public. Bush and Cheney have done a lousy job of communicating their message to the people. Especially in the last year. Independents have moved away from supporting Bush and the GOP. That must be turned around before the election season ratchets up into full swing. Bush should also tell Scott McClellen and Dan Barlett to take a hike.
With Josh Bolten coming in as the new Chief of Staff, he might be able to get Bush out of the hole he's dug for himself with many Americans and with mainstream conservatives. The recent PR blitz needs to be kept up. And the bureaucratic blunders have to stop, or else the Prez is doomed to lame duck status.
Yes, let's never forget that treasonous president who 20 years ago both signed an amnesty bill AND withdrew American troops from Lebanon. The former decision exacerbated an illegal immigration problem that Clinton ignored and GWB is trying to solve. The latter decision exacerbated an Islamic terrorism problem that Clinton ignored and GWB is now trying to solve . . . DO YOU DETECT A PATTERN YET?!
President Ronald Reagan was a GREAT president who did the best he could under the circumstances . . . President George W Bush is doing likewise -- and unlike BJ Clinton, President Bush is working hard to solve these highly complex problems rather than passing them on to future presidents and future congresses!
The NYT and Reuters (if its rueters its wrong)
must be livid because only a few short months ago they were spinning GWBush was unaccessable and distant.
NOOOOOWWWWW, he is everywhere talking to ordinary non left wing screened goosestepping leftists.
It must suck to be in the dinosaur media.
I didn't compare lists. Could have gone on, chose not to. Beside the point, utterly. You are the one who said make him like Reagan. As if that was some kind of name out of Nirvana or something...
I'm a life-long Republican. If they can't keep me in line, they are going down.
The Lemmings are hopping with fever. They've joined forces and because they haven't a CLUE what else to do! It's a motly mob with no shape, form, platform, agenda.. pretending it "thinks". It's pure emotionalism. It's day of the "living dead". And their chants are all the same too.
And.. they don't realize they've allowed themselves to be possessed. eek.
Some days, in reading some of the threads.. I visualize some of the posters as those "lepers" in the flick The Mummy.. chanting "IMHOTEP".. IMHOTEP... IMHOTEP..
"Impeach Bush" = Leftist
(Anyone can say they are a 'life-long Republican.' C-Span callers do it all the time).
They use it as a vehicle of convenience, ohio, turning him into a weapon to Bash Bush. The weapon is flawed, however, but that is not mentioned. I don't think the Gipper would like this use of his name, anyway.
I've become so disgusted with Bush over immigration and other issues I probably should stop posting about him for a few days. I was such a big supporter of his. If Bush was not president tomorrow it would not bother me a bit. His whole presidency can be put in to one word: "tepid".
He's supposed to do everything that these poor fellows want, or he's 'betrayed' them.
Makes me gag.
No, I think the problem there is a problem of "middle management"; not from the top. Mehlman's good at communicating. And I think he's doing that part of communicating and I'm seeing better results. The problem lies more at the local levels, IMHE.
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