Posted on 07/12/2007 8:20:09 PM PDT by lowbridge
Posted by Ken Shepherd on July 12, 2007 - 10:35.
Update added at bottom of post.
President Bush is taking questions from the White House press corps about the Iraq report. I'll be live-blogging it. Hit refresh for updates. We may post some video later with highlights (or is it lowlights?). All times below are Eastern.
Helen Thomas, Hearst newspapers columnist, 10:45: Presses Bush on bringing in UN peacekeepers to Iraq. "Don't you understand, you have brought al Qaeda into Iraq," she insisted.
unidentified reporter, 10:48: "Mr. President, you're facing a rebellion from Republican senators" on Iraq.
unidentified female reporter, 10:50 on changing course on the Iraq war: "why are you so resistant to that idea, and how much longer" will the President continue with the surge before changing course.
[10:52: President Bush noted how the media reported earlier that Anbar province was "lost" but that that the province has improved markedly in the past few months]
Martha Raddatz, ABC News, 10:54: "Are you willing to keep the surge going, no matter what Gen. Petraeus says, if there's not substantial Iraqi political progress by September.
[Bush]
Raddatz, whining: "But there's been no substantial political progress..."
Jim Axelrod , CBS News, 10:56: "Have you ever entertained the idea that at some point" Congress could take away the president's powers as commander in chief.
Axelrod, 10:56 follows up with hypothetical about what Bush would do if Congress passes such legislation to limit his powers.
David Gregory, NBC 10:57: asks why the American people shouldn't conclude President Bush has been "stubborn" or "in denial" about Iraq?
Gregory follows up question by rephrasing his question, 11:00
female reporter, 11:03: "What evidence can you present to the American people" that the "same people" responsible for 9/11 are working in Iraq.
female reporter, 11:04: Asks if Bush still believes the Iraq prime minister is still the right man for the job.
male reporter on Scooter Libby case, 11:06: asks about the morality of "leaking" Plame's name and if he spent time talking with his aides about it, now that the legal proceedings are concluded.
Wendell Goler, Fox News, 11:07: "why should the American people feel you have the vision for victory in Iraq, sir?"
male reporter, 11:13: "why can't we counter those messages and obviously not withdrawal precipitiously but begin a gradual withdrawal...?"
male reporter, 11:15, on Chertoff's "gut feeling" in the face of no solid evidence of imminent attack: "Sir, what is your gut telling you?" about terror threats this summer.
Ed Chen, LA Times, 11:20: "has the U.S. military deployment to Iraq reached the ceiling" or would the President consider adding more troops.
Chen, 11:22: "how hard is it for you to conduct the war without popular support?"
Raddatz, 11:27 presses Bush on report saying al Qaeda is as strong as it has been since pre-9/11/2001.
[Bush emphasizes report says stronger than anytime since 2001 but that al Qaeda is not as much as threat as it was on Sept. 10, 2001, and that it is not stronger than it was pre-9/11]
# # # End news conference at 11:30 EDT # # #
Update (12:30 EDT): I first saw this on Time's "Swampland" blog, but apparently President Bush demurred on a joke about the Washington press corps when he opened the newly renovated Brady briefing room yesterday. The New York Times' "The Caucus" blog carried a photo of the prepared remarks resting on the podium with the joke crossed out. It read:
“And there’s no truth to the rumor some of those new seats can be ejected by pressing a button at Tony’s podium.”
I wouldn't have joked about that either. I'd have joked about trap doors to a piranha tank.
WOW! That Axelrod is a piece of work!
Interesting post, I did not hear the presser. These arrogant questions are beyond what I would have imagined.
Its amazing that this pack of wolves would consider themselves to be journalists. Not a serious question to be asked in a time of war; just a bunch of democratic talking points.
“Jim Axelrod , CBS News, 10:56: “Have you ever entertained the idea that at some point” Congress could take away the president’s powers as commander in chief.”
I don’t even need to comment. He needs to go back to school and read the Constitution again. He’s lucky I’m not Bush. I would have rolled my eyes and made some comment about him being too stupid to be in the room.
Somebody send Axelrod this. My God, he is dumb.
“Section 2. The President shall be commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.”
We have met the enemy, the Washington Press Corps, the Senate, and Congress.
Watch it at the WH web site. I didn’t get to watch it until I got home...and watched it at WH web site...all of it...
You left out the fine print: Section 7, subsection 43, clause D. Which reads: "Unless the President is a Republican".
Living constitution, dontcha know.
What is the WH link you watched please? And what is your summation?
Upper right...windows video...BUSH DID SUCH AN OUTSTANDING JOB!!!!!!!
Dear Helen, what battlefield would you suggest we pick to fight AQ? Washington, D.C., NY, LA...which one?
BTW, I think our military planners from the gitgo picked Iraq as the battlefield to take on AQ. Two birds with one stone - SH and AQ.
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