On Camera but Unaware, Bush Displays His Fervor

New York Times ^ | 06-03-03

[Brian S]

One of the cable news outlets, MSNBC I think is covering this "accident".

I wonder if it really was an accident at all.

[My2Cents]

I doubt it was an accident. I see nothing "wrong" with the quotes attributed to Bush. He's still the straight talker we've come to know.

[DallasMike]

As it appears here:

He also appears to be having a good time: This afternoon he grinned as he drove Mr. Mubarak by golf cart from the Four Seasons Hotel to an outdoor news conference on a bluff overlooking the sea, where the president was then seen to kiss King Hamad on both cheeks.

As Maureen Dowd will write it:

He also appears to be having a good time ... to kiss King Hamad on both cheeks.

[Moonmad27]

Accident or not, it's wonderful that he said it. You know those plain talkin' Texans!

[hole_n_one]

Excellent!

[ClearCase_guy]

I would expect the media to mostly spin this as an accident -- until polls show that the US public is eating it up. At that point, the media will spin it as a cynical, deliberate ploy to get a new type of "photo op". Perhaps they will coin a new term and accuse the President of an "eavesdrop op".

[w_over_w]

"I believe that, as I told the Crown Prince, the Almighty God has endowed each individual on the face of the earth with — that expects each person to be treated with dignity,"

That's it?!? Hmmmmm . . . must be a NY Slimes article.

[Pukin Dog]

You are exactly right.

If Bush gets positives from this, (and he will) the media will instantly try to suggest that it was a staged moment, 5 minutes after recieving that first frantic call from the DNC.

[Benjamin Dover]

Oh the humanity!!!!Impeachment can't be far behind... What Clymers.

[Frank_2001]

It certainly is!!!!

[Flora McDonald]

Being a New York Times article, I take it with a grain of salt. Notice how the author drew attention to a supposedly mispoken word by President Bush.

And is it just me, or does anybody else find it extremely irritating to see him referred to over and over as MR. Bush?

[ladyinred]

Fantastic article. Accident or not, I am so proud of him!

[Dolphy]

This is the NY Times reporting so I will assume they have made every effort to spin this. Still, it sounds more like the "I can hear you," moment than an accident.

[supercat]

What have Bush and the media learned from the incident where he called a Clymer a clymer?

[Joe Hadenuf]

How ironic, I stated just a few days ago that I was sick and tired of hearing about the never ending Israel/Arab punch fest, and all of the bull sh*t surrounding this endless crap. I was immediately called a bigot.

[thegreatbeast]

Ah, The Times.
"What was surprising, because of an extraordinary mistake by
Egyptian television..." Horseradish! Didn't someone "mistakenly" air Bush being made up before an address just a short while ago? This is done intentionally.
And then there is Mr. Bush's intemeperance, "...that Mr. Bush would be caught unawares on camera today speaking about the Middle East with more bluntness, emotion and religious fervor than had been heard before." The religious fervor, see? That is a bad thing in the NYT's eyes.

[gcruse]

Excellent! I'd have been caught picking my nose, he comes off better than ever.

[Fred Mertz]

His goal today was to enlist support of the Arab leaders behind Mr. Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, whom he wants to promote as the leader of the Palestinians over the administration's nemesis, Yasir Arafat. In one moment caught by an Egyptian TV camera, Mr. Bush and Mr. Abbas could be seen smiling and talking to each other off to the side of the other leaders and officials.

I have read that Slick Willie met more times with lizard lips Arafat than his own CIA Director during the early part of his eight year regime.

Good on Bush for ignoring Arafat and marginalizing him.

[exit82]

Mr. Bush is very brave to travel to that region. The Secret Service must be having fits providing security on this trip.

But, I think he should not be "investing" any capital in Abbas, who is a known terrorist. Rule one of the Bush doctrine--we do not negotiate with terrorists or those who support them.