Althouse: Bush's last press conference: "We have been through a lot together."

January 12, 2009

Bush's last press conference: "We have been through a lot together."

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34 comments:

Trooper York said...: Hey I can't watch it right now. Did he pull his earlobe at the end like Carol Burnet?; 1/12/09, 11:17 AM
traditionalguy said...: We wont have The Shrub to push around anymore. I marveled at his high wire act in trying to be a hard-ass war president while being sweet a and nice person towards all of his American critics.; 1/12/09, 11:22 AM
Ron said...: Damnnation! I thought the same thing Trooper did when I saw the post title! Can't we have a flash animation ending with that tacked on to the end of the video?; 1/12/09, 11:33 AM
Ron said...: hmmm...I guess that makes Cheney the Harvey Korman!; 1/12/09, 11:34 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: I wish that Bush had been like this in all of his previous press conferences. He would have had a much different treatment from the press and public opinion of him would certainly have been better.

I always have been frustrated with his (and his representatives to the press)seeming inability to stand up the to the slimey press coverage and snotty questions from the press.; 1/12/09, 11:57 AM
save_the_rustbelt said...: Other than being incompetent and dishonest, he was apparently the best the GOP had to offer.

All of us Republicans should go into the wilderness wearing sackcloth and ashes, pleading for forgiveness.; 1/12/09, 12:11 PM
kjbe said...: Thanks, Trooper.

I guess that makes Cheney the Harvey Korman!

Why did I go straight to Harvey Korman in drag, after that comment? Thanks, too, Ron.; 1/12/09, 12:20 PM
DaLawGiver said...: "You misunderestimated me."

I love it!

No matter how his presidency will be judged by historians I don't think there is any doubt that he is the all time presidential English language mangulator. It infuriated the left that such an idiot could twice be elected president. He worried about the things that were important to him, not the superficial crap, and for that I love him.; 1/12/09, 12:37 PM
Meade said...: You derangedly say you hate him?

That's nice. I love the guy.; 1/12/09, 12:56 PM
ricpic said...: Why does he feel called upon to compliment those who have crapped all over him?; 1/12/09, 12:56 PM
Zachary Sire said...: It infuriated the left that such an idiot could twice be elected president.

So, the right doesn't care that an idiot was elected twice?

I heard people on Fox News this morning saying how they wished Bush could have acted like he did this morning all the time. Sorry, but when has Bush ever not acted like a stubborn, oblivious, standoffish dick?; 1/12/09, 1:00 PM
TitusMaterialGirl said...: He is so gross.

But I love him to death. What a true patriot.

He will be remembered as our finest president we have ever had.; 1/12/09, 1:01 PM
ricpic said...: Titus: torn between his homo and his heart.; 1/12/09, 1:04 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Bush 43 was a good president.; 1/12/09, 1:07 PM
David said...: "Why does he feel called upon to compliment those who have crapped all over him?"

Because he is a decent person, understands the craziness of Washington and actually has respect for the institution of a free press?

Nah--couldn't be, could it?; 1/12/09, 1:11 PM
Kirby Olson said...: He kept us safe for eight years and didn't molest any aides.

That's not bad.

I didn't vote for him, but I got to love him. I wish him well, and a pox on all his detractors.; 1/12/09, 1:19 PM
Anton said...: "We have been through a lot together"

Indeed we have, and in my opinion, Mr. Presidnet, your foreign policy leadership has been nothing short of magisterial.; 1/12/09, 1:21 PM
Hoosier Daddy said...: So, the right doesn't care that an idiot was elected twice?

Considering the alternatives in 2000 and 2004, there wasn't much choice.; 1/12/09, 1:48 PM
KCFleming said...: He's not going away really, 'cuz he's gonna be blamed for everything bad that happens in the next 8 to 10 years.; 1/12/09, 2:31 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: As an independent voter, not beholden to a political party, feeling absolutely no sense of liege, or loyalty, or connection whatsoever to any political party, I can honestly say, due to the reaction this president evoked from loyal Democrats, I've come to view such loyalty as an abject obscenity. This is demonstrated to me repeatedly here and elsewhere by the haste shown in getting right in there with the same old thread-bare grievances that speak volumes about the poster and nothing at all about the subject of their scorn. Haters. I'm so pleased I don't know you. You have an unpleasant habit of spraying every gathering with your wee, and that's without exception.

As to Bush, I will not miss him. But he's gone. However, the spewing, spitting, ridiculous hatred shown by loyal Democrats is a thing that lives forever. I'm coming to view it as a character trait, a requirement of membership. It makes rational discussion, even amusing discussion, impossible as the above remarks demonstrate.

It'll be nice having a president that's articulate for a change. Though, I'll be relying on you to tell me what the guy says because I've made a habit of keeping remotes at hand and hitting mute immediately for the last two years, a habit formed because I cannot stand being orated at, and a habit that persists because I'm deeply offended with a president elect behaving as an acting president, as if he cannot bear the wait of a week to taking office. I've never seen anything remotely like this, but maybe that's because I haven't been paying attention -- the two years straight of day-to-day campaigning, and the rush to carry on as president. The whole thing is embarrassing and unseemly, all to guarantee the natural course of events of the political pendulum swinging predictably. It's umbrage that spills over to the entire party which I'm beginning to view as suffering a parens patriae obsessive-compulsive disorder. The japes about there being only one president at a time being an overstatement by half a president proves a view of Democrats being grade-school bitches. And if you think I'm conservative or Republican for thinking that, then you really are a hopelessly unteachable little bitch.

I didn't watch this video because I can't be bothered, and I was doing other things ten times more important, getting a hair cut, locating elocharis acicularis (dwarf hair grass) for a redesign of my aquarium, and making chocolate marshmallows.; 1/12/09, 3:22 PM
dick said...: Chip Ahoy,

Why not tell us how you really feel.

Actually I agree with a lot of what you say.; 1/12/09, 3:35 PM
AlphaLiberal said...: buh bye, George.

(Reminder to self to schedule Jan 20 Liberation Day party).; 1/12/09, 4:25 PM
Palladian said...: "It'll be nice having a president that's articulate for a change."

I hear he's clean too.

"(Reminder to self to schedule Jan 20 Liberation Day party)."

Oh I'm sure you'll still be the same pucker-faced twat even after The Ascension. You've been lucky enough for the last eight years to be able to blame Bush for the fact that you're an insufferable, boring, miserable person. Now who will you blame? When the truth finally hits you, I recommend 30 Ativans and a liter of Ketel One. It's relatively painless I suspect.; 1/12/09, 5:00 PM
Bob said...: Note to self - schedule January 20th "Liberation Day" wake. Take all savings and wealth and bury it so its not "Liberated" from me. Better add guns and ammo to that burial list.; 1/12/09, 5:09 PM
chuck b. said...: I'm puzzled, wondering who this man is and where he's been for the last 8 years.

For me, Bush's biggest failure has been an apparent reluctance to assert himself and make strong arguments. He's been on the right side of many things, but either he couldn't articulate that or he didn't care to be bothered.

I was always wishing he'd address himself to the people of Iraq, as president of the world's most diverse and successful nation (ever), and say, ya know, we haven't always gotten along with each other in the US either, but you gotta make it work, cuz either you hang together or you hang separately. This Shiite vs. Sunni bullshit is ridiculous and must stop now.

I will never blame Bush for the Katrina disaster. That goes to Louisiana's government, local and state. Not one single leader to be found.

(And frankly I resent Louisiana's failure to take charge of their situation because from now on when there's trouble anywhere in the country it's going to increasingly be the federal government's purview take care of it and sooner or later that's going to fuck us all.)

And if Bush's handling of the economy has been so bad, why is Obama going forward with Paulson? (Not to mention Gates for Defense.)

I have hardly been a Bush critic (except for during the Terry Schiavo stunt--a sop patronizing those needing a savior narrative) and I don't plan to be a big Obama critic either. I only hope that, going forward, power-brokers in both parties, will place a higher value on oral communication skills as requisite for Presidential leadership. Sometimes you have to say difficult things, Bush just wasn't up to it, apparently.

I had one more part of this rant, but I forgot it.; 1/12/09, 6:05 PM
hdhouse said...: And thank God that the time has finally run out.

There is however the hope that Mr. Bush again will speak in public so we can all get a good laugh.; 1/12/09, 6:32 PM
Bob said...: Apparently one of mistakes Bush made is allowing unruly reporters to ask difficult questions during his press conferences. Obama has learned that lesson well and will allow only a servile press corp.

Americans place a very high premium on politicians who must "look the part" and "sound the part". Less premium on "do the part". You get what you deserve.; 1/12/09, 6:41 PM
Palladian said...: "There is however the hope that Mr. Bush again will speak in public so we can all get a good laugh."

Which is better than what your Savior and Messiah does with his speeches: put people into a coma.

But I bet you've taped every one of the 2,259 speeches and lectures that Obama has given since his elevation to the Office of President-Elect, don't you? Oh well. Beats the hell out of Ambien.; 1/12/09, 8:00 PM
Roberto said...: The ultimate act of a man who is so far into complete denial it's embarrassing to watch.

A complete fool to the bitter end.

And 99% of the idiots here still think this asshole was good for our country.; 1/12/09, 9:43 PM
Roberto said...: chuck b. said..."I'm puzzled, wondering who this man is and where he's been for the last 8 years."

Gee, Chuckie...hiding maybe?

He's fucked up literally everything he's touched and YOU wonder why he hasn'tbeen more "aggressive"...in denying he's fucked everything up?

Do YOU and many others here live in caves? No TV? No newspapers? NO internet?

NO BRAINS?

You think he lugs around a 24% approval rating because Americans (other than the sycophants hers)...are stupid?

Give it up...the man is a complete failure...period.; 1/12/09, 9:48 PM
Roberto said...: This is the idiot 99% of the people here think is...presidential?

"I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn't here." - at the President's Economic Forum in Waco, Texas, Aug. 13, 2002

"We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, as we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease." - Gothenburg, Sweden, June 14, 2001

"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.'' - Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001

"I'm the commander - see, I don't need to explain - I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being president." - as quoted in Bob Woodward's Bush at War

"The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein, and his willingness to terrorize himself." - Grand Rapids, Mich., Jan. 29, 2003

"Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties." - discussing the Iraq war with Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson, as quoted by Robertson

"This foreign policy stuff is a little frustrating." - as quoted by the New York Daily News, April 23, 2002

"It is white." - after being asked by a child in Britain what the White House was like, July 19, 2001

"I couldn't imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Hanukkah." - at a White House menorah lighting ceremony, Washington, D.C., Dec. 10, 2001

"For every fatal shooting, there were roughly three non-fatal shootings. And, folks, this is unacceptable in America. It's just unacceptable. And we're going to do something about it." - Philadelphia, Penn., May 14, 2001

"I'm the master of low expectations." - aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003

"I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend a lot of time thinking about myself, about why I do things." - aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003

"I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe - I believe what I believe is right." - Rome, Italy, July 22, 2001

"People say, how can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil? You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and say I love you." - Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002

"The really rich people figure out how to dodge taxes anyway." - explaining why high taxes on the rich are a failed strategy, Annandale, Va., Aug. 9, 2004

"My plan reduces the national debt, and fast. So fast, in fact, that economists worry that we're going to run out of debt to retire." - radio address, Feb. 24, 2001

"See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction." - Milwaukee, Wis., Oct. 3, 2003

"But all in all, it's been a fabulous year for Laura and me." - summing up his first year in office, three months after the 9/11 attacks, Washington, D.C., Dec. 20, 2001

"I try to go for longer runs, but it's tough around here at the White House on the outdoor track. It's sad that I can't run longer. It's one of the saddest things about the presidency." - interview with "Runners World," Aug. 2002

"I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace." - Washington, D.C. June 18, 2002

"I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn't do my job." - to a group of Amish he met with privately, July 9, 2004

"We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories … And we'll find more weapons as time goes on. But for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them." - Washington, D.C., May 30, 2003

"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." - Washington, D.C., Dec. 19, 2000

"There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again." - Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." - Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." - Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004; 1/12/09, 9:51 PM
Roberto said...: Bush: "Abu Ghraib obviously was a huge disappointment during the presidency. Not having weapons of mass destruction was a significant disappointment. I don't know if you want to call those mistakes or not, but they were -- things didn't go according to plan, let's put it that way."

Yes...rather "disappointing."

Duh.; 1/12/09, 9:58 PM
chuck b. said...: Yeah. Whatever, dude.; 1/12/09, 10:41 PM
Chris Arabia said...: Michael,

You left out the ones where the idiot said we have 57 states and discussed his Muslim faith. Because only an idiot wouldn't know how many states we have or what his own religion is. Right?

If you think 99% of this readership worships Bush, you seriously need to READ some BOOKS and the COMMENTS in this BLOG. If that's too daunting, maybe your "conservative" "friends" could READ something to you.

Jeeze, don't you READ? BOOKS?

Harry Truman left office with similar approval ratings (I think I READ that in a BOOK); I don't know whether Congress in late '52 had ratings as low as the just-concluded Obama Congress had.

I suspect that Bush's ratings will rise, but probably less than Truman's did.; 1/13/09, 2:00 AM