October 4, 2005
FUNNIEST PRESS CONFERENCE QUESTION, EVER:
Q: Mr President, are you still a conservative?
What really topped it off though was a short while later:
THE PRESIDENT: Richard.Q Mr. President --
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q -- in our latest poll --
THE PRESIDENT: The what?
Q In our latest poll --
THE PRESIDENT: Latest poll? (Laughter.)
Q Yes, our latest poll.
THE PRESIDENT: Okay.
Q I know you don't pay attention to polls, but, anyway, in our latest poll --
THE PRESIDENT: You run one every other day. (Laughter.)
Q I know.
THE PRESIDENT: You mean yesterday's poll, as opposed to tomorrow's poll? Go ahead. It's a good way to fill space, Richard. (Laughter.)
Q It is. Eighty-five percent of the Republicans approve of the job you're doing, but only 15 percent of the Democrats approve of the job you're doing. What is it about that the Democrats find so objectionable?
THE PRESIDENT: Ask the pollsters. My job is to lead and to solve problems.
MORE:
I'm still one of you, Bush tells angry conservative supporters (Tim Reid, 10/05/05, Times of London)
PRESIDENT BUSH, facing mounting anger among his right-wing supporters over runaway spending, his latest Supreme Court nomination and the Iraq war, was forced to declare yesterday: “I’m still a conservative, proudly so.”Posted by Orrin Judd at October 4, 2005 11:31 AM
Anyone heard from David Cohen today? It sounds like a question he'd ask.
Posted by: oj at October 4, 2005 11:45 AMJournalists are idiots.
Posted by: Twn at October 4, 2005 11:52 AMAnother great exchange was over the ".... was Souter a mistake" question to which GWB quipped "you're tryin' to get me in trouble with my father." Undaunted, the reporter pressed on "I'm just trying to clarify...." Bush interupted him again "then go ask him!"
He did finally give a response. But, of course, didn't answer the stupid question.
Posted by: John Resnick at October 4, 2005 11:57 AMC'mon, journalists aren't idiots. J-School graduates are just the people who knew they didn't have what it takes to get that Education degree.
Posted by: Raoul Ortega at October 4, 2005 12:08 PMThere are two members on this site I particularly admire.
Raoul Ortega is one of them.
That 15% approval rating from Democrats troubles me. W should be aiming for zero, just to make sure he's doing the right thing. I blame Harriet Miers.
Posted by: Axel Kassel at October 4, 2005 4:17 PMWhich question?
Posted by: David Cohen at October 4, 2005 7:09 PMAsking W if he's still a conservative.
Posted by: oj at October 4, 2005 7:33 PMI haven't said a word against W or even against Miers, who I didn't even know existed until last week. It's still early days, but it looks like she'll be fine (although you're overstating her pro-life credentials).
My problem is with John McCain, who put his buddy Harry Reid in position to veto possible nominees -- including, by the way, your preferred nominee. (I'm particularly fond of this post: TIME FOR THE ORDINARY JANICE ROGERS BROWN
Posted by: David Cohen at October 4, 2005 7:55 PMNo, but you do think W's policies make him a liberal, no?
Posted by: oj at October 4, 2005 8:07 PMNo. Not at all. You can search the archives, but I don't think I've ever even suggested that. I don't think he's as conservative as Reagan, but different times call for different measures.
I know that we're hard to tell apart sometimes, but it's you who thinks that the president is a leftist like yourself, because you mistakenly think that he's a third-wayer.
Posted by: David Cohen at October 4, 2005 8:59 PMRight. You think those policies are Leftist, no?
Posted by: oj at October 4, 2005 10:20 PMNo, I think you fundamentally misunderstand both the president and the third-way.
Posted by: David Cohen at October 4, 2005 10:22 PMyes, we needn't quibble over whether they're Third Way policies, but you do think they're Leftist, right?
Posted by: oj at October 4, 2005 10:28 PMNo, not at all. I think that they are conservative policies and that W is a conservative president, albeit only the second most conservative president of my lifetime.
Posted by: David Cohen at October 4, 2005 10:50 PMDavid Cohen:
Even assuming that's true, it kinda reminds me of a snotty, doubtlessly envious scientist who remarked that Stephen Hawking shouldn't get so much attention because he is "only" one of the top 20 theoretical physicists in the world.
Posted by: Matt Murphy at October 5, 2005 1:55 AMMatt: Given that my biggest worry with W is that I'm too much his creature and have lost all critical perspective, it's nice to have you say that.
Posted by: David Cohen at October 5, 2005 7:24 PM