update below
He Takes Questions
by digby
Someone finally asked George W. Bush the one question I’ve been wanting someone to ask since 9/11:
“Do you believe terrorism and the war in Iraq are signs of Armageddon?”
He sputtered and blinked, the audience laughed and he said: “I’ve never really thought about it that way” and “this is the first of heard of that, by the way.” And then he blathered on with his usual incoherent boilerplate, making no further reference to it openly or in religious codes speak, except to the extent he said we would militarily defend our ally Israel. I wonder how the Bosh loving legions of the Christian Right feel about that?
The questioning was quite pointed and he didn’t much like it, practically begging part of the way through for it to be over. (“How long do you people do questions around here?” and “Doesn’t anybody work in this town?”)
He claimed that he’d never said that Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11. Where did people get the idea that it was, do you suppose?
Posted 9/6/2003
I believe that he majored in history at Yale, which is something that Yale should be very concerned with in terms of recruitment. His understanding of 20th century European history comes in at about fifth grade level.
He has said that his job is “to protect you” about 50 times. Does anyone find this paternalistic “I will protect you” stuff as creepy as I do? I thought Americans were supposed to be self reliant. I think Democrats ought to consider saying that “the president doesn’t protect the American people all by himself. He isn’t our father or our nanny. The American people, working together, protect our country.”
What’s the difference between Iraq and Iran? With Iraq there were 16 UN resolutions. (Of course, the invasion resolution to actually invade didn’t pass, but who’s counting?) Apparently, invading Iran is just a matter of getting the paperwork in order.
I did enjoy the question about domestic policy in which the questioner said that American children were facing “terrorists” in the streets every day. And then mentioned the images from Katrina and poverty and wondered what Bush was going to do about it? What do you suppose he was talking about?
His adolescent sense of humor seems more and more out of place considering the state of the world — and his presidency. People still laugh, but it is awkward now.
When it was over he looked like he really, really needed a drink.
Oh and in case you haven’t heard, we’re fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here, the oceans don’t protect us anymore, we have an enemy that hides in cave and 9/11 changed everything. And his job is to make decisions and protect us.
Update: Jonathan Schwartz at A Tiny Revolution noticed a few months ago that Bush’s desire to protect us is very similar to Saddam’s professed desire to protect the Iraqi people. It’s one of those “I’m doing this for your own good, it hurts me more than it hurts you” kind of deals. no wonder I find it so creepy.
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