Bush Unguarded
Revealing, Introspective, Gracious. Three attributes that are not usually attached to President George W. Bush were on display this morning at his final press conference. Bush showed a humble side of himself when talking about the Presidency, his love of the job, and sharing with the White House press corps the “disappointments” that he endured during his eight years at the helm of the country.
There are three moments that resonated with me:
1) Bush, at one point, was asked by a Fox News Reporter whether he would disagree with potential policy of President-elect Obama. Bush refused to take the bait. Instead, Bush defended the President-elect and later in the press conference reflected on the historic moment of Obama’s swearing-in saying that he would be in a unique position to see history made on January 20th.
2) Bush revealed a rare picture of his self-image when he talked about self-pity and the loneliness of the presidency. Bush talked about the presidential bubble and how Obama will deal with it well because of the love of his family. He assured the press corps, his detractors and the American people that he has been paying attention to their disagreements with his policies. However, securing the homeland was more important to him than being popular. Once again, his thoughts shifted to the next administration when Bush asked for Obama’s future detractors, from his own political party, to disagree with Obama but to do it with respect.
3) The disappointments – Katrina (where to land AF1), Mission Accomplished, Social Security (post-2004 campaign), not finding Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, Bush acknowledged the mis-steps of his presidency with a level of frankness that is rarely seen while a President is still residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The unguarded Bush is a President that America voted for in 2000. This press conference showed a man who loves his country, values his family, and was honored to serve as the 43rd President of the United States. On Wednesday January 21st, citizen George W. Bush may wake up in Crawford and make his wife Laura a cup of coffee (and deliver it to her)… today, I got the feeling that Bush loved being President but will be just fine once the klieg lights shift their focus on Barack Obama.
12 Responses to “Bush Unguarded”
“The unguarded Bush is a President that America voted for in 2000.”
Tony,
“America” did not vote for Bush in 2000 he won (sic) with less than fifty percent (<50%) of the vote.
There is no amount of sweet talk that can change the failure of, or the disasters caused by George W. Bush.
Yes, exactly. When observing wolverines, it is wise, even if they are wagging their tails, to always remember the essence of their true nature.
Bush still insisted that he was disappointed with the division in the country when asked about the “divider” issue. Then why didn't he reign in Karl & Kompany? He had the power. He chose not to use it.
Out of human sympathy for the man who is about to leave the highest office in the land humiliated, defeated and still delusional, and a man who is about to leave our country in the most miserable state in (my) memory, I am sincerely glad that he still has people who hold him in high regard–I believe it would be intolerable for him, otherwise.
Revealing he was—of the fact that he still lives in a bubble, oblivious to all the damage he has caused and the monumental errors he has made.
Introspective he may be–although not introspective enough to realize his personal and public failings and failures.
Gracious, yes he was that. He was gracious to our incoming president and his family. I just wish he had been as gracious to so many Americans who have suffered, and continue to suffer, because of his “graciousness.”
Sorry!
D.E. said it better than I could. All the touchy – feely moments in the world aren't going to make up for the actual RECORD. Listening to the man talk now, one has to conclude he is either a fool or is devoid of conscience.
I watched it. For 50 minutes the guy was more personable than he has been in about 5 years. His press conference performances have been wooden, a little nervous, weak on specifics, too often confused and befuddled, etc. a poor communicator. But here, with all the politics out of the way, he was relaxed. And without it meaning much, the press was relaxed, it was more conversational. He could be candid about mistakes, including the “Mission Accomplished” banner, and some of his rhetoric.
Other things he would not take credit for, such as his reaction to Katrina and the financial meltdown.
Still, it was actually refreshing to see some of the guy's natural charm return, and he seemed bright and alert and a little funny, like he used to be. Totally gracious to Obama. You could see why his voters had a good gut-level feeling about him. The question then becomes why he lost that nature while in office. The sense I get, now, is that he was too overwhelmed to also be charming in any way.
“The sense I get, now, is that he was too overwhelmed to also be charming in any way.”
The hell with being “charming.” I would give anything to have had an obnoxious person as a good president and leader.
this is such horsebleep that i cannot deal with it
i shall only deal with one issue…katrina
even before boarding airforce one, the chimp showed how much he cared for the people of katrina, by playing air guitar and cutting a b-day cake
he still has no self awareness…the mark of a true sociopath
When asked about his disastrous handling of the overall Katrina crisis, during his final press conference today, Bush got quite aggravated and focused on the fact that he observed the disaster from 20,000 feet, mumbling something about Air Force One not landing in Baton Rouge or elsewhere because it would have tied up some assets that were needed for the rescue efforts…or something to that effect.
The poor guy, to-date, has not comprehended that it was the symbology of his detachment to and the follow-on lack of appropriate reactions to the disaster, as depicted by his staring out of the window of Air Force One–that riled Americans. Not the fact that he did or did not land somewhere at the time.
Geeezz!!
He could have landed Airforce One at Ft. Polk and used a helicopter to go werever he wanted in New Orleans.
After he did start visiting NO, he landed at the NO airport. While there with AF1 all planes removing sick, injured and those trying to leave were grounded. That's compassion…
I didn't find his 13th hour excuses “humble” in the least, or his lame attempt at humor “charming”.
The “disappointments” are better termed as massive failures—
Katrina:
Bush failed to react appropriately to Katrina- also the decision to downgrade FEMA , cut its budget in half, and appoint another boob to head it, rests solely on his shoulders. FEMA functioned efficiently during the Clinton years.
Iraq:
Bush appointed Rummy- then kept him in the Cabinet, despite signs that he could not work with the Pentagon– leading to unnecessary loss of life and destruction of property. His VP and neocon advisors were so determined to invade Iraq —before 9/11—- that they jumped on any flimsy or forged evidence that they could to drive us into war. In the meantime, reports from our intelligence agencies that warned of the difficulty of the missioin were ignored.
The environment-
Bush protected his corporate sponsors at any cost here— refusing to allow government scientists to speak frankly about global warming, and handicapping the EPA. The story of Cheney's meeting with Big Oil CEO's who were allowed unprecedented input into determining our energy policy (and the total shutout of environmentalists) is now well known. Bush also thumbed his nose at our European allies who were trying to control warming with the Kyoto Treaty.
DOJ
The DOJ scandals are also well known. Justice lawyer John Yoo wrote the infamous “Torture Memorandum” and the plot to rid the US atty's office of any USA's who were not cooperative Bushies was revealed during congressional hearings. Warrantless wiretaps were also a scandalous issue.
The economy:
Both Bush and Clinton bear some responsibility here– but Clinton was able to leave the country with a surplus— the Bush tax cuts quickly created a deficit. Bush leaves us in the worst economic shape since the Great Depression- and no one knows how low we will go.
Sorry- I don't see how a few glib words can counteract the damage that has been done to this country. The average person had no representation during the Bush years– but big corporate lobbyists got plenty of access. What really counts is performance not personality- After all Bush was not hosting the “Tonight Show”- he was leading the free world!