This morning President Bush held his final official press conference, and the show was filled with memorable lines!
- On America's damaged image overseas: "I disagree with this assessment that, you know, that people view America in a dim light. It may be damaged amongst some of the elite. But people still understand America stands for freedom."
- On disappointments: "Abu Ghraib, obviously, was a huge disappointment, during the presidency. You know, 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."
- On the "Mission Accomplished" banner: "Clearly, putting 'Mission Accomplished' on an aircraft carrier was a mistake. It sent the wrong message."
- On Katrina: "Don't tell me the federal response was slow when there were 30,000 people pulled off roofs right after the storm passed. . . . Could things been done better? Absolutely. But when I hear people say the federal response was slow, what are they going to say to those chopper drivers or the 30,000 who got pulled off the roof?"
- On peace in the Middle East: "It's been a long time since they've had peace in the Middle East. The challenge, of course, has been to lay out the conditions so that a peaceful state can emerge. . . . Will this ever happen? I think it will. And I know we've advanced the process."
- On the GOP's need to be more inclusive: "This party will come back. But the party's message has got to be that different points of view are included in the party."
- On life after the presidency: "I'm a Type A personality. I just can't envision myself, you know, the big straw hat and a Hawaiian shirt sitting on some beach. . . . I wake up in Crawford on Tuesday morning — I mean, Wednesday morning, and I suspect I'll make Laura coffee."
To see video of the entire press conference, where thankfully no shoes were thrown, read more.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Disney
My-Wardrobe.com
J Brand
1I wanted to ask him the ultimate question - Mr. President if you had to wrestle Knut who would win? And then could the winner take on Hulk Hogan and win?
2One week more, just one week more...
3Is it me or is this week taking years?!?!
4"This party will come back. But the party's message has got to be that different points of view are included in the party."
Yeah, like that's going to happen anytime soon
5yes!!! one more week and then GOLD will fall from the sky like rain, cats and dogs will live in peace and there will be no mistakes made in Washington!!!
6Don't forget the unicorns esk.
7I wonder how I can get some of that gold.
8oh yes... And Unicorns will come out of hiding to frolic in the raining gold...
9He's such an eloquent speaker. There should at least be a few words in there that make people think 'what does that mean?'
10I listened to this on NPR this morning and at times I almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Until he started talking about Hurricane Katrina and said "don't tell me the response was slow."
Really? 1,836 people confirmed dead. 705 still missing. Yes, Mr. Bush. The government's response was too slow. His unwillingness to take even a measure of responsibility for that is just stunning.
11"But the party's message has got to be that different points of view are included in the party."
Notice he says points of view - not blacks, not gays.
12The government response was slow. The problem is the nation has focused on the wrong government. If the local and state government had bothered to do their jobs, and evacuate the people in a timely manner, 1,836 confirmed and 705 missing might not be. Let's not forget that they had a major hand in the screw-up that was NO and Hurrican Katrina.
13Goodbye George Bush. I had 8 great years of laughter and crying all at your expense.
14Some cats and dogs already live in peace Esk. As for the gold I can't wait.
15Unicorns is the MAIN reason I voted for Obama.
oops Unicorns ARE the MAIN reason I voted Obama.
see what Bush is doing to me..jeez..
16Me too momma. I just hope my yard is big enough. Oh wait, Obama's going to give us bigger yards too right?
17The NATION focused on the federal government because the NATION pays taxes to that federal government and because the NATION fully expected the FEDERAL Emergency Management Agency to respond as it was meant to do and had done in other, less horrific emergencies.
What does SKB9850 say about judging presidents by horseshoes and hand grenades?
18UnDave how dare you suggest anyone be responsible for Katrina other than Bush. He is the cause of all bad in this country... shame on you
19I respectfully disagree, Undave. If you read my entire post, you will note that I only wanted him to take SOME responsibility for Katrina. And he has not done so and obviously has no intention of doing so in the future.
Yes, there is plenty of blame to go around. But the most basic function of government is to protect its people. If our federal government cannot perform this most basic (and sacred) task, then what good is it? And if the President, the most powerful man in the world, cannot help these people, then what good is he? I watched the coverage of Katrina and as an American, I was ashamed.
20Kromine, I was part of that horrible response and we were there from the beginning. He has taken some responsibility, but I agree that saying the response was "slow" is innacurate.
21The federal government wasn't designed to protect from a natural disaster, but from enemies without and within. The government in NO did nothing to evacuate their people, and didn't have any plan to do so. The death toll in NO had nothing to do with the US response, and everything to do with the lack of preparation of the NO and LA gov'ts.
22CaterpillarGirl, I don't know your story, but if you did anything to help out before, during or after Katrina, I sincerely thank you.
23Dave do you have any idea what FEMA is, what FEMA does, what FEMA was meant to do? Because your answer screams that you don't.
24And Undave, you are, of course, entitled to your opinion.
Clearly we are not going to agree on this one.
25I'm just curious to see if all the people who jump to defend Bush will use the same reasoning if something bad happens on Obama's watch.
Personally, I think of course some of the blame falls with the federal government, but obviously not all of it. And while Bush is ultimately the head of the federal government, it's not like he was down on the street directing traffic, so, like all things, it's shade of gray.
26"Unicorns are the MAIN reason I voted for Obama."
Mine were the sweet leprechauns who are going to share their gold with me, momma. And yeah, I know lots of mixed-animal homes where dogs and cats get along. Maybe that's just me, though.
"Personally, I think of course some of the blame falls with the federal government, but obviously not all of it. And while Bush is ultimately the head of the federal government, it's not like he was down on the street directing traffic, so, like all things, it's shade of gray."
Well-said, TS.
27Maybe Bush felt he didn't need to specifically mention African Americans or homosexuals because there are already members of both of those groups in the Republican party. Or, maybe he felt that a party should be about ideology.
Just a thought.
And, just as TS is interested to see if people don't blame Obama for failures, I'm interested to see if certain people do blame Obama for the vast majority of things that happen in during his time in office. (Not you, TS, you've always been more than fair in saying that Bush only holds some of the blame.)
28There are enough many clear and obvious examples of Bush's mistakes in office. I don't need to use the stretch examples to make a case. : )
29Lol, he's such a Jester....and aweee, he'll be making his wife coffee, that's so cute, hahah. Anyway, by no means should all the nations problems and elsewhere be all placed our Presidents. They're not the emperor and they're not God.
30I would be curious to see what happens to Obama too TS because the truth is- a person's actions and accomplishments are what matters not what party they are a part of. I personally was very frustrated with Bush and so were a majority of Americans. We will have to wait and see how Obama will do.
31Y'know, Katrina-like failures, and Abu Ghraib like debacles are NOT standard 'mistakes' made by most presidential administrations - so the likelihood of anyone having to hold Obama even partially responsible for the destruction of an American city or war crimes is highly unlikely.
32That's not what I was wondering about, though. I mean, obviously some bad things will happen to the country/in the country during Obama's time in office. Will the people that hold Bush fully responsible for every bad thing that's happened during the past 8 years also hold Obama responsible for every bad thing that happens during his time in office?
33LilK, that depends entirely on Obama's response.
34Will he turn the world into a wild west side show, will he allow lawless behavior, will he say 'oh, handling that wasn't my job'?
It isn't what happened during Bush's administration that angered so many people. It was his response and handling of what happened. There's an important difference.
It wasn't Bush's fault that Katrina happened, but he was the leader of the federal government that by its own account, was "slow and inadequate" in its response (from Homeland Security's Inspector General's 218 page report on Katrina)
The way he said "Af-ri-CUH" made me think of Miss Teen South Carolina or whoever. Such as.
35The Iraq, such as.
36"It isn't what happened during Bush's administration that angered so many people. It was his response and handling of what happened."
Amen.
37Steph, what you said certainly pertains to you. But, in my experience, I have witnessed people blame Bush for things that are completely beyond his control. And, they were not blaming him for his response. They were blaming him for the actual events. I have heard countless people blame Bush for the September 11 terrorist attacks, and for the levees not being able to withstand Katrina, and for the entire mortgage crisis. Saying he contributed to these things or didn't respond well is one thing, saying he caused them is quite another. I am curious to see if these people will apply the same strict standard to Obama.
38So, while you can say that it wasn't what happened during Bush's administration that angered people, that it was his handling, that only refers to some people.
39I thought it was obvious that I was referring to the people who blame Bush for these occurrences; I'll be sure to be more clear next time.
40I just never thought of him as Type A. This actually surprised me.
41those pictures provided are pricless
42Bush's comments on Katrina and his fake rightous anger no longer surprise me. One of the Department of Homeland Security's missions is to act as a focal point regarding natural and manmade crises and emergency planning. President Bush issused Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 in 2003. That directive designated the Secretary of Homeland Security as the “principal federal official for domestic incident management.” The secretary of DHS is also responsible for creating a system that will help responders from different jurisdictions to work together. Does Bush believe that DHS lived up to this directive? Or:
"Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 (HSPD-8), issued on December 17,2003, further designated the Secretary as “the principal Federal official for coordinating the implementation of all-hazards preparedness in the United States,” and gave the Secretary, in
cooperation with other Federal departments and agencies, responsibility for “coordinat[ing] the preparedness of federal response assets, and the support for, and assessment of, the
preparedness of state and local first responders.”
Bush, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the head of FEMA were all aware of the dangers of Hurricane Katrina. But he does not believe the federal response was slow?
43GWB is more like Type R or L. R being for Relaxed. L for Laid back.
But definitely not Type A. A's are aggressive, pro-active, work-o-lics who are relentlessly anal in every aspect of their lives. Again, from everything that his cabinet has said about him and heck the things he's own parents have said he's far from a Type A.
44Say, what are Dick Cheney's plans?
45Lilk, do those blame Bush for everything people post here? Cuz I've never met one, and I'd be curious...
46Interestingly, I have read several articles that reference the Type A aspects of Bush's personality. Off the top of my head, I remember reading an article several years ago that referenced the fact that, while Clinton viewed time as more flexible, typically arriving right on time or sometimes a few minutes late, Bush always arrives a few minutes early.
(This is not a criticism of Clinton. I too view time as flexible. I just remember that the article was about the differences in their personalities and that's the only specific point I recall.)
47Ah Jude, he's got to scrapbook his Abu Ghraib pics, then maybe hunt some old coots, eat a baby or two...
48Ha!
49I recall seeing a few random posters here, but I can't think of a regular poster who is like that.
At the same time, I can't think of a regular poster who says Bush is completely without blame for anything that happened during his administration.
50Post New Comment
Please share your opinion with our community, but make sure it is on topic and follows our Community Rules. We moderate comments and prohibit personal attacks, threats, spam, lewd images, or the promotion of your personal website.