I dunno.. He got his second term. He can't run again.. Do you think it really matters to him personally what people think of him anymore?

I dunno.. He got his second term. He can't run again.. Do you think it really matters to him personally what people think of him anymore?

I dunno.. He got his second term. He can't run again.. Do you think it really matters to him personally what people think of him anymore?

I think all presidents/ elected officials want people to look back thinking positively about their performance in office, i.e. a legacy.

well, somebody's gotta vote for Cheney in '08, right?

Did anyone see the "staged" press conference last night? I put staged in quotations because that's really the only thing I've heard about it.

I dunno.. He got his second term. He can't run again.. Do you think it really matters to him personally what people think of him anymore?

President Bush's job-approval rating among African Americans has dropped to 2 percent

And this buffoon will forever be associated with the Iraq War, the 7 minutes on 9/11, and the Katrina disaster. I hope he enjoys his retirement.

is this before or after the rich people are whipping the shit out of them for not harvesting more kelp? Because we will be living in goddamn waterworld.

Was that the one where the troops were told what to say?

The part I watched did not include this. From what I saw, it appeared that they were briefed on what the President would say, and how the whole thing would go down.

True, it's not exactly spontaneous, but you have to be pretty damn naive or foolish to not realize that's the way these sort of shows are broadcast.

wait, do black voters even count?

But imagine if this whole Iraq mess actually works out - like if somewhere down the line they actually have a stable, successful democracy without years of civil war and bloodshed.* And it actually leads to a stable Middle East. I think it's very likely people will look back and think Bush was a visionary and a great president.



*Personally, I'm not optimistic, though.

It has emerged that President Bush's nationally televised videoconference with US troops in Tikrit, Iraq on Thursday was scripted beforehand. The White House had painted the event as an impromptu conversation with the troops, but video from the satellite feed before the event gave lie to those claims. The ten US soldiers and one Iraqi were coached in their answers before the event by Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Allison Barber. She stood at the White House podium where Bush would later stand, she read part of his opening remarks and then proceeded to outline the questions Bush would ask. At times, she suggested phrasing for the soldiers' responses. With the referendum on Iraq's constitution just days away and President Bush's popularity plummeting, the White House clearly wanted this event to give the impression that the US plan in Iraq was moving forward.

* President Bush, "You defeat a backwards dark philosophy with one that is hopeful. And that hopeful philosophy is one that is based on universal freedom. I'm very impressed at the Iraqi government to have a constitution that attracts Sunnis, Shias and Kurds. They worked hard to get a constitution and now the people of Iraq are going to get to vote again, on a constitution."

During the brief videoconference, the handpicked soldiers appeared to fawn over the president. At one point, one told him,"We began our fight against terrorism in the wake of 9/11, and we're proud to continue it here." But a telling moment came when Bush asked the soldiers to comment about their interactions with Iraqi civilians and Captain David Williams could only cite a second hand account:

* Capt. David Williams, "Sir, I was with my Iraqi counterpart in the city of Tikrit last week, and he was going around talking to the locals. And from what he told me that the locals told him, the Iraqi people are ready and eager to vote in this referendum."

The videoconference was set in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, which Bush lightly acknowledged he could not safely visit. Interestingly, Tikrit was the backdrop for many of Saddam Hussein's propaganda videos. There was one Iraqi present for the videoconference, Sergeant major Akeel, whose only role was to tell President Bush "I like you."

When it emerged that the event was staged, reporters grilled White House spokesperson Scott McClellan, asking him directly about the coaching:

MR. MCCLELLAN: I'm sorry, are you suggesting that what our troops were saying was not sincere, or what they said was not their own thoughts?

Q: Nothing at all. I'm just asking why it was necessary to coach them.

MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, in terms of the event earlier today, the event was set up to highlight an important milestone in Iraq's history, and to give the President an opportunity to, once again, express our appreciation for all that our troops are doing when it comes to defending freedom, and their courage and their sacrifice.

President Bush's job-approval rating among African Americans has dropped to 2 percent, according to a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll.

The problem is that the war was illegal and immoral to begin with and tens of thousands of people died and continue to die. Also, I can't imagine them ending the US corporate takeover of the Iraqi economy and oil and dismantling the permanent military bases they plan to set up.

If you want a long term vision of what the neoconservative idea of democracy is, look at the comparison between what they view as "Old Europe," which is bad, and "New Europe," which they support. "Old Europe" was bad because the government took the same position as the vast majority of its population and refused to follow orders from Washington. "New Europe" was symbolized by the government taking the opposite position of 90% of its population.

That's why I'm a bit of a pessimist on that topic.

The part I watched did not include this. From what I saw, it appeared that they were briefed on what the President would say, and how the whole thing would go down.

True, it's not exactly spontaneous, but you have to be pretty damn naive or foolish to not realize that's the way these sort of shows are broadcast.