George W. Bush: The lamest of lame ducks?

I read a scary article in the Washington Post last week which detailed a Wednesday George W. Bush news conference.  Some harsh light was shed on what kind of leader this man is.

 

A reporter asked Bush what his advice is for American families who are "hurting now, facing the prospect of $4-a-gallon gasoline, a lot of people facing..."

 

Bush interrupted, "Wait, what did you just say?  You're predicting $4-a-gallon gasoline?"

 

In front of everyone in attendance, the reporter had to tell Bush that "a number of analysts are predicting $4-a-gallon gasoline."

 

"Oh, yeah?" Bush said.  "That's interesting. I hadn't heard that."  He hadn't heard that?!

 

In the hours and days preceding the news conference, $4-a-gallon gasoline was discussed on the front page of the New York Times and on The Today Show (NBC) and The Early Show (CBS).  It had also been predicted by automobile association AAA and covered by the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the New York Post, and the Dallas Morning News, to name but a few.  Earlier in the day, the White House press secretary took a question about $4-a-gallon gas at her morning press briefing. A poll last month found that nearly three-quarters of Americans expect $4-a-gallon gas.

 

But wait!  There's more:  When another reporter threw Bush a softball and invited him to talk shit on Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for not knowing much about new Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, Bush replied, "I don't know much about Medvedev either."  Whoa.

 

When a reporter asked Bush why he was going to attend the Olympic Games in China even though the country has a disgraceful human rights record, he said "I'm a sports fan."  Oh, well in that case, it's alright.  Certainly being a sports fan takes precedence over setting an example as the leader of the free world.

 

When Bush threatened that Turkey "must move [into Northern Iraq] quickly, achieve their objective, and get out," a reporter asked "How quickly, sir, do they need to move out?"

 

"You know," Bush replied.  "As quickly as possible."

 

"Days or weeks?" the reporter pressed.

 

"Well, as possible."

 

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/28/AR2008022804135.html?referrer=emailarticle