President Bush is holding a press conference on the U.S. economy. I'll be blogging the questions to the president below.
Video of Bush/Raddatz clash here (audio available here).
Video of Stolberg and Ryan on recession here (audio here)
My bottom line analysis (11:25): The two R's of bias from this Rose Garden presser: Martha Raddatz on Syria and numerous reporters on the dreaded R-word, recession. Of course a recession is two consecutive quarters of NEGATIVE economic growth, and we've yet to see one quarter of negative growth, much less two. But all the same, NY Times's Stolberg made it sound like Q1 numbers on GDP tomorrow will show a recession.
The questions below will be posted in reverse chronological order:
11:20 | Bush closes press conference.
11:16 | April Ryan: I talked to James Clyburn before this press conference... Americans believe we are in a recession... in Zimbabwe, what's the next step and what role does South Africa play in that?
11:12 | Mike Allen asks Bush what he thinks a major issue is that might crop up for his successor to be aware of.
11:11 | Richard Wolffe, Newsweek, asks Bush about spending items Dems are tacking onto his Iraq package.
11:09 | Ann Compton: Did any good come out of President Carter's talks with Iraq? Did anyone in your administration ask him not to do it?
11:06 | Mark Knoller, CBS News: Do you feel your foreign policy in the Middle East has been undermined by Jimmy Carter meeting with Hamas leaders?
11:03 | Sheryl Stolberg, NY Times: You have spoken about opening ANWR and more refineries, these are long term... what can you tell Americans about what you're doing in the short term. Are you concerned the GDP numbers to be released tomorrow will show a recession.
11:00 | Unid'd male reporter on Congress blocking Colombia free trade pact, FISA: Are you frustrated, are you angry, and do you have any real hope of being able to work with Congress this year?
10:56 | Kathleen Koch, CNN on 2007 Israel airstrike on suspected Syrian nuclear facility: Suddenly last week your administration released classified photos of that bombing... why the turnaround, sir, what did you hope it would accomplish?
10:54 | Raddatz: In Iraq in 2006, you said we were winning. How can we believe you're not doing the same thing here?
10:53 | Raddatz: But do you think we're winning?
10:51 | Martha Raddatz, ABC News: Is the strategy succeeding, are we winning in Afghanistan?
10:49 | Roger Runningen, Bloomberg: 14 senators including your [home state] Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison are calling on you to stop filling the Strategic Petroleum REserve... do you think now with the rising prices, the record high oil prices, it's time to change course?
10:47 | Wendell Goler, Fox News asks Bush if he thinks we're close to tapping out our oil reserves and if so if more resources should be put towards renewable energy.
10:45 | Jim Axelrod, CBS News question on gas tax moratorium: Could you flesh out perhaps some of your thinking about whether the idea is good or not?
10:42 | John Yang, NBC question on biofuels: What more can the United States do to make food more affordable around the world.
10:40 | Unid'd male reporter: Were you premature in saying the U.S. economy is not in recession? What can you do to persuade Saudi Arabia to raise output?
10:38 | Question from Jennifer Loven, AP: "Isn't it time to think about doing more..." to stimulate economy. Asks Bush about opinion on a summertime gas tax moratorium.
10:32 | President Bush's opening statement. President laments that on many economic issues, "all they're [the American people] getting is delay..." Bush blasts Congress for opposition to expanding "our production at home." Mentions blocking of drilling ANWR. Bush says ANWR drilling would "likely mean lower gas prices" but it's been "consistently blocked." Bush laments lack of refining capacity, notes it's been 30 years since last refinery was built, says Congress has blocked expanding refining capacity. Bush notes opposition to nuclear energy, congressional consideration of new taxes on energy production. Bush blasts farm bill, subsidies. Bush calls for reducing "unnecessary subsidies" to farmers. Bush addresses Congress failing to "send a single" proposal for reform of real estate regulation, student loans. "My administration will reach out to Congress and work together to find areas of agreement.... I ask Congress to do it's part..."
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
















Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Drill and refine
April 29, 2008 - 10:53 ET by iveseenitallImagine if we hadn't listened to the "liberal" environmentalists 30-40 years ago and began drilling and refining back then. Problem solved. But, then again, "liberals" are not about solving problems; they are about their sick, immature, ignorant, pathetic ideology.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
isil, Yes and we would have men/ women on Mars too.
April 29, 2008 - 15:14 ET by upcountrywaterPlenty of Nuk power even in space.. To late now we are headed to the 7 th century.. So glad we trusted liberals with our power needs. We do NOT even have redundency in ANY infrastructure, total break down closer every day.
We shall see how our fellow Americans will deal with any kind of rationing, very soon.
The POPE says, GOD BLESS AMERICA!!
IranianUranium<sleep>New/Infrastructure/repair?/ROFLMAO
Rationing
April 29, 2008 - 19:01 ET by Blondeupc,
You are absolutely correct.
I was in Northern California in January....and the legislature was considering "regulating" thermostats in private homes! For newly built homes, they were proposing the government have the ability to regulate thermostat settings during times of "energy crisis"....yeah right.
I'm not letting THAT camel's nose under my tent-flap, thank you very much.
And the nanny-staters, Gorebots, et. al. will totally think this is a fabulous idea. Sheesh!
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
Jihadists
April 29, 2008 - 10:58 ET by SnooperGWB got kind of hot under the collar with the moonbatist Raddatz! Good for him!!
Right
April 29, 2008 - 11:15 ET by iveseenitallRight, Snooper. It makes me proud to see a man who loves this nation and has such a handle on what the terrorists want to do to the world. He has been a great president. In this news conference he as given us two solid solutions to our "problems"--don't quit on this fight in the Middle East and drill for oil in our own backyard. But will the "liberals" listen --nah! Jackasses!
BTW, I love how he is finally treating the idiots in the press the way he should have done seven years ago. Unfortunately, he always tried to get along with the "liberals". Big mistake. Just dismiss the fools and show them for what they are--immature, feckless, ignorant poltroons.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
Which is why Libs should
April 29, 2008 - 11:17 ET by mattmWhich is why Libs should be looked at by Republicans as the enemy.
If Bush had operated from that mindset, instead of the 'let's all get along' mindset which has only gotten him stabbed in the back, then maybe we'd still have a GOP congress, and maybe we'd have an actual Republican presidential candidate.
As it stands now, we'll be lucky if America still exists 4 years from now regardless of which of the three stooges wins in November.
Right
April 29, 2008 - 11:22 ET by iveseenitallRight, mattm. I forgot to mention the other bunch of creeps President Bush has had to deal with--the RINOS. They can make a well man sick in a heartbeat.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
The enemy within
April 29, 2008 - 11:51 ET by SnooperThat is what the socialist democrats are...the Enemies Within, a Clear and Present Danger.
It is about time GWB got pissed off and put the idiots in their proper place.
mattm,
April 29, 2008 - 12:10 ET by AgnosticWhile I understand your sentiment, our enemies are Terrorist in general and certain facets of the Islam directly. Liberals is an ideology that free people in a free nation have subscribed to as being a superior way of ideology. Since this is still a free nation, to what degree is debatable, there ideology must be defeated by people with better ideas.
The problem right now is that the people making poor decisions and promoting a way of life that contradicts the freedoms set forth by the founding fathers of this nation are not held accountable for those decisions. Whether it is their wealth or media protection that allows this we must find a way to hold these people accountable or they will continue to sit in their ivory towers and subject us to their newest forms of social change towards one form of socialism or another.
I heard all of this this
April 29, 2008 - 12:27 ET by bigtimerI heard all of this this morning...I listened to the President, I listened to the talking heads on nbc/msn, then I listened to the piece of work Senator Schumer... I do not know how many times the President has to repeat himself about becoming self-dependent here in this country with our own oil....the dems and the RINO's have stopped this for thirty years...plus Clinton vetoing drilling in ANWR twice I think....
I am so sick of this all and I just wonder what Mr. McCain is going to say if and when he is asked about drilling here since he was a main force to stop it along with Maria Cantwell on the dem. side...
Schumer had the audicity to come out and say it is the President who is putting his hands over his ears and closes his eyes..it has been the dems in the gov. that have mainly stopped our own production...on and on it goes, if this is not a major issue during the general election...then this country is in more of a mess than I think it is...
Btw...Wendall Goller in his question was inferring that we are about out of oil here in this country, what part does he not understand about what the President said just this morning...here is another great find to-boot, not just ANWR...he may also want to do some research and read before he opens mouth and inserts his foot.
It was a great Press conference as far as I am concerned, it is too bad the lemmings refuse to listen.
Just love the greenies and the leftist in congress...along with the RINO's....
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
Bigtimer
April 29, 2008 - 13:32 ET by okiehawk44Your tag line about "Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide" misses the point that our opponents are taking us with them.
Morning okie44...yeah well
April 29, 2008 - 13:37 ET by bigtimerMorning okie44...yeah well I'm fighting all the way....lol!
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
bigtimer, A few oil companies are working the Bakken find now.
April 29, 2008 - 15:33 ET by upcountrywaterMy point has been even if these companies get the green light to go drilling TODAY. It will still be 10 years until any useable amount of oil flows, from this site..5 years just to drill 300 wells...
There's at least a smell of the "Old West" as petroleum companies
rush to stake their claims in the Bakken Play. Marathon Oil recently
acquired about 200,000 acres in the area and will drill about 300 oil
wells within five years. Brigham Exploration and Crescent Point Energy
Trust are also interested in some of the action. EOG Resources alone
figures it can produce 80 million barrels of oil from its Bakken field.
Figure on at least five years before the oil starts flowing in large volumes.
A lot of work will need to be done first. In addition to installing
drilling gear, firms must build supporting infrastructure, including
roads, pipelines as well as new water, sewage and sanitation systems to
meet the needs of workers and other area residents.
THIS IS THE BEST PLACE FOR THOSE OIL PROFITS!
The POPE says, GOD BLESS AMERICA!!
IranianUranium<sleep>New/Infrastructure/repair?/ROFLMAO
Hey upc... Excellent
April 29, 2008 - 15:37 ET by bigtimerHey upc...
Excellent information to know...thanks a lot!
Are there any law-suits yet by one of the hundreds of environ's organizations?
They stop progress for years and years when possible as all here most likely know.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
bt, soon I'm sure the suits will appear.
April 29, 2008 - 16:13 ET by upcountrywaterThere is a gas boom going on in western Colorado, drilling riggs all over the place The trucks supplying the riggs and pipelines make up the majority of the truck traffic on I-70 east of Glenwood Springs, this has been going on for 7 years. What company is big enough to pull this job off??/ evilll Halliburton
The POPE says, GOD BLESS AMERICA!!
IranianUranium<sleep>New/Infrastructure/repair?/ROFLMAO
ucw... Yeah we have some
April 29, 2008 - 18:23 ET by bigtimerucw...
Yeah we have some of this going on here in Mt...this is old now, I just a more recent interview with the Gov. on Beck and we are being stymied here by the greenies with this alone...he is a dem. and just couldn't say that on Beck's show....as usual for a dem....$$$$$...votes votes votes...it is unbelievable what these people do to stop progress at any cost...especially to us out here in the real world, I told my husband long ago, the only way this is going to get attention and the culprits involved in all of this, meaning congress and the greenies is when we are paying over five bucks a gallon for gas and our heating bills and groceries ect are unbearable for us to all handle....the time is a coming...the talking heads still ignored what the President said today about drilling here...intentionally. I despise them the most with their agenda for the left that include all their goals.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
confess Mr. President! confess!
April 29, 2008 - 14:03 ET by wizardjr"You've needlessly killed thousands of our soldiers and over a million Iraqis, and now you've killed the economy with your tax cuts for the rich. Confess Mr. President, it's all your fault."
You know, I still can't find the soup lines here in the Twin Cities. I also can't find anyone around me who lost their job recently.
I find it really difficult to believe that these news morons cannot connect the dots from the things they demand the government do and the results they get. No drilling. Ethanol. No new power plants. No new transmission lines. Etc., etc., etc. Even the idiots at the UN get the picture with ethanol. How lame does that make the media clowns?
wizard
April 29, 2008 - 14:09 ET by candanceDidn't you hear about the massive starving in the twin cities? Those fancy restaurants in Eden Prairie and Edina are actually soup kitchens in disguise. Can't have the neighborhood losing its property value....
The minute
April 29, 2008 - 14:59 ET by Delsawe begin drilling and refining, the price of oil and natural gas will go down as the rest of the world realizes they will soon be purchasing their products from U.S. !
My brother who works in the Upper US otherwise known as ALASKA says Oil is over flowing. Canada is taking it from their side and we need to begin getting it from our own natural resource side.
He says the crude is so clear you can see through it.
And remember, Hillary, the oil opec controls, belongs to THEM not YOU. They can charge what ever they darn well want.
We need to get off our butts on this and President Bush should declare and emergency due to the WAR and mandate the drilling, the refining, and the impediment of regulations.
Let the Democrats challenge him in court. Let the democrats be on the side of High energy and food prices.
I'd love it! Will I ever see it? Maybe not. But I can pray.
Congressional Actions?
April 30, 2008 - 07:25 ET by AgnosticCongressional Democrats and especially Speaker Pelosi have changed rules, stretched precedence’s and used emergency procedures without an emergency to accomplish their goals in providing for special interest groups and pet projects. (Note: note defending Republicans in any way as they had their chance and screwed it up severely) What has been happening in Congress in the last two years is beyond anything that has occurred since I started reading about politics and yet not a word in the media. The Congress has an abysmal approval rating and the media don't even report why the Congress is to blame for many of the problems we are experiencing or at least the severity of the problems. A casual look at the last 5 major bills that Speaker Pelosi has taken a personal interest in would show any investigator the level of corruption that is being delved into in our congress and yes that is opposed to the level of corruption that was already in existence.