It's quite rare for President Bush to lecture reporters, but he did it Thursday morning to British reporters in a Rose Garden press conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. When reporters for Sky News and BBC tried to suggest strongly that Blair was the lamest of ducks, President Bush upbraided them for "trying to do a tap dance on this political grave" and said Blair is a solid, respected leader, unlike some political players (in the press?): "There's a lot of blowhards in the political process, a lot of hot air artists, people who've got something fancy to say."
After reporter Adam Boulton of Sky News pressed Bush if he's "partly to blame" for Blair retiring, a reporter for the program BBC Newsnight really stirred up the president:
QUESTION: Mr. Blair, you outlined some very big policy areas there in your discussions with the president. Is it really possible, do you think, to make significant progress on them in the time that you have left? And, Mr. President, if I could ask you: Is this really still the right man to be talking to?
BUSH: Yes. No question about it, it's the right man to be talking to. And, yes, we can get a lot done....[Blair offers long answer]...You know, it's interesting -- like trying to do a tap dance on this political grave, aren't you? I mean this -- you don't understand how effective Blair is, I guess, because when we're in a room with world leaders and he speaks, people listen. And they view his opinion as considered and his judgment as sound.
And I find it interesting the first two questions are: Is this the right guy? Well, he happens to be your prime minister. But, more importantly, he is a respected man in the international arena. People admire him. Even if they may not agree with him 100 percent, they admire him a lot.
And it's not just the American president who admires him. A lot of people admire him. And so he's effective. He's effective because his recommendations to solve problems are sound. He's also effective because he is the kind of person who follows through. There's a lot of blowhards in the political process, a lot of hot air artists, people who've got something fancy to say.
Tony Blair is somebody who actually follows through with his convictions and, therefore, is admired in the international community.
The earlier question by Boulton unfolded like this:
QUESTION: During the course of this visit, it has been confirmed that Gordon Brown is going to be the next British prime minister, taking over in 40 days time. I wonder if I could have both your reactions to that. And in particular, to Mr. Blair, what do you say to those people who say now there's a new prime minister in place you should go sooner? And to Mr. Bush...
BUSH, laughing: Lovely question, isn't it?
QUESTION: ... however inadvertently, you once said that you would like Tony Blair to stay for the duration of your presidency. He's not doing that. Do you think you're partly to blame for that?
BUSH: I haven't polled the Labour conference. But, could be. The question is: Am I to blame for his leaving? I don't know....He's going to finish the job that the people want him to do. And I'm going to work with him to do it. The meetings today weren't -- this wasn't like a farewell deal. This was, "How can we continue to work together for the common good?" And that's what we'll do. As to why things happen politically in Great Britain, I'd suggest you go over there and ask people. Nice to see you again. (LAUGHTER)
BLAIR: You've kind of forgotten what the British media are like... (LAUGHTER)
BUSH: At least he woke up to ask the question.
BLAIR: ....I'll answer the question about the president, as well in relation to me. I mean, you can debate that as much as you like, but I want to say one thing to you since this will be the last chance I get to do this type of press conference in the Rose Garden standing next to President Bush.
I've admired him as a president and I regard him as a friend. I have taken the view that Britain should stand shoulder to shoulder with America after September 11. I have never deviated from that view. I do not regret that view. I am proud of the relationship we have had. I am proud of the relationship between our two countries.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Talk about tap-dancing. A tre
May 17, 2007 - 17:10 ET by balboaTalk about tap-dancing. A tremendous non-answer there by GW.
Do you answer all the pointle
May 17, 2007 - 17:20 ET by bulletproofDo you answer all the pointless questions asked of you?
If so, how do you reconcile the strategic placement of your cephalic end with the rudimentary position of your caudal end? ;'0
I don't really consider the q
May 17, 2007 - 17:25 ET by balboaI don't really consider the question posed to Bush to be pointless.
you once said that you woul
May 17, 2007 - 17:39 ET by motherbeltyou once said that you would like Tony Blair to stay for the duration of your presidency. He's not doing that. Do you think you're partly to blame for that?- question from reporter.
I think that's the part of the question that's pointless. That's right up there with "what do you dislike most about America?"
What's with these reporters that they are always posing questions inviting the President to say he's wrong, screwed up, whatever. Bush should have just said "No. Next question."
Quite frankly only Libs and S
May 17, 2007 - 17:51 ET by bulletproofQuite frankly only Libs and SP'ers want to know of such self-indulgence and introspection in others. Today is what today holds. Nothing more or less.
Is this really still the rig
May 17, 2007 - 18:13 ET by balboaIs this really still the right man to be talking to?
That seems to be a pretty valid question.
No, Balboa, that's not a va
May 17, 2007 - 19:04 ET by motherbeltNo, balboa, that's not a valid question. Mr. Blair agreed to step down in September. And he is Prime Minister until then.
The answer is yes, he is the right man for President Bush to be talking to. A lot can happen between now and September.
Exactly how much can happen b
May 17, 2007 - 19:32 ET by balboaExactly how much can happen between now and then in the red-tape / bureaucratically free arena of world diplomacy? How does Blair not qualify as PM Lame Duck?
You're right Balboa: Bush s
May 17, 2007 - 19:37 ET byYou're right Balboa: Bush should be talking to you.(unless you have a better rep for the UK)
120 days, a lot can happen (911 was 1 day)
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
9/11 was one day? Really? Gee
May 17, 2007 - 22:18 ET by balboa9/11 was one day? Really? Gee thanks.
Bush shouldn't talk with me; he should talk with someone relevant.
Balboa i agree you are irrele
May 17, 2007 - 22:21 ET byBalboa i agree you are irrelevant
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
Too easy. You're better than
May 17, 2007 - 22:25 ET by balboaToo easy. You're better than that. ;-)
Fish in a barrel BertSupreme
May 17, 2007 - 22:26 ET byFish in a barrel Bert
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
The discussion wasn't wheth
May 17, 2007 - 21:40 ET by motherbeltThe discussion wasn't whether he is a Lame Duck. I said he is Prime Mininster until he steps down in September. And he should do his job until then.
So are you in favor of Bush stepping down on the first Wednesday of November 2008? I mean, what's the point of letting him stay around until January?
That's exactly the discussion
May 17, 2007 - 22:15 ET by balboaThat's exactly the discussion. Talking with Blair isn't really going to accomplish much, is it? Sure, he's PM until September, but realistically you're not going to get a lot accomplished in that time.
How much will Bush get done before November 2008 and January 2009?
Well, if he only gets one thi
May 17, 2007 - 22:20 ET by BlondeWell, if he only gets one thing done, and that is to pardon Scooter Libby, it will have been enough.
I don't know how any leader in the free world gets anything done at all with all of the sniping moonbats and opposition pols nipping at their heels constantly (think Pelosi and Murtha).
Bush doesn't actually listen
May 17, 2007 - 22:24 ET by balboaBush doesn't actually listen to those people, so it must be pretty easy.
Again, my point is that the question is relevant, and Bush's tapdancing is silly.
Give it up, balboa.Who's the
May 17, 2007 - 22:28 ET by BlondeGive it up, balboa.
Who's the silly softshoe dancer here?
Give it up, balboa. Who's
May 17, 2007 - 22:31 ET by balboaGive it up, balboa.
Who's the silly softshoe dancer here?
That makes no sense.
balboa - how are going to i
May 18, 2007 - 07:26 ET by Dee Bunkbalboa - how are going to invade Iran when the new guy gets in? There is a lot of important work to be done. ; )
Try this.
May 18, 2007 - 08:23 ET by cvgbuckeyeTHINK ABOUT THIS ONE! Bush Quits We all have our disagreements with President Bush. Immigration, U.S.
Attorney firings, Iraq, Darfur, etc. are all hot topics these days. The
following "speech" was written yesterday by an ordinary Maineiac. While
satirical in nature, all satire must have a basis in fact to be effective.
An excellent piece by a person who does not write for a living. Sent with
the author's permission.
The speech George W. Bush SHOULD give:
Normally, I start these things out by saying "My Fellow Americans."
Not doing it this time. If the polls are any indication, I don't know who
more than half of you are anymore. I do know something terrible has
happened, and that you're really not fellow Americans any longer.
I'll cut right to the chase here: I quit. Now before anyone gets all in
a lather about me quitting to avoid impeachment, or to avoid prosecution or
something, l et me assure you: there's been no breaking of laws or
impeachable offenses in this office.
The reason I'm quitting is simple. I'm fed up with you people.
I'm fed up because you have no understanding of what's really going on
in the world. Or of what's going on in this once-great nation of ours. And
the majority of you are too damned lazy to do your homework and figure it
out.
Let's start local. You've been sold a bill of goods by politicians and
the news media. Polls show that the majority of you think the economy is in
the tank. And that's despite record numbers of homeowners including record
numbers of MINORITY homeowners. And while we're mentioning minorities, I'll
point out that minority business ownership is at an all-time high. Our
unemployment rate is as low as it ever was during the Clinton
Administration. I've mentioned all those things before, but it doesn't seem
to have sunk in.
Despite the shock to our economy of 9/11, the stock market has rebounded
to record levels and more Americans than ever are participating in these
markets. Meanwhile, all you can do is whine about gas prices, and most of
you are too damn stupid to realize that gas prices are high because there's
increased demand in other parts of the world, and because a small handful of
noisy idiots are more worried about polar bears and beachfront property than
your economic security.
We face real threats in the world. Don't give me this ~blood for oil"
thing. If I was trading blood for oil I would've already seized Iraq's oil
fields and let the rest of the country go to hell. And don't give me this
'Bush Lied People Died' crap either. If I was the liar you morons take me
for, I could've easily had chemical weapons planted in Iraq so they could be
'discovered.' Instead, I owned up to the fact that the intelligence was
faulty. Let me remind you that the rest of the world thought Saddam h ad the
goods, same as me. Let me also remind you that regime change in Iraq was
official US policy before I came into office. Some guy named 'Clinton'
established that policy. Bet you didn't know that, did you?
You idiots need to understand that we face a unique enemy. Back during
the cold war, there were two major competing political and economic models
squaring off. We won that war, but we did so because fundamentally, the
Communists wanted to survive, just as we do. We were simply able to outspend
and out-tech them.
That's not the case this time. The soldiers of our new enemy don't care
if they survive. In fact, they want to die. That'd be fine, as long as they
weren't also committed to taking as many of you with them as they can. But
they are. They want to kill you. And the bastards are all over the globe.
You should be grateful that they haven't gotten any more of us here in
the United States since September 11. But you're not. That's because you've
got no idea how hard a small number of intelligence, military, law
enforcement and homeland security people have worked to make sure of that.
When this whole mess started, I warned you that this would be a long and
difficult fight. I'm disappointed how many of you people think a long and
difficult fight amounts to a single season of 'Survivor'.
Instead, you've grown impatient. You're incapable of seeing things
through the long lens of history, the way our enemies do. You think that
wars should last a few months, a few years, tops.
Making matters worse, you actively support those who help the enemy.
Every time you buy the New York Times, every time you send a donation to a
cut-and-run Democrat's political campaign, well, dammit, you might just as
well Fedex a grenade launcher to a Jihadist. It amounts to the same thing.
In this day and age, it's easy enough to find the truth. It's all over
the Internet. It just isn't on the pages of the New York Times or on NBC
News. But even if it were, I doubt you'd be any smarter. Most of you would
rather watch American Idol.
I could say more about your expectations that the government will
always be there to bail you out, even if you're too stupid to leave a city
that's below sea level and has a hurricane approaching. I could say more
about your insane belief that government, not your own wallet, is where the
money comes from. But I've come to the conclusion that were I to do so, it
would sail right over your heads.
So I quit. I'm going back to Crawford. I've got an energy-efficient
house down there (Al Gore could only dream) and the capability to be fully
self-sufficient. No one ever heard of Crawford before I got el ected, and as
soon as I'm done here pretty much no one will ever hear of it again. Maybe
I'll be lucky enough to die of old age before the last pillars of America
fall.
Oh , and by the way, Cheney's quitting too. That means Pelosi is your
new President. You asked for it. Watch what she does carefully, because I
still have a glimmer of hope that there're just enough of you remaining who
are smart enough to turn this thing around in 2008.
So that's it. God bless what's left of America. Some of you know what
I mean.
The rest of you, * off
BLAIR: ....I'll answer the qu
May 17, 2007 - 17:32 ET by bigtimerBLAIR: ....I'll answer the question about the president, as well in relation to me. I mean, you can debate that as much as you like, but I want to say one thing to you since this will be the last chance I get to do this type of press conference in the Rose Garden standing next to President Bush.
I've admired him as a president and I regard him as a friend. I have taken the view that Britain should stand shoulder to shoulder with America after September 11. I have never deviated from that view. I do not regret that view. I am proud of the relationship we have had. I am proud of the relationship between our two countries.
Great man that I will miss in regards to this war and defending against those that want to kill us world-wide.
Both have stood tall against numerous odds...let alone the enemy within both countries.
For that I thank them both.
Well it is one more h
May 17, 2007 - 21:53 ET by shawn228Well it is one more headache for George Bush. He wants to promote
his agenda, but this is the last thing he needs. The new Prime Minister
will be much colder to troops in Iraq. If that Report that comes out
about the progress of the surge, and there are no decent results. Make no mistake he will lose major
support in the Republican Congress. There will be a mutiny. He also has
to deal with the Congress investigation on Rove emails, Gonzales
Firings. He is going to lose face about defending Paul Wolfiwitz and
now no matter how you say it, he lost face among Americans and people in
the world. There is also the Scooter Libby thing. The majority of this
board want Scooter pardened, as do I. Thing thing is, it is much bigger
than Libbys freedom and Bush's ego. If he pardens Libby it could
disastrous to the Republican Party. he has to weekly console grieving
widows as well. Oh and how about that Imagration Bill right now? If he
signs it, there will be much anger on this board wouldn't there?
I
can't be easy being him right now and I honestly feel sorry for the
man. True to his word he has kept us safe, I realize that. I have new
respect for him when I did not before. Also "this goes to you bigtimer"
I did not flame Bush once, Most of the things I mentioned about him
will play out.
Ps I got a email from a republican friend the other day I'm sure it has been posted here before but it was kind of neat.
"The
other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I
found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the
source,
right?
The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of
Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69
percent of the country is unhappy
with the performance of the president. In
essence 2/3s of the citizenryjust ain't happy and want a change.
So
being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What we are
sounhappy about?'' Is it that we have electricity and running water
24 hours a day,
7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air
conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4
percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk
into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments
than Darfur has seen in the last year?
Maybe it is the ability
to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to
present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly
the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would
find along the way that can
provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with
varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it
be that when we wreck our car, emergency
workers show up and provide
services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the
hospital. Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a
home. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire,
a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch
equipment to
extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your
belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs,
a burglar or prowler intrudes , an officer equipped with a gun and a
bullet-proof vest
will come to defend you and your family against attack or
loss. This all inthe backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias
raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of
teenagers own
cell phones and computers.
How about the complete
religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of
everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks
unhappy.
Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats
the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. , yet has a
great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most
blessed people in
the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't
have , and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord
we live here.
I know, I know. What about the president who took us into
war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31
percent approval
rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation
in the dark days
after
9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring
an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called
every name in the book for
succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful
brats safe from terrorist attacks?
The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is
out there defendingyou and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on
the news or talk show?
Did this news affect you so much, make you so
unhappy you couldn't take alook around for yourself and see all the good
things and be glad?
Think about it......are you upset at the President
because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media"
told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every
day.
Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your
freedom.There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to
go.
They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a
''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case
scenario, a
''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the
brig.
So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69
percent ofAmericans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it
bleeds it
leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car
crashwith blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at
thecorner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit
corporations.
They offer what sells , and when criticized, try to defend
their actions by"justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they
tried to allow a
murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he
didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this
way......Insane!
Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the
media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the
bottom of your bird
cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a
country. There is exponentially more good than bad.
We are among the
most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or
at least be thankful and appreciative."
"With hurricanes, tornados,
fires out of control, mud slides, flooding,
severe thunderstorms tearing up
the country from one end to another, andwith the threat of bird flu and
terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is agood time to take God out of the
Pledge of Allegiance?"
Jay Leno
Good letter, but Jay Leno did
May 18, 2007 - 11:43 ET by SouthJersey1953Good letter, but Jay Leno did not write that. Check snopes.com
No RINOs in '08 - Vote for a true conservative!
BUSH: At least he woke up t
May 17, 2007 - 22:04 ET by general companyBUSH: At least he woke up to ask the question.
Thats funny!!
He and Rich Little should go
May 17, 2007 - 22:19 ET by balboaHe and Rich Little should go on the road...
Thats a nasty case of BDS you
May 18, 2007 - 08:11 ET by general companyThats a nasty case of BDS you got Balboa.
"BDS" has nothing
May 18, 2007 - 09:38 ET by balboa"BDS" has nothing to do with your assessment of "funny."
I completely agree with that.
May 18, 2007 - 11:34 ET by general companyI completely agree with that.