Dan Froomin noted today that the president’s press conference “was a frustrating experience for journalists whose specific questions were largely answered with imprecise comments related to their general topic.” It’s an entirely fair description, particularly when it came to questions about Jack Abramoff’s connections to the White House.
Q: Mr. President, you talked about Jack Abramoff in the context of pictures, but it may not necessarily just be about pictures. He also had some meetings with some of your staff. So you remember, you ran on the idea of restoring honesty and integrity to the White House. So why are you letting your critics perhaps attack you and paint you with maybe a guilt by association? Why not just throw open your books and say, look, here is —
Bush: There is a serious investigation going on by federal prosecutors, and that’s their job. And they will — if they believe something was done inappropriately in the White House, they’ll come and look, and they’re welcome to do so. There’s a serious investigation that’s going on.
Q: But, sir, don’t you want to tell the American people, “Look, as I promised, this White House isn’t for sale and I’m not for sale?”
Bush: It’s hard for me to say I didn’t have pictures with the guy when I did. But I have also had pictures with thousands and thousands of people.
The clumsiness with which Bush dodges the questions is almost amusing. Asked if he should help show Americans that the White House isn’t for sale, Bush explains that he gets his picture taken with a lot of people. The problem isn’t just that there’s a disconnect between the question and answer, but that Bush doesn’t even seem to realize what the question is. I know that’s not the case, which makes his dissembling all the more bizarre.
It got rather embarrassing.
Q: Never mind about the photographs…. Can you say, sir, whether you were lobbied by Jack Abramoff or other lobbyists, and what your policy is about lobbyists meeting with senior staff?
Bush: You know, I, frankly, don’t even remember having my picture taken with the guy. I don’t know him.
I know the president occasionally has trouble with his ears, but he does hear the questions, right?
Several times, reporters asked why the president doesn’t just come clean and tell the public about Abramoff’s WH ties. Each time, Bush dodged the question. As a rule, when the president acts like he has something to hide, he has something to hide.