It’s no mystery that the [tag]president[/tag] doesn’t care for press conferences; and it’s no secret why — he’s not very good in this setting. It makes the Q&A fairly painful for everyone — the reporters’ questions are largely ignored, the president’s answers are meandering and broken up by awkward pauses, and viewers learn nothing.
Today’s [tag]press conference[/tag] wasn’t terribly different from any other, but it was interesting to see how [tag]Bush[/tag] responded to Iraq-related questions by reframing every question into a context in which he could repeat the exact same talking point. After a while, it became almost comical.
Asked if it’s time for a “new strategy” in Iraq, Bush said:
“[W]e’re not leaving…. Now, if you say, are you going to change your strategic objective, it means you’re leaving before the mission is complete. And we’re not going to leave before the [tag]mission is complete[/tag].
When the same reporter said the response didn’t answer the question, and re-asked the president if his strategy is working, Bush added:
“There are a lot of good, decent people saying, ‘Get out now; vote for me, I will do everything I can to, I guess, cut off money’ is what they’ll try to do to get our troops out. It’s a big mistake. It would be wrong, in my judgment, for us to leave before the mission is complete in Iraq.”
Asked if he agreed with Dick Cheney’s assessment that Democratic voters may be emboldening al-Qaeda types, Bush said:
“What all of us in this administration have been saying is that leaving Iraq before the mission is complete will send the wrong message to the enemy and will create a more dangerous world. That’s what we’re saying…. [T]here are a lot of people in the Democrat [sic] Party who believe that the best course of action is to leave Iraq before the job is done, period. And they’re wrong. And the American people have got to understand the consequence of leaving Iraq before the job is done. We’re not going to leave Iraq before the job is done, and we’ll complete the mission in [tag]Iraq[/tag].”
Asked what Iraq had to do with 9/11, Bush said, “Nothing,” but added:
“I fully believe it was the right decision to remove Saddam Hussein, and I fully believe the world is better off without him. Now, the question is how do we succeed in Iraq? And you don’t succeed by leaving before the mission is complete, like some in this political process are suggesting.”
Now, there are a couple of things to consider here. First is the fact that all of this may sound absurd while reading the text, but to appreciate just how bizarre it really was, one really has to see the video. It’s worse than you think. (I’m sure C&L and/or YouTube will have it up sometime soon.)
Second, these answers are obviously repetitious and frequently nonsensical, but as Swopa noted a few weeks ago, that’s not because the president is some kind of rambling lunatic who’s too dense to understand the question (though that may be part of it); it’s because Bush isn’t really talking to anyone in the room or watching the whole video.
[The president’s] audience consists of people who are accidentally catching a soundbite on the news while flipping channels, or looking for reassurance while watching Fox News.
I think that’s almost certainly right. Rove & Co. told him beforehand, “Mr. President, go out there and emphasize the importance of ‘completing the mission.’ Our focus groups say people respond well to the phrase.” The president, unimaginative when it comes to answers of his own, followed the instructions carefully.
As a result, every question about Iraq prompted almost the exact same response. Part of this may be because Bush could think of nothing else to say, but just as likely, Bush never knows which answer is going to make the evening news. Better to make them all the same, just to play it safe.
