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GWB's Press Conference - Observations

Why are you and the VP testifying together?
The most shocking non-response was to the question of why he and Cheney needed to testify together. He had no answer for that. It is mind-boggling that he was not prepared for this crucial line of questioning:

QUESTION: Mr. President, why are you and the vice president insisting on appearing together before the 9-11 commission? And, Mr. President, who will we be handing the Iraqi government over to on June 30th?

BUSH: We'll find that out soon. That's what Mr. Brahimi is doing. He's figuring out the nature of the entity we'll be handing sovereignty over. And, secondly, because the 9-11 commission wants to ask us questions, that's why we're meeting. And I look forward to meeting with them and answering their questions.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) I was asking why you're appearing together, rather than separately, which was their request.

BUSH: Because it's a good chance for both of us to answer questions that the 9-11 commission is looking forward to asking us. And I'm looking forward to answering them.

A.Q. Kahn - How we deal with "terrorists"
And what about his take on A.Q. Kahn? Kahn is the man who brought nuclear weaponry to Pakistan and was publicly lauded while secretly funneling nuclear arms secrets, plans and equipment to rogue states. Bush had harsh words for him

The A.Q. Khan bust, the network that we uncovered thanks to the hard work of our intelligence-gathering agencies and the cooperation of the British, was another victory in the war against terror.

BUSH: This was a shadowy network of folks that were willing to sell state secrets to the highest bidder. And that, therefore, made the world more unstable and more dangerous.

You've often heard me talk about my worry of weapons of mass destruction ending up in the hands of the wrong people. Well, you can understand why I feel that way, having seen the works of A.Q. Khan. It's a dangerous -- it was a dangerous network that we unraveled, and the world is better for it.

And so what I'm telling you is, is that sometimes we use military as a last resort, but other times we use our influence, diplomatic pressure and our alliances to unravel, uncover, expose people who want to do harm against the civilized world.

Remember what happened to Kahn? How did we deal with that shadowy network?

• Musharraf publicly pardoned Kahn and called him a national hero.
• The U.S. absolved Musharraf and his government of any complicity.
• The U.S. then named Pakistan a “major” non-NATO ally, which means that Islamabad is in the same league as Israel, Japan and Australia when it comes to buying U.S. weapons, including our most sensitive nuclear-capable aircraft.

Source: US Politics Today

Admit you are wrong:
I went for a job interview today, and I know in every interview I go into, someone is going to ask me about a mistake I made, and in a humbling moment I will have to tell them about a marketing campaign I miffed when the ad came back upside down, or the time I got the date wrong. But then I tell the person across the table about how I resolved the issue and this, in turn, endears me to the interviewer.

Mr. Bush, why is it so difficult? Just admit you are wrong, and move on (.org).

Semantics: Do you Believe This?
The left could not have scripted his closing any better. As you needed more reason not to believe him, look at the credibility/incredible flip-floppery. I think it is interesting to use the two in the same sentence to close the speech and then walk stiff shouldered out along the red carpet:

BUSH: One thing is for certain, though, about me, and the world has learned this: When I say something, I mean it. And the credibility of the United States is incredibly important for keeping world peace and freedom. Thank you all very much.

Full Transcript of the Press Conference Posted by Neil at April 13, 2004 11:59 PM | TrackBack