Bush’s press conference

I watched the President’s press conference last night and here are a few thoughts.

The line of the night was the comment comparing governing by polls to a dog chasing his own tail. Forget for a moment that this administration clearly does govern by polls (hello Karl!), but could there be a better description for this train wreck of an administration?

Clearly, the current angle of attack on Social Security is to try to reduce benefits. I’ve read in various news articles and blogs that what the president meant by keeping benefits for future generations at least equal to those that seniors receive today was that they’d be adjusted for inflation, but I’m not so sure that he did mean that. I think he could actually mean keeping them equal in real terms – which would be even more disastrous for future beneficiaries. I think he’s that arrogant – he really believes that if he promises to keep benefits at least equal, that the public will swallow it whole and be happy about it.

Talking Points Memo picks up on this whopper of a contradiction during the Social Security discussion:

You don't have to worry about private accounts, he said, because if you want you can fill your account with US Treasury bonds which have no risk at all. They're backed by the full faith and credit of the US government. But he says that the very same Treasury notes, when they're in the Trust Fund, are just worthless IOUs.

And naturally, no reporters followed up on this OBVIOUS contradiction. I’ll do it for them – it’s really not that hard:

Mr. President, how can you justify encouraging Americans to invest in Treasury bonds when you’ve recently said that those same bonds in the Social Security Trust Fund are worthless IOU’s?

His comments about North Korea were so incoherent, it’s frightening. I really would prefer that a President of the United States at least sound like he knows what he’s talking about regarding a hard-line rogue nation that might possibly possess nukes.

I wanted to throw something at the TV when he said he didn’t think opposition to his judges was also being against "people of faith.” Why then is your personal hand-maiden in the Senate (Frist) running around the country saying that it is?

Many of the questions from the press were absolutely ridiculous. Even with Bush at his most unpopular, they are afraid to be aggressive. Who needs fake reporter/GOP life-line Jeff Gannon when the real press is so toothless?