Speaking only from notes, and apparently mining his personal life for metaphors, BushCo admitted yesterday to a room of newspaper editors that the country is "hooked" on foreign oil.
We need an energy plan. You know, it's -- we're a country where they say, okay, what is your plan? Well, I'm going to jawbone. It's an awkward position for any President to be in. It means we don't have an energy plan, is what it means. It means we're hooked. I get, what are you going to do about? Are you going to pick up the phone and hope somebody produces more energy? That says we're dependent. And we are.
Maybe Billy Graham can talk to us and get us to stop abusing oil. I mean, we have responsibilities now that we're the world's only superpower and are starting up an empire. We have colonies to think about ...
BushCo went on to say that although he'd love to be able to grow the economy while solving the energy problem, he was unable to figure out how to do that:
Obviously, we've got to promote conservation, new technologies. Listen, I'd love to be able to grow our way out of energy independence. There would be nothing better for an American President to say, okay, plant more corn and we'll become less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
Right, because you wouldn't want to over-simplify the issue or anything.
Generally the speech was vintage, rambling, aw-shucks BushCo. He wasted so much time on his silly games with the press. But that was his audience and I'm sure they liked being co-stars with Dear Leader. He also used as much of his trademark empty, emotional language as he could - start reading the transcript anywhere and you'll find some.
But what struck me the most was the way he kept lowering the bar. We're hooked on oil - get used to it. Americans think they're going to be attacked again by terrorists? Absolutely right! This is a hard country to defend. The Rio Grande alone is a nightmare. Iran wants to get a nuclear bomb and obliterate Israel, but negotiating with them is really really hard! They have two people to talk to. One is good for almost nothing at all and the other guy doesn't take our calls. He thinks the message is getting through. Our intelligence is good, but it's not perfect, so, you know...
Ms. Bumiller, to her credit, led with the cavalier comments about expecting to be attacked again but didn't mention how that tone jibed with his earlier claim that he accepts his obvious duty to "do everything we can to protect the American people." You would also never get the idea of how rambling the speech was from the way that Ms. Bumiller chose her quotes. The Washington Post does a better job of that.
But neither mentioned the oddest part, which came while acknowledging his own speaking deficiencies and musing about how fiction films, as well as documentaries, can mirror life. He thought it would be funny to point out the failings of President Koizumi's english:
It's amazing -- he's a great guy, by the way. Elvis Presley is one of his favorites. (Laughter.) His favorite movie was Gary Cooper in "High Noon." One time he walked up to me and said, "You like Cooper." (Laughter.) I said, "I'm like Cooper?" He said, "Yes." (Laughter.) I finally figured out what he meant. (Laughter.)
It's funny because he's foreign!
Yet this is the kind of stuff we get from Dear Leader, speaking in his native tongue:
I think we ought to be exploring for natural gas where we can find natural gas.
Is he sure, because he got a lot of mileage looking for WMD where there aren't WMD. And his record with Arbusto also suggests that he's most comfortable looking for things where they aren't.
Finally, be sure to read the Q&A (with pre-submitted Q's) so you don't miss precious exchanges like this:
They've got a fellow sitting up on top, probably the decision-maker on most matters, and yet the world goes to Khatami, so you're not really sure if the message is getting totally delivered or not. I think the message is getting delivered to them that it's intolerable if they develop a nuclear weapon. It would be intolerable to peace and stability in the Middle East if they get a nuclear weapon, particularly since their stated objective is the destruction of Israel.
MR. OSBORNE: Just for the record, I've always understood you clearly. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: Then why don't you write that way? (Laughter.)
MR. OSBORNE: Touch, touch. (Laughter and applause.)
These are the people who make decisions at the papers that most of America reads. That darn liberal press.
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