Bush Decides to Enter Fray on TV Shows NYTimes

[jbfam4]

Bush Decides to Enter Fray on TV Shows By RICHARD W. STEVENSON

Published: February 7, 2004

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/07/politics/campaign/07BUSH.html?hp



WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 — With his poll numbers slipping and Democrats attacking him and his credibility over the failure so far to find any banned weapons in Iraq, President Bush has decided to strike back. He will throw his first punch in the rough and tumble of a ring familiar to all candidates for high office: a Sunday morning news show.

White House officials said the president had chosen to appear on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday to make a case that he has done well in handling the challenges of terrorism and a weak economy, and to bring the political debate back to the ground he wants to fight on.


"The president's very eager to go out and talk about his policies, the actions he's taken and why it's making the nation more secure," said Dan Bartlett, the White House communications director. "He's more than comfortable talking about those decisions and he believes the country wants to hear from the president about these issues."

But Republicans allied with Mr. Bush's re-election campaign said there was a heavy dose of politics behind the decision as well. As he faces intensifying pressure on weapons in Iraq, they said, it is more urgent that Mr. Bush go on the offensive. After saying for months that he was too busy dealing with the nation's business to descend into the partisan wars, Mr. Bush and his top advisers have concluded that the risk of remaining on the defensive outweighed the risk of dropping the pose that he was above politics and appearing on television in candidate mode, Republicans said.

Mr. Bartlett said Mr. Bush told him on Tuesday that he wanted to appear on "Meet the Press." Republican officials said Mr. Bush was eager to send a message that he is not afraid to take tough questions from the moderator, Tim Russert.

[La_Serpiente]

1. from the article

"We're 269 days from the election, and that's several political lifetimes," said Terry Holt, the Bush campaign's spokesman. "If you've heard anything from the Bush campaign over the past 10 months, it's been that we expect a close race, and that's still operative."

We've been waging war since day 1. They will have a lot of catching up to do.

[jbfam4]

2. L O L

Bush is not afraid to take tough questions from the moderator, Tim Russert.

How about asking Bush why he doesn't trust the American people? Don't the people deserve the information about reasons for war BEFORE the elections.


Show will be taped on Sat. and aired on Sunday.....let's see...take 1, take 2, take 3 and so on until he gets it right.

The polls didn't go up after the SOTU. So Bush needs another chance to tell us he was right about going to war. No matter how many times he tells us, doesn't make it true.

[JailForBush]

3. So when's Bush going to appear on "The Weakest Link"? N/T

[buckeye1]

4. Geez!

Stenographer Stevenson. There is hardly anything but quotes here. The "boy in the bubble" hates any real world contact. The idea that he is eager to talk to the press is ludicrous. This could be funny.

[JohnyCanuck]

5. Dubya is as "eager" to meet with the press

as I am to meet with my dentist to get a tooth drilled.

[kskiska]

6. Tim should ask him

why he's afraid to meet with real Americans instead of those cherry-picked members of his fan club he seems to prefer. He even provides the flags.

[MrBenchley]

7. Rough and tumble, my ass!

It's a pre-taped interview with a suck-up tossing softball questions.

Let's see the unelected drunk in action live, where he can't control the questions.