"I will not pre-judge...uh...based on media reports"

[kentuck]

A comment by George Bush with Karl Rove sitting directly behind him. How do you interpret these comments? What is the secret message he is sending to his supporters? :) I think it is a very interesting comment.

[tmooses]

1. How does that square with his reaction in the Terri Schiavo case?

[Goldmund]

2. It is, I agree

As if "media reports" are his main source of info about Rove -- as if he couldn't "judge" it based on talking to Rove himself.

I think that he's trying to play the "liberal media" card with that comment -- consistently with their talking points: "Hitlery wants Rove fired. So does Kerry. And so does the liberal meedja. Do YOU want to be on the same side as these folks?"

[kentuck]

3. Bingo !

Listen for Rush to grab that talking point today... :)

[Inland]

5. Yeah, why didn't he just turn around and ask Rove and base judgment on

his answer?

Bush, at this point in time, wants us to a) believe he doesn't know any more than what's in the papers and b) for us to be okay with that.

What kind of president sits by and let's the media and the US attorney figure out who is leaking national security material from the WH? One that doesn't want to know, or already knows, who is leaking. What a dick Bush is.

[barbaraann]

4. My worst fear is that

it's another Ratheresque Rovian operation. Bush and Rove are still smirking. Bush could barely control his amusement as he was answering the question.

[leftofthedial]

6. innoculation

against DSM and the big treason they've committed

[kentuck]

7. Yep...

I cannot tell a lie...I put that little piece of paper with my name on it at the bottom of that pile of garbage. (From Alice's Restaurant) Meanwhile, who dumped that pile of garbage?

[barbaraann]

9. Oh, so maybe they are smirking because they might get away

with thousands of huge evil acts by having Karl Rove take the fall for one evil act?

Where do they get all these tricks?

[JDPriestly]

8. He thinks this will blow over. It's just a matter of time,

and he is telling them to wait it out. The DSMs have not been in the press in the past week or so, and he thinks they have been forgotten. The DSMs have not been forgotten. They are just one of the underpinnings of the case for impeaching Bush and they will return full force in the news.

Bush is making a mistake. His credibility ratings are relatively low and holding at a low level in spite of the London bombings. Loss of credibility is a major problem for a "leader" like Bush who relies on intimidation, bullying and his strongman, straight forward image to keep his followers in line.

No matter what happens, the Rove scandal has put Bush on the defensive, and has made it very difficult for him to exude that ebullient, happy, self-righteous face that is the key to his charisma. He is wounded, and, regardless of whether Rove is indicted or goes scot free, Bush will never entirely recover the charisma that is the basis for his popularity with his right wing followers. It is not a matter of the facts or what people say about him. He knows that many people see through his bad traits, his inconsistency, phony bravado, foolish stubbornness and opportunism, for the first time in this Rove thing, and he has, therefore, lost a little bit of the confidence that underlies his charisma. If his charisma were based on his honesty and sincerity rather than his bullying nature, he would be OK. But thanks to his own personality, he has real problems.