Bush: I see what is happening in Iraq on TV

[MARALE]

Did anyone catch this in the Debates last week? There were many WTF moments, but I thought that he should know from his advisors and staff what is happening in Iraq, not from the TV. I have been searching to see if anyone else caught this. It was during one of his rebuttals I think.

[Stephanie]

1. He said: "I see it on the TV screens."

It's all a show to him. The whole thing. Presidency, war. Just one big performance. Does he DO anything beside make public appearances and fish/golf/bike?

[underpants]

2. That was his attempt to seem relevant/informed

Uh...what is that fancy schmancy situation room for then? Do you GO to the situation room or do they not trust you in there?

[CityHall]

3. From transcript

"And now we're fighting them now. And it's hard work. I understand how hard it is. I get the casualty reports every day. I see on the TV screens how hard it is. But it's necessary work."

This was suitably mocked, but it's time to move on an mock Cheney now.

[fugue]

4. Yeah, I heard it too

And I listened to the debate once and watched it twice.

I was angered by this. You don't know from what you see on TV. You get a glimmer, some information to build from, but you don't know.

Combat is a whole different world, which is why it chews people up even if they aren't physically harmed. You don't know it unless you live it.

Granted, it's one of those things that I'm glad I don't know. But I wouldn't claim to know it.

[hatrack]

5. Well, he sure as hell doesn't see it in person!

And what shows would those be, Chimpy? Certainly not American network or cable "news" shows, I'd wager.

[skygazer]

6. Actually what he saw was "Everybody Loves Raymond"

But he THOUGHT it was Iraq so that's all that matters.

[soupkitchen]

7. My take (Satire)

FOUR MORE YEARS, FOUR MORE YEARS


It is the opinion of this debate watcher that President Bush did not lose the first debate; he just won it too quickly.
The President’s strategy was sound. If he could attack Senator Kerry’s character vociferously enough during the first ten minutes Senator Kerry would undoubtedly break into tears and be forced to leave the stage. But because he had too efficiently invaded Senator Kerry’s territory, thereby inadvertently pinning him to podium, the unintended consequence was that the Senator still had eighty minutes to launch an insurgency by hurling a few truth grenades at the President. Like the fact that Iraq did not actually attack the United States.
Fair enough. But, let’s not blame the President for not relying on facts to win his arguments. Listen, the President knows facts. He knows facts are hard work. In fact he’s watched “Jeopardy” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” on TV often enough to know accumulating facts can be very hard work. It’s just that his worldview is not predicated on facts. This President is about gut instincts, and his gut instincts are to personally attack people, countries, legal democratic principles, whenever he feels his entitlements are threatened.
So, the only real mistake the President made in the debate the other night was the strategic one of agreeing to have it last more than ten minutes. To any neutral observer who was watching last Thursday it was obvious after ten minutes that President Bush, with a blitzkrieg of acidic grimaces and sneering innuendo, had clearly established John Kerry did not have the character, or moral consistency, to be President. And it was only the other unfortunate eighty minutes of informed and pointed commentary by the Senator that undermined the President’s case.
But again, this does not mean the President lost. It only means he won too quickly; that perhaps, he assumed mission accomplished a bit too quickly. And that is what the American public should take away from the debates. That it was only because the President won the opening few minutes of the debate so overwhelmingly that he seemed to be an occupying army of one, posted reluctantly to the foreign policy stage, for the next eighty. That this debate was not a loss for the President, but only another one of his catastrophic successes. That, in the end, it is only the ever-decreasing minority of open-minded Americans who will fail to respond to the determinedly closed mind of the President.
Or, as any of the President’s neocon supporters might say, “Hold the Bagel. Just give me the smear.”


FOUR MORE YEARS, FOUR MORE YEARS

[readmylips]

8. Visiting wonded soldiers is a photo op he doesn't risk....

When I heard that I said, 'you are so well informed mr.' What a jerk. TV presents what you jerk, and rumsfelt asked them to present.

Maybe we should send the jerk photos of US wounded soldiers, wounded and dead Iraqi children.

[ComerPerro]

9. No wonder he thinks things are going so great there

Its a viscious cycle:

Bush gets his News from Faux News Channel.

Faux News channel puts out extremely right wing bullshit in order to kiss Bush's ass.

[KharmaTrain]

10. There Was Too Much Good Stuff

Bunnypants gave us the performance we all wished for and then some. There were so many lies, gaffs, sutters, mis-speaks and so on to kee this site going for the next two years.

As someone so astutly noted here, what that debate did, and what the media avoids saying, is the boyking exposed himself for the uninformed, stupid fratboy he is; and that woke some people up. This was even more disturbing as many moderates and undecideds were tuning in at the time to answer one question "does this guy deserve another 4 years". The performance showed how poorly he was handling the job and that he had no clue where he was and where we're going.

The silence of the media right now is the greatest testimony as to how really bad this boy bombed and how they can't find anyone or any way to spin it otherwise...as hard as they've tried. They're highly conflicted right at this moment...for example the backlash by "mainstream media" to our emails and demands to report the debate fairly (Jack Cafferty anyone???). The best thing we got from this debate is media silence...my hope is the debate tonight and Friday will continue this trend.

With a silenced and numbed media, our message will finally get through. And be certain, Bunnypants will provide us even more gems on Friday night. He's all alone out there and nothing short of a total personality transplant will remove the image that he's starting to burn in that he's a total incompetent...surely not a great impression to give when you're asking to be "rehired".

Cheers!

[NinetySix]

11. I had noticed that too, but

my impression was that he said something to the effect that, 'I know it's hard work, I see how hard it is on TV.' It occurred to me that if I were a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine stationed in Iraq, back home from Iraq, or threatened with deployment there, I would have taken this comment in the context that Bush didn't know anything about combat because he was in the National Guard. This would have led instantly to the thought that he didn't even fulfill his duty there, while I was in constant danger fulfilling mine. This, in turn, would have led to deep resentment in me, I think. The comment, offhand obviously, was poorly thought out beforehand (remind you of anything else?), and might well resonate with members of the military in a way he hadn't intended.

[demokatgurrl]

12. It just SCREAMS OUT how divorced

from reality he is. He's running the country by watching TV. Isn't anyone as scared as I am? I'm not sure I'd want him on our local school board.

Now, of course, he get a chance to paper over the horrible impression in people's minds by doing a re-take in a speech with no opponent. What a slimy, spineless, incompetent weasel.