Bush Asked Whether He’s ‘Still In Denial,’ Responds ‘It’s Bad In Iraq. That Help?’ Heh heh heh...

[kpete]

Bush Asked Whether He’s ‘Still In Denial,’ Responds ‘It’s Bad In Iraq. That Help?’

At a press conference this morning with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a reporter asked President Bush whether his use of the word “unsettling” to describe the violence in Iraq would “convince many people that you’re still in denial about how bad things are in Iraq.”

Bush responded curtly, “It’s bad in Iraq. That help?” and then chuckled.

VIDEO AT: http://thinkprogress.org/2006/12/07/bush-denial/

Full transcript:

QUESTION: Mr. President, the Iraq Study Group described the situation in Iraq as “grave and deteriorating.” You said that the increase in attacks is “unsettling.” That will convince many people that you’re still in denial about how bad things are in Iraq and question your sincerity about changing course.

BUSH: It’s bad in Iraq. That help? (Laughter)

QUESTION: Why did it take others to say it before you’ve been willing to acknowledge it to the world?

BUSH: You know, in all due respect, I’ve been saying it a lot. I understand how tough it is, and I’ve been telling the American people how tough it is. And they know how tough it is.

And the fundamental question is: Do we have a plan to achieve our objective? Are we willing to change as the enemy has changed?

[H2O Man]

1. It was ugly.

He is a severely disturbed individual.

[tridim]

3. Especially the "laughter" part

Why does Bush find it amusing that things are bad in Iraq?

I hope Olbermann and Malloy rip the shit out of him for that one.

[magellan]

7. I don't even think Bush** was considering Iraq when he laughed

He's focused on himself. It's all between him and his ego. Everything else is on the periphery, at best.

[H2O Man]

13. Good point.

I do not think the suffering and death he is causing is a factor in his perception of things. Cold.

[cassiepriam]

18. None of that is even on his radar screen. It is all about him.

And his rigidity prevents him from even considering
other options.

Did you see the WH remark that Baker "could now go
back to his day job"??

We are talking major Bush anger here.... nasty comments
in the guise of humor. Underneath he is one angry man.

[Swamp Rat]

24. Au contraire mon ami... didn't you watch his Oscar-winning performance?

[cassiepriam]

33. What was your read of it?? nt

[cassiepriam]

16. He is simply not able to have empathy for anyone else.

Right now he is having a major pity party for himself and
is enraged and simmering.

[kiki]

25. Not sure about that...

It's been well documented by those who analyse his speeches - little Georgie's funny bone never fails to be tickled when he has to talk about death and destruction.

[cassiepriam]

9. I didn't see it, what was bush's demeanor underneath?

Was it all a joke to him or was he angry?
What made it feel ugly to you?

I am just curious as to his mental state
now that the report came out.
I assume he is very very angry.
But he may cover it up with passive aggressiveness.

I think he change nothing in Iraq,
but pretend to do something....

[H2O Man]

11. In my opinion,

he was saying, "Fuck you. I'm in control."

He didn't get what his father was saying when he broke down the other day. About the measure of a man includes how he deals with defeat.

[cassiepriam]

14. Angry. That is what we are going to see a lot...

As his narcissism is no longer fed, he is going to continue to be rigid and very very angry.

Pickles may want to go visit a cousin in Texas if she is smart. :(

Poppy obviously understands what is happening and is distraught.
I also think Poppy knows how bad it is, and is in melt down.

Jr doesn't comprehend the concept of a measure of a man. Integrity and honor are not in his vocabulary. It is all about him, his needs, his wants. He operates like a young teen at best.

[H2O Man]

17. He is beginning

to behave a bit like Saddam, as far as the anger and hostility. (Choose your enemies carefully, young teens are told, because they are the ones you are at risk of ending up like.)

[cassiepriam]

19. Bush has always been hostile and petty, holding grudges etc.

Very immature.

And yes probably quite a few similarities between Saddam and
Bush in terms of psychopathology. Ironic isn't it?

But yes I agree we are looking at a new level of
* rage and disturbance. Things are closing in on Bush
and it most likely doesn't feel good. Harder and harder
for him to continue to revel in the adoration he craves.
Harder for him to stay in denial. The facade may start to
crack... he may have to start drinking even more to cover
up the discomfort. As even his friends start to turn on him.

[cassiepriam]

20. PS Pat, will this result in some fundamental changes in the office of the presidency?

Certainly it is insanity for a county to place
so much power in one man, especially if that man is mentally
unstable. Perhaps there should be a presidential group?

We have seen that the checks and balances in the Constitution
do not work. Time for some changes?

Just thinking out loud.

[TahitiNut]

26. "...because they are the ones you are at risk of ending up like." Indeed.

The key part of this is the emotional maturity of the audience. Young teens, like even younger kids, are still very self-centered. Narcissistic behavior is regarded as 'normal' and not a personality disorder until an adult. The feeling of enmity, at that stage of emotional development, is often mere jealousy. Compassion, empathy, and altruism are nascent and developing in young people - character qualities that must be nurtured. I find that the best mental model for keeping this in mind is the hug. For adults, a hug is reciprocal - giving and getting simultaneously - and the experience is one of being close and vulnerable and feeling a reward for dropping adult 'armor.' For a child, just based on the sheer size differential, there's far more 'getting' than 'giving.' As the ability to reciprocate grows, so should the inclination.

The advice to "choose your enemies carefully" is very well-grounded. Likewise, the advice for late-teens and young adults to be aware of who first attracts you when you walk into a room - the perversion of "love at first sight." For people of that (emotional) age, the strong likelihood is that they'll be immediately attracted to an emotional codependent ... quite possibly someone that's the worst for their further maturation and emotional development. (Sadly, I learned this too late.)

[cassiepriam]

32. Unfortunately many Americans seem to be operating at the same

immature level, emotionally and intellectually.

That is why Bush has been so popular. He resonates
with them.

[cassiepriam]

34. I saw the clip last night, wow. You are exactly right, it was a big FU.

He was very angry at the reporter for asking the
question. And also defensive.

My read is also that others close to him have brought
up this very issue and he is defensive and angry about all
of it. He is feeling like no one understands how brilliant
and important he is. How noble his cause is etc.
He is feeling misunderstood and unappreciated.
And is very very angry about it...

[rolfboy]

2. O! M! G!

It never ceases to amaze me how utterly clueless, assasine, and arrogant this child would-be king is, has been and continues to be.
800 more days is way too long!!

[newyawker99]

27. Hi rolfboy!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[hwmnbn]

4. I rather enjoyed this exchange.....

It was a simple question that set off the chimp. It was rubbing the chimp's nose in his stubborn adherence to his shit-for-policy rhetoric. Of course it was uncomfortable being called on this total failure of a war.

What does the chimp expect now that EVERYONE says so?

[JackBeck]

5. Cheers to the British press.

They held his feet to the fire today. I thought he was going to come from behind the podium and attack that reporter.

[Kipper58]

30. The reporter is Nick Robinson from the BBC

You can read more about it here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/2006/12/white_house_new.html

[JackBeck]

31. That was a very snarky blog entry.

And I saw exactly what he saw. I knew Bush was in for it the second I saw Nick's face.

On edit: and then Blair and Nick had a moment after the whole exchange. Classic.

[DemReadingDU]

35. thanks for the link

I like the questions that Nick Robinson was asking!

[ninkasi]

6. He'll never accept blame

And he'll never accept responsibility. Even now, he is pushing the idea that the main problems are caused by the Iraqis themselves, not by his disastrous invasion, which was the catalyst for the whole unholy horror show that is going on now. I think that a clue to how easy it is for him to remain in denial about his guilt in insisting on having this bloodletting comes from a quote by the she-demon who spawned him.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0429-11.htm

<snip>
"What could be behind the Bush Administration's decision to censor the photographs of flag-draped coffins returning from Iraq? Could it really be, as the government says, to respect "the privacy of the families?" Or is it to hide the realities of war for political reasons? Or is it to protect the delicate sensitivities of the ruling class as Americans die to build them an empire?

As the argument over this censorship continues, I hope people remember a widely-quoted remark made by the president's mother, Barbara Bush, last year during the build-up of the war - the lying time.

"Why should we hear about body bags and deaths," Barbara Bush said on ABC's "Good Morning America" on March 18, 2003. "Oh, I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?"

We know this particular censorship can't be about privacy. Since the photos were made public last week, many family members have praised their publication. And since the coffins are anonymous, where is the privacy to be protected?"

That's the attitude Bush was raised to believe. What he wants supersedes everything else, so he doesn't want to waste his twisted, deviant mind worrying about killing, and bloodshed, a shattered country, and the cost in life and treasury that is being paid, but not by him, or his loved ones.

His twins can party in another country, while other people's daughters and sons, husbands and wives, face the brutality of Iraq. He can vacation, and cut brush, and ride his bike, while other men his age worry about whether they will be blown up while going to work, or if their wives will live to come back from buying food. Then there are the children, thousands of them, who have been killed and maimed, and permanently scarred by the horror of the war he so much wanted. What are the lives of hundreds of thousands of others, compared to his legacy as a "war president?"

So before it's all over, the whole region might end up in a more violent, more terrible conflagration than anything we've seen before. Other than saying he knows it's tough, Bush, like his mother, chooses not to clutter his "beautiful mind" with thoughts which make him uncomfortable. After all, isn't everything about him?

[cassiepriam]

8. So all of this is funny to Bush?? nt

[Ganja Ninja]

10. I wish I could say this is unbelievable.

The man is a psychopath with only the barest understanding of the disaster he's created.

[QuestionAll...]

12. ... 'then chuckled'...

whoever first called him the Giggling Murderer is right on.

[symbolman]

15. Bush is INSANE

keep beating that drum until it's on every pair of lips, at every watercooler, every sporting event, NASCAR, etc..

[Disturbed]

22. 10 US Troops died yesterday. hehehe

Amusing, isn't it?

[Norquist Nemesis]

21. Heard just a little bit ago that reporters mouths fell open when he

invoked 9/11. MSNBC (I think) was talking with a reporter that was at the press conference and described the moment. He said they couldn't believe he was actually pulling that one out again. LOL!

[kiki]

23. Just like the "You've covered your ass" comment...

...regarding the 9-11 warnings.

He's saying "Oh, it's you guys again. Well, here's what you want to hear. You know I don't give a shit, I know I don't give a shit - the tone of my voice shows that I can barely be bothered to pretend I give a shit any more - but fuck you, that's what your getting."

The entire world is an inconvenience to this craven little half-man.

And Freepers, this is your Elder Statesman. It's a good thing (for you, anyway) you imbeciles don't know how to feel shame, or you'd never show your face in public.

[uppityperson]

28. The more he does this in public, the better.

shows him for what he really is.

[blogslut]

29. The giggles of a maniac

Actually, a manic, lonely puppet. I don't believe he ever ran this war. Someone else did that and now, Rumsfeld's retired. Cheney's undoubtedly not talking to him. Condi is about to lose her religion. Andy's long gone. The people hate him. Other countries treat him like a drunkard uncle. The ISG should have been called the 'Intervention to Stop George' group but he won't listen to them anyway. Attention grabbing is a lifelong pattern for little boots.

As for his family, that's the question. I think they're about to wash their collective hands of George Dubya. If there was a time for Babs Bush to lay off the smotherin' and get to motherin' this would be it. Girlfriend's got a lot of money and clout and I don't think she has the generousity of soul it takes to go down with the ship of Junior. I think they're gonna cut him loose. Laura and the twins will be lucky to jump onboard before the boat sails too far.