Fox News somehow managed to convince the media-shy President to sit down for
an exclusive interview with that muckraking Brit Hume. The interview was mostly fluff, the journalistic equivalent of a 69, with Hume throwing a number of Gannon-esque softballs at the President.
Crooks and Liars has video:
Bush talks about his PosseHere are some highlights:
HUME: I want to ask you about some of the people around you and your relationship with them and how they stand with you.... Secretary Rumsfeld, how does he stand with you?
BUSH: Good. He's done a heck of a job. He's conducted two wars, and at the same time is out to transfer my military from a military that was constructed for the post-Cold War to one that is going to be constructed to fight terrorism.
...
HUME: Vice President Cheney. There's been some thought that the relationship with him while on the surface remains fine, that he isn't quite the respected advisor he might once have been to you.
BUSH: You know, the vice president goes through I guess what all people in Washington go through at some time or another... The truth of the matter is, our relationship hasn't changed hardly at all. He's a very close advisor. I view him as a good friend... And yet, the relationship is a deeper relationship than initially, which is only normal given the amount of time we spent with each other.
....
HUME: How about Karl Rove, the man you once called the architect.
He went through some trials and tribulations — and they appear largely to be over now...
BUSH: Somebody said that was recent speculation, and we're still as close as we've ever been. We've been through a lot. When I look back at the presidency and my time in politics, uh, no question Karl had a lot to do with me getting here. And I value his friendship. We're very close.
Translation: 'Nope, no troubles here! We're one big happy family! Kind of like the Sopranos! Thanks so much for asking!!!' :-D
HUME: Turning to politics here, Democrats say that there is a culture of corruption among Republicans in Congress. Now, we've had the DeLay indictment, part of which has since been dismissed. You had — you've got this Abramoff investigation going on up there, and whatever the outcome, it isn't pretty....
BUSH: ... I'm — you know, the Abramoff — I'm frankly, not all that familiar with a lot that's going on up there on Capitol Hill. But it seems like to me that he was an equal money dispenser, that he was giving money to people in both political parties. Yes, I mean, it's really important for all of us in public life to have the highest of ethics. So we can only trust the American people.
The President doesn't know what's happening on Capital Hill? "Wassat, we got some sorts of Congress now?" And he claims he's not that familiar with the Abramoff scandal, but he does apparently know enough to claim Abramoff gave equal money to both parties? This is
not true, of course. Mr. President, can Congress attend the White House ethics refresher courses too?
HUME: You know a thing or two about Texas politics. What is your judgment of the prosecutor in the case, Ronnie Earle?
BUSH: I'm not going to go there, simply because I want — I want this trial to be conducted as fairly as possible. And the more politics that are in it, the less likely it's going to be fair.
Translation: 'Brit, you already did my work for now by even mentioning Earle's name, furthering the myth that we've created that he is some sort of partisan monster who exists solely to hurt poor ol' Tom. So I'm gonna pretend to take the high road and not comment.'
HUME: Do you just — do you believe he's innocent?
BUSH: Do I? Yes, I do.
Did you catch that, folks? Before Mr. Bush said he didn't want to comment on the trial so it could be "be conducted as fairly as possible". And two seconds later, he declares Delay's innocence. Judge and jury all in one, this President is.
Also, are you thinking how hypocritical it is for the President to say that given the "ongoing investigation" line they've been using to escape talking about the Plame case? Of course you were. Well then you'll be pleased to know that the White House press corps ripped Scott McClellan a new one over it yesterday. OneGoodMove
has video of another bad day for Scotty. David Gregory said it best- "You have a policy for some investigations and not others, when it's a political ally who you need to get work done?". Tsk tsk, David, why can't you be more polite like Mr. Hume?
HUME: Can you say today that if you had known then what you know now about the weapons, that you would have made the same decision.
BUSH: I said it today, and I said it at the last speech I gave.
And I've said it throughout the campaign to the American people. I said I made the right decision. Knowing what I know today, I would have still made that decision.
HUME: Now if you had this — if the weapons had been out of the equation, because the intelligence did not conclude that he had them, it was still the right call?
BUSH: Absolutely.
The weapons weren't the main reason we had to invade? Just some sort of side issue, I suppose? Gosh, sir, that's not what you said
on the eve of invasion. Sir, I wish you had told Americans that weapons weren't very relevant to the war in 2002 and 2003, people might not have been so scared! Of course then they wouldn't have supported an invasion, so I guess you had to do what you had to do.
HUME: And one last country, Iran.
BUSH: Yes. Well, it's a real threat. You might remember, I called it an axis — part of the Axis of Evil for a reason. I'm concerned about theocracy that has got little transparency, a country whose president has declared the destruction of Israel as part of their foreign policy and a country that will not listen to the demands of the free world to get rid of its ambitions to have a nuclear weapon.
HUME: So what do you do?
BUSH: Well, we continue to work the diplomatic front
Work the diplomatic front? Isn't that what you were supposed to do with Iraq?
But then again, no one in Iran ever tried to kill your dad, so I understand.
HUME: Well there are people, Mr. President, that think that you believe that you are personally chosen for this office and this time to do these things. What about that?
BUSH: I think I was chosen by the American people, and I knocked on their doors an awful lot in 2000 and 2004. I believe that — you know, there's some people who believe in pre-destiny...
[*clears throat*] Actually, sir, the American people chose Al Gore in 2000. That's undisputed. You were chosen by the Supreme Court and the electoral loophole known as the Electoral College. Just needed to clarify that.
HUME: Let me get your thoughts, Mr. President, on — on how you think or hope you'll be remembered...
BUSH: I hope that first, as a person, I'll be remembered as a fellow who had his priorities straight: his faith, his family and his friends are a central part of his life.
I notice the 'American people' aren't on there. His faith, his family and his friends. Yep, sounds like our President really understands our priorities. Thanks for reminding us of where we stand, sir!
And thanks Brit for really grilling him! What a scoop!
