President Bush's final press conference

[Not sure what happened to this post but this is the proper content.]

January 12, 2009

President Bush's final press conference. I took out some selected quotes from the transcript. Bushisms highlighted.

I like "misunderestimated". It makes perfect sense and should be coined in Bush's honor. Misunderstood + underestimated = misunderestimated.

Opening remarks:

BUSH: Through it all, it's been -- I have respected [the press corps]. Sometimes I didn't like the stories that you wrote or reported on. Sometimes you misunderestimated me. But always the relationship, I have felt, has been professional, and I appreciate it.

My friends say, "What is it like to deal with the press corps?" I say, "These are just people that are trying to do the best they possibly can."

No they aren't. They are trying to outscoop and out denigrate each other, while making Bush the butt of the joke. What kind of journalism is that? It's second grade.

Q: I'm wondering if you plan to ask Congress for the remaining $350 billion in bailout money? And, in terms of the timing, if you do that before you leave office, sir, are you motivated in part to make -- make life a little bit easier for President-elect Obama?

I have talked to the president-elect about this subject. And I told him that if he felt that he needed the $350 billion, I would be willing to ask for it. In other words, if he felt like it needed to happen on my watch. The best course of action, of course, is to convince enough members of the Senate to vote positively for the -- for the request. And -- and, you know, that's all I can share with you, because that's all I know.

QUESTION: So you haven't made a request yet?

Well, he hasn't asked me to make a request yet. And I don't intend to make a request unless he specifically asks me to make it....I wish him all the very best.

And now he called barry's bluff. Lets see what he does. Bush is being magnanimous by offering to let it happen in his watch. Precisely what barry wants.

And one common area that at least the four of us -- we all had different circumstances and experiences, but one thing is we've all experienced what it means to withstand the responsibility of the presidency....And then he'll walk in the Oval Office and there'll be a moment when the responsibilities of the president land squarely on his shoulders.

On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:

I'm for a sustainable cease-fire. And a definition of a sustainable cease-fire is that Hamas stops firing rockets into Israel. And there will not be a sustainable cease-fire if they continue firing rockets. I happen to believe the choice is Hamas' to make.

And we believe that the best way to ensure that there is a sustainable cease-fire is to work with Egypt to stop the smuggling of arms into the Gaza that enables Hamas to continue to fire rockets. And -- so countries that supply weapons to Hamas have got to stop. And the international community needs to continue to pressure them to stop providing weapons...

QUESTION: Do you approve of Israeli conduct in this?

I -- I think Israel has a right to defend herself. Obviously, in any of these kinds of situations I would hope that she would continue to be mindful of innocent folks, and that -- that they help, you know, expedite the delivery of humanitarian aid.

QUESTION: And, third, why haven't we achieved peace?

...first thing is to convince all parties that the two states were necessary for peace. And one thing that has happened is that most people in the Middle East now accept the two-state solution as the best way for peace. Most Palestinians want their own state and most Israelis understand there needs to be a democracy on their boarder in order for there to be long-lasting peace.

The challenge, of course, has been to lay out the conditions so that a peaceful state can emerge. In other words, helping the Palestinians in the West Bank develop security forces, which we have worked hard to do over the past years.

...The challenge is to develop -- help the Palestinians develop a democracy -- I mean -- and a vibrant economy in their -- that will help lead to democracy.

And the challenge, of course, is always complicated by the fact that people are willing to murder to stop the advance of freedom. And so, the -- Hamas or, for that matter, Al Qaida or other extremist groups, are willing to use violence to prevent free states from emerging. And that's the big challenge.

And so, the answer is, will this [peace] ever happen? I think it will. And I know we've advanced the process.

On the threats facing barry:

The most urgent threat that he'll have to deal with and other presidents after him will have to deal with is an attack on our homeland. You know, I wish I could report that's not the case, but there's still an enemy out there that would like to inflict damage on America -- Americans. And that'll be the major threat.

...[North Korea's] still dangerous and Iran is still dangerous.

About critics and Bush Derangement Syndrome:

You know, presidents can try to avoid hard decisions, and therefore avoid controversy. That's just not my nature. [but it is barry's] I'm the kind of person that, you know, is willing to take -- to take on hard -- hard tasks. And -- and in times of war, people get emotional. I understand that. I've never really, you know, spent that much time, frankly, worrying about the loud voices.

I, of course, hear them. But they didn't affect my policy, nor did they affect -- they affect how I made decisions.

If he wanted to speculate on barry:

You know, I'm confident -- you know, you'll catch me opining on occasion. But I wish him all the best.

And people say, "Oh, that's just a throwaway line." No. It's not a throwaway line. The stakes are high. There is an enemy that still is out there.

You know, people can maybe try to write that off as, you know, he's trying to set something up. I'm telling you there's an enemy that would like to attack America -- Americans -- again. There just is. That's the reality of the world.

And I wish him all the very best. And, of course, he's going to have his hands full with the economy, I understand. It's tough for a lot of working people out there. The people are concerned about their economic future.

...I wasn't kidding when I said Wall Street got drunk and we got the hangover.

He was asked about preemptive pardons for harsh interrogation - torture, etc. He said he wasn't going to discuss it. Then about his mistakes.

Clearly, putting a "mission accomplished" on a aircraft carrier was a mistake. It sent the wrong message. We were trying to say something differently, but, nevertheless, it conveyed a different message. Obviously, some of my rhetoric has been a mistake.

I've thought long and hard about Katrina; you know, could I have done something differently, like land Air Force One either in New Orleans or Baton Rouge. The problem with that and -- is that law enforcement would have been pulled away from the mission.

...And the reason why is is that -- you know, one of the lessons I learned as governor of Texas, by the way, is legislative branches tend to be risk-adverse. In other words, sometimes legislatures have the tendency to ask, "Why should I take on a hard task when the crisis is not eminent?" And the crisis was not eminent for Social Security as far as many members of Congress was concerned.

...Abu Ghraib, obviously, was a huge disappointment, during the presidency. You know, not having weapons of mass destruction was a significant disappointment. I don't know if you want to call those mistakes or not, but they were -- things didn't go according to plan, let's put it that way.

About US's standing in the world:

I strongly disagree with the assessment that our moral standing has been damaged. It may be damaged amongst some of the elite. But people still understand America stands for freedom; that America is a country that provides such great hope.

...I -- I -- I disagree with this assessment that, you know, people view America in a dim light. I just don't agree with that.

...And in terms of the decisions that I had made to protect the homeland, I wouldn't worry about popularity. What I would worry about is the Constitution of the United States and putting plans in place that makes it easier to find out what the enemy is thinking.

...My view is is that most people around the world, they respect America. And some of them doesn't like me -- I understand that -- some of the writers and the, you know, opiners and all that. That's fine. That's part of the deal.

But I'm more concerned about the country and -- and how people view the United States of America. They view us as strong, compassionate people who care deeply about the universality of freedom.

On the impact on barry:

...he will feel the effects the minute he walks in the Oval Office...I have never felt isolated, and I don't think he will.

...I believe the phrase "burdens of the office" is overstated. You know, it's, kind of, like, "Why me?"

..."Oh, the burdens," you know. "Why did the financial collapse have to happen on my watch?"

It's just pathetic, isn't it, self-pity? And I don't believe that President-elect Obama will be full of self-pity.

[...]

QUESTION: So it was never the loneliest office in the world?

No, not for me. We had -- you know, people -- I had a fabulous team around me of highly dedicated, smart, capable people. And we had fun. I tell people that, you know, some days happy, some days not so happy; every day has been joyous.

About Hurricane Katrina:

This storm was a devastating storm that required a lot of energy, a lot of focus and a lot of resources to get New Orleans up and running.

And has the reconstruction been perfect? No.

Have things happened fairly quickly? Absolutely.

And is there more to be done, you bet there is.

...You know, people said, "Well, the federal response was slow." Don't tell me the federal response was slow when there was 30,000 people pulled off roofs right after the storm passed.

You know, I remember going to see those helicopter drivers, Coast Guard drivers, to thank them for their courageous efforts to rescue people off roofs -- 30,000 people were pulled off roofs right after the storm moved through. That's a pretty quick response.

Could things have been done better? Absolutely. Absolutely.

But when I hear people say the federal response was slow, then what are they going to say to those chopper drivers or the 30,000 that got pulled off the roofs?

On retirement:

You know, I just -- I just can't envision myself, you know, the big straw hat and a Hawaiian shirt sitting on some beach...particularly since I quit drinking.

....People say, "Well, there you are in Crawford, on vacation." You never escape the presidency; it travels with you everywhere you go. And there's not a moment where you don't think about being president. Unless you're riding mountain bikes as hard as you possibly can, trying to forget for the moment.

On whether barry can be a uniter:

I hope the tone is different for him than it has been for me. I am disappointed by the tone in Washington, D.C. I've -- I try to do my part by not engaging in the name-calling and -- and by the way, needless name-calling. I have worked to be respectful of my opponents on different issues.

...There have been areas where we were able to work together. It's just the rhetoric got out of control at times.

...And I would hope that -- that, frankly, for the sake of the system itself, that, if people disagree with President-elect Obama, they treat him with respect....The great thing about our democracy, people have a chance to express themselves. I just hope the tone is respectful. He deserves it, and so does the country.

It has been a honor to work with you. I meant what I said when I first got up here. I wish you all the very best. I wish you and your families all the best. God bless you.

I found it shocking that the press corps did not stand up for his exit or even say thank you. There was light scattered applause. Whatever they think - he is the POTUS and should be given some measure of respect in person - especially after his last press conference. The press is really quite a disgusting lot without integrity, simple decency or respect. I wish I had never been drawn into this.