From the Bush Press Conference, 1/26/06
QUESTION: Mr. President, good morning.
BUSH: You're going to have to speak loudly,
because somebody took your seat. Your name was on my seating chart, and
you're not sitting down. Did that make any sense at all? It depends. It
kinda started out as sense and went downhill from there.
QUESTION: Isn't that a shame?
BUSH: You're probably going to blame it on
me. You're from the networks, aren't you? I'll just bet... no, wait, radio.
Got to be radio. With a face like that, you couldn't be on television. Now I
bet you're going to accuse me of being mean just because I said you were
less than attractive.
QUESTION: I'm going to let you pass that
time.
BUSH: You bet your sweet ass you are, heh
heh. Just kidding. Just trying to rattle you before you get going. It's fun.
I call it presidential playtime.
QUESTION: I know. Mr. President, as you're
saying Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath is one of your top priorities...
BUSH: Oh no, not another Katrina the Storm
question. When are you people going to learn to put this stuff behind you. I
swear...
QUESTION: ... why is it that this
administration is not allowing the senior staff, your senior staff that you
conversated with prior to Hurricane Katrina, during and after, to testify,
to interview or talk with congressional leaders? And why not push Michael
Brown, who is now a private citizen, to go before them, as he is what many
are calling the lynchpin for the whole issue?
BUSH: Well, let me make sure you have the
facts. First off you used the word conversated. I'm willing to bet that
isn't even a real word. And second, I thought you people were all worked up
about privacy and stuff, so I'm hoping you see the irony in you asking about
a private citizen.
We have given 15,000 pages of White House
documents to the investigators, congressional investigators. Some, I think
it's 600,000 pages, administrative documents. That's what we like to do,
give more than enough. We give and give and give. And some of those
documents and pages and notes and napkins and other various paper products
might even pertain to Katrina the Storm. It's not like we're going to read
through all that bull hockey.
And then we have sent a fellow named
Rapawanna up there to talk about -- he's a White House staffer we got from
Jack Abramoff -- to talk to the committee. Speaking of Jack, I don't know
Jack. Never met him, that I recall. Course he could be one of those White
House picture hogs, just like you Gloria. Remember how you got your picture
taken with me at last year's holiday press party? I sure do. I've got a mind
like a steel trap, and I don't remember Jack.
Anyway, there has been a lot of interviews.
There have been public testimony. As a matter of fact, we are so completely
concerned about this little misunderstanding that we've started our own
investigation. Not being a name-blamer, we're not pointing fingers, but just
let me say this. Blanco.
And so we're fully cooperative with the
members of the House and the Senate, and if they say anything contrary then
they need to remember four years ago when three thousand Americans were
murdered by the terrorists. So we're cooperating. And we'll do so without
giving away my ability to get sound advice from people on my staff.
You see, here's -- and this is an issue that
comes up all the time. You reporters are a nosy lot, but that's okay. This
is a relatively free country. But some politicians in the name of
divisiveness and agenda-following are not content with the presidential
synopsis. Let me say for the umpteenth time that if people give me advice
and they're forced to disclose that advice, it means the next time an issue
comes up, I might not be able to get unvarnished advice from my advisers, so
then I'd have to varnish it myself. The president - that's me - is a busy
man, with many responsibilities, but varnishing isn't one of them. And
that's just the way it works.
QUESTION: Does that include Michael Brown?
BUSH: Pardon me?
QUESTION: Does that include Michael Brown?
BUSH: I told you earlier that you need to
speak louder. You sound like you've got a mouthful of marbles.
QUESTION: Does that include Michael Brown?
BUSH: I can't hear you...
QUESTION: Does that include Michael Brown?
BUSH: Michael Brown? I don't know Michael.
QUESTION: Does that include Brownie?
BUSH: Brownie? He's a private citizen,
Gloria, and I'm not going to violate his privacy. How dare you even ask.
People who give me advice, the advice-givers - it will have a chilling
effect on future advisers, BRRR, I feel the harsh arctic wind of
America destroyers blowing if the precedent is such that, when they give me
advice, that's going to be subject to scrutiny. And I feel the cold icy rain
of Islamofascism when people want to start scrutinizing the president during
time of war.
QUESTION: But what does Katrina the Storm
have to do with the war on terror?
BUSH: I'm sure you'd like to know that,
Gloria. Unfortunately, so would Osama bin Laden. Now you've had your
opportunity to speak. I've got to take another question. Stretch?
QUESTION: Thank you, Mister President. Last
week when the New Horizons rocket was launched to Pluto, you said that your
administration was determined 'to boldly go where no man has gone before'.
Could you elaborate on that?
BUSH: Glad you asked, Stretch... |
