Bush defends effort against terror before nation
In a rare news conference last night, President Bush sought to reassure Americans about the volatile mission in Iraq and the war on terror. What were your reactions to the press conference?
in today's globe: Bush vows he'll stick to Iraq plan
Complete transcript of press conference
Page 9
I will admit, I am not a big fan of the current President or the things that are happening in this country right now, now only with Iraq but also with our amendment rights, but I did sit down to watch last night's "press conference" with an open mind and with a hope that he would at least come up with an intelligent answer about how he planned to solve the problems in Iraq. But what happened last night just confirmed my belief that this guy is an idiot. It just seemed to me that he was going around in circles with his responses and he kept repeating the same thing. I didn't think any of the questions that the reporters asked were surprising and yet, he acted like they all came out of left field and he didn't know how to answer. I guess Al Franken was right to put Bush on the cover of his book.
Nicole, Boston
On this message board, Chas from Boston wrote of Senator Kerry: "I'm sorry, his Vietnam service means little to me since I am too young to know about it first hand. These are just grainy home movies propping a wooden 'war hero'..." I'm sorry that you, Chas, have insulted every American who has ever fought in a war. Being "too young to know about (a war) first hand" does not disqualify any U.S. citizen from appreciating and honoring the efforts of those American soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice. I'm assuming that the bravery of the young men who fought at Normandy in WWII also means little to you because you weren't alive then either, yes? As for Kerry's 'war hero' status, the Senator may not be a hero to all his comrades who served with him, but he is a hero to at least one of those men: the guy who credits Kerry for having saved his life. I ask you, Chas from Boston: is there anyone out there who believes you're a hero?
Brett, Washington, DC
I refuse to give this yokel Texan President permission to solely determine what is and isn't "the war on terror". He seems to think all he needs to do is wave that one very ill-conceived and simplistic sound byte-ready line around, and anyone questioning him is suddenly cowardly or traitorous. The reason Bush and his ilk are so dangerous is for precisely that fatal weakness.......any idea that isn't ours, or at odds with ours, is not only wrong, but treasonous. History is replete with aggressors with ego driven tunnel vision, who scoffed at diverse thought or vision on attacking a problem. Today, we look back and call them "losers". The United States the world looks to as a power for justice and leadership can't afford to be guided by the narrow mindedness and bumper sticker bluster that works so well in Texas.
Chris, Jupiter, Florida
How did he get the president chair??... Hhhmmm lets see, he had the last name Bush and he bribed naives and primitives with his lousy tax cuts. I can't think of anything else. He was governor because of his father, he grew up playing golf in his ranch and not reading or learning or exploring the real world. So now we see the results. The whole world laughs and hates US now. Nothing went right for the last 3 years, the president shouldn't even give the nation a chance to question his abilities his intelligence. He is just below average in all respects.. I would expect the president have reasonable public speech skills, dimplomatic logical and analytical skills I do hope that at least 51% of Americans are intelligent and knowledgable. Otherwise I can' t imagine what other mistakes are going to be made for the next 4 years....
kara, swampscott
Bush's speech was painful. It is insulting to me, as an American, that this man is our President. We deserve someone who can at least form a coherent sentence. He admitted he couldn't think quickly on his feet when a reporter asked him a tough question. What? He is the President of the United States - HE HAS TO THINK QUICKLY ON HIS FEET! That speech should be a tremendous wake-up call to the country and the world. George Bush is NOT qualified to be President. He refused to take responsibility for 9/11. Granted, other administrations dropped the ball, too. However, 9/11 happened on HIS watch, and at the end of the day, that is HIS responsibility. If he is re-elected, shame on this country. He has to go.
Kevin, Cambridge
All I kept thinking was - "Wow, here's someone that makes Mumbles Menino seem eloquent". He has to be one of the worst public speakers of modern times. He seemed ill-prepared - no wonder he needs Chenney with him for his 911 commission testimony. Every time he was at a loss for what to say he tried to fall back to his talking points - "Not on a war footing"...."..not aware of time and place of attack"....."Power grab"..."ememies of freedom". It's a pretty sad state of affairs if he's the best we've got.
Bob, Boston
Susan from Medfield's got it right. Why couldn't they put on a new episode of 24 on Fox, instead of the same old stuff about Iraq? Seriously, did Bush say anything at all that hasn't been communicated in the papers over the last several months? I think Jack Bauer would have these insurgents under control, Bauer for president!
Alex, Medford
I can read between the lines of Derrick Jackson's piece that he wants readers to believe the 9/11 commission is anti-Bush across party lines. It wasn't the Bush administration, or a republican for that matter, that created the policies that prevented the sharing of information between the intelligence agencies. I hope the bickering between liberals and conservatives continues. The fiddler can play while Rome burns, and we will all pay a stiff price in the long run.
Neal, Brockton
Bush may be a terrible communicator, but that has nothing to do with the job of being President. Clinton was a great communicator and held the office for 8 years, mainly because of his good looks and excellent speaking. However, he did little for the country moving forward. Bush has made some stupid mistakes and is in way over his head and abilities. Sadly, Kerry is not the answer, and who knows what will happen in the next 4 years.
jonny, chelsea
All I have to say is that if the media really was "liberal" (which it is NOT) most of the people who have made comments on this message board supporting Bush would have a huge change of tune because then we would all actually get to hear the truth and not only the "lies" that Bush, his administration and the Right Wing Media put out there. Come on November!!! "Bush OUT!"
NB, Boston
