Was I watching the same press conference they were?

[eyesroll]

Last night, I, like most of you, stared sadly at my television, wondering how we got ourselves into this mess and how, regardless of voter manipulation, tinfoil conspiracies or hanging chad, 50 million people voted for this nitwit in 2000.

I did find comfort in the fact that the other people on this forum agreed with me -- this press conference was nothing short of a train wreck. Sure, we can be accused of being an echo chamber, but last night I think it was necessary.

This morning, however, I turned on NPR, where they interviewed three different sets of people -- young professionals, older Jewish retirees, and upstate New York Republicans.

There was little harsh criticism of *'s performance (only disappointment and dissatisfaction, but nothing like we wrote yesterday) -- and much effusive praise. Much of it, regardless of the respondent's party affiliation, was along the lines of, "whether you agreed with the war or not, you have to admit Bush did a good job of presenting a strong case last night."

What?

How could they have possibly sat through the same travesty I did, and yet come away all aglow? Do they suffer from some sort of president dysmorphic disorder, rendering them incapable of seeing the stammering, the evasiveness, the "insticate," the Secretary of State Rummy? (Maybe it was the tie.)

Last night, I didn't know whether to laugh, to cry or to throw up. I think I know now. Hand me a bucket.

[The Zanti Regent]

1. NPR= Nothing but Propaganda for Republicans

I pray Kerry pulls the plug on NPR and PBS. I'm tired of their perpetual RepubliKKKan bullshit!

[molly]

2. Same thing on C-Span

I was embarrassed to watch the idiot try to answer questions.

[prodigal_green]

3. I just heard that too!

Gawd, it reminded me of a Simpsons episode where they all join a cult..."We love The Leader."

I am officially afraid of my own people now. Something is terribly wrong in this country.

I like the idea of presidential dysmorphic disorder.

[hellboy]

4. Hey, Air america is off the air in Chicago.

It's been replaced by a spanish station. WTF?

[RainDog]

5. You are living in a different (online) world

here at DU and other liberal sites, we have lived with years of seeing the lies behind the rhetoric of Bush and his gang.

on neocon and right wing sites, they hear Bush reiterate what they already believe and they dismiss what we see as the glaring truth.

last night I listened to the Bush press conference without any online perspective and tried to imagine I had not spent years on DU and online following various stories, and the truth is that if you rely on tv for information, you do not have the reality checks to run interference on the feel-good about whatever we do Bush speeches.

He appealed to America's idea of the "good guy" who has a grand mission to bring democracy to the Middle East. He talked about this goal as a way to make Americans feel safer.

These are words which do appeal to Americans, and people want to be able to believe that our leaders are doing the right thing.

Unfortunately, as I've also noted from watching tv recently, whenever anyone on tv talks about the June 30th handover, they fail to mention the REALITY of that handover...which is window dressing for continued American occupation, a puppet govt. which must answer to America on every issue...

and so Americans really have no idea what that means...

as well as not having any idea of the fury this generates in Iraqis who want to chose their own govt for themselves.

In addition, Bush fails to mention, of course, the way in which the OSP cooked the evidence about every reason for invading, and because Congress was afraid to buck him on these things in a mid-term election season, he can say they all saw the same info and thought the same thing.

Nuance isn't a popular concept in American sound bite land, either, and the right has spent Bush's entire presidency continuing to hammer Clinton.

Americans believe it when they hear that a small group of insurgents are the only thing which stands between Iraq and a total love for America's presence there.

If our troops do invade the "Shi'ite Vatican" --I think Americans are going to get a big dose of unwanted reality. Hopefully for everyone in Iraq, the people and our troops, the military strategists will not be that stupid.

I am so torn at times because I detest Bush and think he is the worst thing that has ever happened to this country.

At the same time, I do not want the horrors to occur which will, it seems, be necessary to wake up most Americans to what is happening.

[Michael_UK]

7. It seems as if he's pitching

His black and white message (good and evil, etc) at the under tens. Doesn't he know they don't have the vote?

[RainDog]

9. sorry, I disagree

except to the extent that Ameicans operate as ten year olds when they approach foreign policy...which is probably truer than I want to admit for most Americans.

His speech was devoid of reality, but full of rhetoric about who Americans want to believe we are, in spite of the glaring evidence of our interference in countries around the world via assassinations of democractically elected leaders and corporate interference in economies to the detriment of other citizens of other nations and to the benefit of the richest here.

without information which is pounded into the American consciousness about the lie of Bush's feel-good rhetoric (which would be and is slammed by right wingers as "blame America first" and on and on) people are not going to wake up, I'm afraid, until it's too late and the rest of the world decides to bitch slap the U.S. economically, since it cannot do so militarily.

even then, who knows if Americans will connect the dots.

But it seems we are careening toward a major economic disaster of perpetual war making, and our govt's answer will be further militarism and a draft to "employ" lots of people and we will further alienate the rest of the world.

[fencesitter]

6. I heard that and others, no surprise..

If you were pro bush on wednesday you heard what you wanted and are pro bush on thursday. If you are anti bush, well you're still anti bush. I didn't expect any lightbulbs or burning bushes (no pun intended) no revelations (hey, this guy is full of crap!) Did you?

[madrchsod]

8. the jewish ladies

were pretty cool,seems they had a clue about georgie boy. they have seen guys like him come and go over their lifetime.

[kcwayne]

10. I cannot comprehend what they are thinking

If Bush was your kid at a high school debate meet, you would panic and get special tutoring to help him learn how to speak in public, and tutors to help him learn the English language.

How anyone can listen to that bumbling, incoherent imbecile and come away thinking that he did a good job at presenting anything is simply beyond me. Even if you agree with his positions on the topics he was presumably trying to address, how could you possibly think he made a strong presentation?

I was astounded to look at the expressions on the reporters in the room, who looked generally baffled trying to understand what the idiot was trying to say, and then have the whores come on the analysis programs and praise him.

This country is headed for utter mediocrity if last night is representative of the intellectual capacity of most Americans.

[LadeJarl]

11. Well, he said..

a lot without saying anything...

It was a horrible performance to sit through!

[RainDog]

12. It's called propaganda

we're great! we have a manifest destiny to bring democracy to brown-skinned people! we are tough! we will not back down. whatever we do is right. ignore the man behind the curtain...it's only cheney telling me what to say in the 9-11 hearings.