How the "leader of the Free World" comports himself at a public meeting

[Bluebear]

Remarks today from a Social Security "conversation" in Maryland:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/06/20050623.html
(I notice people are still laughing and chuckling at the notion that we have a President who "doesn't like statistics" and doesn't go to libraries. Gee, what a regular guy!)
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THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the warm reception. Ben, you always draw a good crowd. (Laughter.) He claims he went to this high school.

MR. STEIN: I did -- class of '62.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, pretty soon you'll be receiving a Social Security check.

MR. STEIN: I hope so. I hope my son and my grandchildren will, too.
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THE PRESIDENT: About 70 million-plus of us are getting ready to retire. You're so old, you don't even qualify as a baby boomer. (Laughter.)

MR. STEIN: Thank you, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: No, don't worry about it. (Laughter.)
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THE PRESIDENT: Wendy Merrill is with us. Should we turn to Wendy?

MR. STEIN: Yes, absolutely.

THE PRESIDENT: Wendy, where are you from?

MS. MERRILL: Good morning. Thanks for having me.

THE PRESIDENT: Where are you from?

MS. MERRILL: I'm from Reisterstown, Maryland --

THE PRESIDENT: Reisterstown, very good.

MS. MERRILL: -- which is near Baltimore.

THE PRESIDENT: Great, thanks for coming over.

MS. MERRILL: Thank you, my pleasure. I'm 32 years old, and I --

THE PRESIDENT: You don't look a day over 21.

MS. MERRILL: Oh, aren't you sweet, thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, you know how we politicians are. (Laughter.)
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THE PRESIDENT: As a matter of fact, I saw a survey where it said younger workers feel like they're more likely to see a UFO than get a Social Security check. (Laughter.) Excuse me for interrupting.
Note: Will anyone from the Press verify that "survey" he "saw"?

MS. MERRILL: No problem, I agree. I mean, I --

THE PRESIDENT: It is amazing that we sit here in Washington not getting anything done knowing that you've got younger Americans not thinking they're going to see a check on Social Security. That's the wrong kind of politics. (Applause.)

Sorry, go ahead.
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MR. SMART: And that's something as a 23-year-old person who's paying into Social Security now really scares me.

THE PRESIDENT: I hope so.

MR. SMART: Because I don't -- I mean, I don't know enough. I don't really know enough right now to try to make a decision. And I'm hoping you can guide me in the right direction.

THE PRESIDENT: That's it.

MR. SMART: And tell me this is what you need to do.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, all right, I'll tell you, I'll give you a hint -- in 2041, the system goes bankrupt. That's not very long.

MR. SMART: I know.

THE PRESIDENT: It's long for me and old Ben. That seems like ages, doesn't it?

MR. STEIN: That's a long time.
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THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I do like statistics. (Laughter.)

MR. STEIN: Okay, sorry. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Just not too many of them.

MR. STEIN: Okay. (Laughter.)
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THE PRESIDENT: Like when you were sitting in the library, reading all -- reading all those books, did you ever think about sitting on the stage with the President? (Laughter.)

MR. SMART: No, not at all.

THE PRESIDENT: How about the library part? Was that fiction? (Laughter.)

MR. SMART: Fiction. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: I know what you mean. (Laughter and applause.)
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THE PRESIDENT: Well, I appreciate you. If you're interested, I'm sure you've got a web page where people interested in the issue can --

MR. FERGUSON: Yes, you want me to plug it?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, yes, you've got the grammar -- (laughter) --

MR. FERGUSON: It's secureourfuture.org. There you go.

THE PRESIDENT: It's like Marketing I, right?

MR. FERGUSON: That's right. I'll give you some money later.
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[Hav]

1. Awful

That sounds like a really bad joke.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Is it any wonder that the more he talks about it the less people like it?