Bush "shows range of his personality" with "fratboy towel-snapping humor"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

The President as Average Joe
Trying to Boost Support, Bush Brings Banter to the People

By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 2, 2006; A04

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/01/AR2006040101004_pf.html



As he takes to the road to salvage his presidency, Bush is letting down his guard and playing up his anti-intellectual, regular-guy image. Where he spent last year in rehearsed forums with select supporters, these days he is more frequently throwing aside the script and opening himself to questions from audiences that are not prescreened. These sessions have put a sometimes playful, sometimes awkward side back on display after years of trying to keep it under control to appear more presidential.

Call it the let-Bush-be-Bush strategy. The result is a looser president, less serious at times, even at times when humor might seem out of place. Aides used to dread such settings, worried about gaffes or the way Bush might come across in spontaneous exchanges. But with his poll numbers somewhere south of the border, they concluded that Bush handles back-and-forth better than he once did -- and that they have little left to lose. "It shows the range of his personality, the humor," said White House counselor Dan Bartlett. He said the White House has worked to put Bush out in public more, noting that he has had news conferences twice as often in his second term as in his first. "In a couple different ways, we've expanded his exposure," Bartlett said.

The press serves as a convenient foil. While talking about Iraq before Cleveland's City Club, Bush stumbled over how many U.N. Security Council resolutions condemned Saddam Hussein. "I think 16," Bush said, then turned toward the media area and spotted Bloomberg's Richard Keil. "Is that right, Stretch? Sixteen?" Keil, hunched over his laptop, looked up in surprise. Bush played it for the crowd. "I'm asking a member of the press corps," he explained. "I like to, like, reverse roles sometimes. Really checking to see if they're paying attention, you know. Halfway through, they kind of start dozing off."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/01/AR2006040101004_pf.html

[MADem]

1. A looser setting for a LOSER

I'm glad they're doing it. You know it is only a matter of time before he makes the gaffe of the century. And his meanspirited barbs, which are legend in the press corps off-camera, really should be SEEN by the public.

[saltpoint]

2. It might be good for a poll point or two temporarily, but it

puts Dubya in his Grid Iron mode the night he joked about WMDs, pretending to hunt behind the lectern etc. and saying "They must be around here someplace..."

I think it's fine for a president to enjoy a few light moments with the press corps but his long-term poll numbers aren't going anyplace until he takes responsibility for the Iraq disaster and sacks about 75% of his administration and replaces them with public servants instead of corrupt hacks.

[madrchsod]

3. i don`t know

i don`t expect the president of the usa to be portrayed as buffoon

[Atman]

4. An idiot by any other name...

:eyes:

[Joanne98]

5. He looks like a vampire bat

[Rocknrule]

12. He looks like Grandpa Munster

[sendero]

6. The good-old-boy, folksy, like-to-have-a-beer-with act...

.. was a pretty good strategy when things were going well or at least the prospect of them going well existed. With the country faltering, I don't think it is going to play as well with Americans as they think.

Basically, nobody likes to see the CEO jacking around and having a light-hearted laugh while the company is going bankrupt.

[speedoo]

9. Exactly right.

He's going nowhere with the joking while his illegitimate war is killing hundreds of people every day and while his ineffective response to Katrina continues.

He's an idiot and the worst president ever.

[flordehinojos]

7. whatever the question was here ...

this looks more like it may have felt like a hot iron going through his derriere than like the bushit boy showing his audience the "playful, awkward side" the article claims the bushit boy possesses.

[susu369]

8. Regular Joe, my foot - he's a total narcissist

The president gave his instant review: "Little print, no pictures."

Melia did not miss a beat and compared it to another book Bush likes to cite. "It's the bible of freedom," Melia said.

When the crowd laughed, Bush protested, " I'm the funny guy."

[cliss]

10. Bush's behavior is not new.

The notion that Bush is now becoming a "regular guy" and a "comedian" is not true. Bush has been doing this all along.

I've read transcripts of news conferences where Bush is constantly joking, making stupid comments, and just acting like an idiot. This is nothing new.

He also makes jokes to get out of answering specific questions. He also uses an idiotic response when he doesn't know the answer. Stops, scratches his head. Gets a real stupid look on his face. The press corps has no choice but to laugh uproriously. They think it's funny, but they also think he's an idiot.

Nothing new here.

[ellie]

11. Holy Crap! That photo!

He looks like an alien! I wonder if his alien overlords are planning on snatching him back to the mothership any time soon?

[Jack Rabbit]

13. Why don't they just come out and call it vulgar?

It is, after all.

[earthboundmisfit]

14. I'd say the anti-intellectual part comes quite naturally.

Indeed that's a role just MADE for *! :)

[justgamma]

15. I've seen people here call him Gomer.

I watched Ernest Goes to Camp last night. Shrub and Ernest could be twins. They even have the same mannerisms and accent.