Fun with fact-checking (Bush's press conference)

[ProSense]

September 15, 2006

Fun with fact-checking

Posted 4:17 pm | Printer Friendly |

Following up on an earlier item, I watched the president's press conference this morning and jotted down a quick note every time I heard him say something that I knew to be false. Needless to say, I went through more than a couple of sheets of paper.

Snip...

* In describing his concerns about Common Article III of the Geneva Convention, Bush said, "Common Article III says that there will be no outrages upon human dignity. It's very vague. What does that mean, 'outrages upon human dignity'? That's a statement that is wide open to interpretation."

Somehow, American presidents seemed to function just fine with the same interpretation for the last 60 years. Besides, the judge advocate general of the Army recently said, "(W)e've been training to that standard and living to that standard since the beginning of our Army, and we continue to do so." To hear Bush tell it, the standard doesn't even exist. Apparently, only he and his sycophants agree.

* Asked how he measures progress in Iraq with all the death and destruction, the president said, "Well, one way you do it is you measure progress based upon the resilience of the Iraqi people."

This was my personal favorite of the day. Apparently, we're no longer looking at progress in the war by indicators that we can actually measure (casualties, oil production, terrorist attacks, etc.), but instead by the amorphous concept of "resilience." Now all we need is a resilience-o-meter and we'll have some valuable data to consider.

* In a question about bin Laden being a modern-day Hitler, a reporter asked why the president hasn't sent special forces troops into Pakistan in order to capture or kill him. Bush responded, "Pakistan is a sovereign nation. In order for us to send thousands of troops into a sovereign nation, we've got to be invited by the government of Pakistan."

Here's a crazy idea — since Bush and Musharraf are friends, why doesn't the president ask him about it?

* On the same point, Bush added, "here is a kind of an urban myth here in Washington about how this administration hasn't stayed focused on Osama bin Laden. Forget it. It's convenient throw-away lines when people say that."

Actually, it's not.

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/8482.html#more-8482

[texpatriot2004]

1. Why F__k up perfectly good fiction with the facts eh Chumpy? nt

[ginnyinWI]

2. and when he said:

"Pakistan is a sovereign nation. In order for us to send thousands of troops into a sovereign nation, we've got to be invited by the government of Pakistan."

I thought--well Iraq was a sovereign nation too--only they didn't have any nukes so I guess it was okay to invade. :crazy:


I have never seen him so desperate as he was in that presser today. Because this time he's fighting for his own skin. If he can't get the Congress to make his huge war crimes retroactively legal--he's got to resign or be impeached. If not, this isn't America anymore.

[fooj]

3. Selective reasoning. He's pathetic.

Actually, he's a WAR CRIMINAL. That pretty much says it all.

[bvar22]

4. The SAD part:

When Bush* says he doesn't know what an assault on "Human Dignity" is, He's telling the truth.
He REALLY doesn't know what "Human Dignity" is.

He has needed psych help from the time he was blowing up frogs.

[rhiannon55]

5. From torturing and blowing up frogs to torturing and blowing up people

Who knew he was a sadist? :sarcasm:

[samsingh]

6. there's nothing truthful about what the asshole says

[winston61]

7. Strange how the rest of

the fucking world has had no problem with Geneva guidelines for several decades now. I do not want to hear any repuke pricks talking about the moral high ground ever again.