WP: In Private, Bush* Sees Kerry as Formidable Foe

[kskiska]

President Holds Unusual Meeting With Reporters as He Readies for Campaign

By Mike Allen

President Bush said privately yesterday that he believes Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) will be a tough and hard-charging opponent, but said he feels he is starting the general election from a stronger position than he did in 2000.

Bush's views emerged from an unusual 80-minute session in the Oval Office with five network correspondents who agreed that his comments would not be directly quoted or attributed to him.

(snip)

Bush is running behind Kerry in polls and has spent recent months on the defensive over the case he made for war in Iraq, his service in the National Guard and his economic policies. Another sign of the administration's engagement in the campaign yesterday was Vice President Cheney giving interviews to three cable networks. The Bush-Cheney campaign will begin its paid ads tomorrow.

The Oval Office session was designed to show Bush as eager to campaign and fight back against Kerry, and to portray the president as engaged in the issues of the day. The meeting was supposed to run just half an hour, and Bush seemed to enjoy showing that he could handle whatever topics were fired at him, according to the accounts.

White House reporters have been complaining about their lack of access to Bush, and aides hoped to recapture some of the camaraderie of his campaign plane early in the 2000 race, when he engaged reporters with long, off-the-record chats.

(snip)

Yesterday's participants were given little notice but were told to come to the office of press secretary Scott McClellan -- with their suit jackets.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24681-2004Mar2.html

[robertarctor]

1. With their suit jackets?!?

You'd think Scotty McLiar would tell them to bring their RNC-issue kneepads.

[katieforeman]

2. good one.

[katieforeman]

3. In Daschle's book...

he recounts a story of the time he and Gephart went to a meeting at the White House. Gephart was wearing a suit but was carrying his suit jacket over his arm. President Bush told Gephart he had to put the suit jacket on for the meeting. Daschle said he and Gephart looked at each other to see if Bush was kidding. However, Bush wasn't kidding and the minority leader of the House of representatives had to put on his suit jacket to meet the White House dress code.

Is W pompous or what?

[kskiska]

4. I've seen photos of * in the Oval Office

with his feet up on JFK's (and Clinton's) desk, talking on the phone.

[AndyTiedye]

11. W is for Whistle-Ass

[Stephanie]

13. Thanks

That's going on my next protest sign.

[aquart]

19. All appearance and no substance.

All hat and no cattle.

[PaDUer]

26. Anyone at the bottom of the barrel..

who gets into any kind of power, thinks he deserves respect and is playing a spiteful game, thus I say: once an a--hole, always an a--hole.

[HiramAbiff]

5. Bush and the media are going to pretend that there is a real election.

I fear the outcome has already been decided. It looks as if Diebold will make the Supreme Court unnecessary.

[burrowowl]

8. I sorry to said that

I tend to agree with you.

[aquart]

20. Except for one thing.

It's possible that the state organizations are so pissed off, and so uncertain of their own survival, they just might not cooperate.

Should be interesting.

Are we prepared to challenge every effing machine if necessary?

[Demonaut]

6. just a good ol' boy.....................we know the truth now you moron

you're fucking out

[ClintonTyree]

7. Why "off the record chats"?

Why won't the pussy go ON the record?
Answer...... he doesn't want his malaprops and unofficial policy statements quoted. He wants the toadies in the press corps to think he's giving them 'inside information' not intended for the general public.
It's OUR country asshole, not some boot licking, brown nosing reporter's. Tell the American People what your positions are you phony, lying maggot!
He's trying to be pals with the press again, after all they've been so negative lately......reporting the truth for once.

[Demonaut]

10. i thought i was pissed, dude you're definitely are more pissed than me

[Beetwasher]

27. This Is A Very Important Point

I was thinking about that too. He's NOT going on record with anything. Who knows what kind of shit was said.

I know it's not unusual for President's to have off the record conversations w/ reporters, but like this? And to have them all come in like that at the last minute...Wierd shit afoot.

I would love to know who the reporters were and how they're treating Bush today...I heard Matthews was back to really whoring tonight, hmmmmm.

[Lorien]

9. Same old GOP song and dance

Set up the opposition as "formidable" so that * just has to speak a semi coherent sentence and be able to stand upright to get applause and accolades, while Kerry will have to try to come across like a "good old boy" while living up to the high expectations. Worked on Ann Richards, semi-worked on Gore, and now they'll try it again on Kerry.

[katieforeman]

12. That's so depressing!

[oasis]

14. that tired stuff won't work this time around Chimpy old boy. You're toast.

[In Truth We Trust]

17. Fact is the squatter didn't...

win the election the first time around and he wouldn't win this time either unless they are allowed to steal via Liebold. Their strategy is to appear competitive by using their corporate/media assets and then claim a close victory in Nov.
We are already hearing polls citing a 50/50 split which are totally fabricated. I say this based on this simple truth: monkey boy actually lost in 2000 by 500,000 pus popular votes and he certainly alienated many,many more since during his maladministration. 3 million jobs lost, outsourcing, healthcare,enron,9/11,wmd iraq etc., etc.,etc.
We must insist on fair and honest elections. We must march in every state capitol from now til nov. until we achieve our goal of paper ballots

[tkmorris]

18. Well hello Mr Silva

Good to see you took the red pill. Wise choice.

Nothing to add, but welcome home. We are glad to have you.

:beer:

[Paschall]

15. This is interesting

"Bush has occasionally spoken to network anchors and conservative columnists as a 'senior administration official...'"

Gosh, and all along I thought the unnamed SAO (senior administration official) was Cheney!

[Hamlette]

16. more propaganda

like saying Gore would be a tough debater. All Bush had to do was walk onto the stage without falling down and he'd won the debate because expectations were so low.

Now they want us to believe they are scared of the big bad Kerry so we'll feel sorry for them.

Gee, he's only doing his best.

We gotta stop this guy, and the media.

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

22. "more propaganda" is right on the mark.

At this point, I will be amazed if we even have elections. If we do have them, they surely won't be fair elections.

[retread]

21. "..Bush seemed to enjoy showing he could handle whatever topics.."

Blatant propaganda!

[Changenow]

23. Going off the record is a definite winner for the chimp

The press pool needs to feel important to keep reiterating the propaganda but they were feeling a little left out lately. Now they can feel like insiders again and reprint what they are told without question.

[bobbyboucher]

24. He was great, but we can't tell you about it, but trust me,

he was really well spoken and well informed. Brilliant actually.

[snippy]

25. Bush is lying again.

He is too arrogant and ignorant to ever consider someone to be a formidable foe. Bush believes that he is entitled to the presidency by birth and by the fact that his foul and fucked up god chose him.

This "media audience" was granted at the direction of Turd Blossom Rove. It is an indication of the contempt the White House has for the media since it shows a belief that the peasants in the media can be influenced by such a grand gesture.

[Cronus Protagonist]

28. Lowering expectations - classic Roverer ploy

Bush himself claims:

According to: The ShiteHouse

"If I answer questions every time you ask one, expectations would be high. And as you know, I like to keep expectations low." - G. W. Bush

According to: The Washington Times

In Game of Expectations, Bush Usually Wins

With striking clarity, President Bush last week acknowledged an attribute his opponents have long assigned him. "I am the master of low expectations," he said.

Ironically, the assessment was offered aboard Air Force One as Bush left Jordan on Wednesday after a summit that raised the exceptionally high expectation that a Middle East peace deal, including an independent Palestinian state, was within reach by 2005. And, true to form, Bush offered a modest definition of his expectations for the talks -- "I was hoping to have honest dialogues" -- and said those expectations were met.

Bush aides say the rare moment of introspection by Bush was intended in a lighthearted manner -- but they acknowledge that Bush has thrived by being, as he memorably put it on the eve of the 2000 election, "misunderestimated." His continued success over the next 17 months and his reelection likely depend on his ability to meet -- and exceed -- ever-rising expectations.

For Bush, lowering the standards for success is becoming increasingly difficult. After raising expectations that Iraq would smoothly shift to stability and that weapons of mass destruction would be found in abundance, he is so far unable to meet those standards. By celebrating the $350 billion tax cut package as the balm the economy needs, he has raised hopes for an economic surge. And by plunging into Middle East peace negotiations after saying he would do so only if the time was right, he has encouraged a belief that the time is, in fact, right for peace.

+++

- to think this current report about how tough Bush thinks Kerry is privately is anything other than pure propaganda, one would have to be ignorant of the above.

"FUCK BUSH" Buttons, Stickers & Magnets

[Katha]

29. Hah!

Start running now, Georgie-boy. Your ass is toast.