"The administration’s aversion to press conferences has two root causes: concerns on the part of Bush’s political handlers about his general lack of knowledge and limited mental capacities, and an obsession with secrecy that reflects the White House’s contempt for democracy.
"Based on Bush’s performance July 30, his aversion to appearing before the press—even the servile crowd that comprises the White House press corps—is well founded. Despite the efforts of most reporters to lob innocuous questions, Bush proved himself incapable of formulating a coherent argument on any substantive issue. The 50-minute session was a confused collection of lies and evasions, interspersed with sound bites taken from the grab-bag of Bush administration propaganda.
<snip>
"The sordid nature of the American political process, thoroughly dominated by the role of money and influence, was neatly captured in the following exchange:
Question: Mr. President, with no opponent, how can you spend $170 million or more on your primary campaign?
Bush: Just watch.
(Laughter)
<snip>
"There was an unreal air to the press conference. Here was a roomful of people walking on eggs, as it were. The assembled journalists shared the sense that to put Bush on the spot about any one of a range of questions—the quagmire in Iraq, the budget deficit, the growth of unemployment—carried the risk of a presidential meltdown. The timidity and banality of the questioning was, in large measure, a reflection of the growing fear within all sections of the media and political establishment, Democrats as well as Republicans, that a crisis is looming in America that could set off an unprecedented wave of social and political struggles."
http://wsws.org/articles/2003/aug2003/bush-a02.shtml