Noonan, Sullivan, other RWers diss Bush/Russert appearance

[carolinayellowdog]

from Salon.com--

Monday's must-reads

Bush's weakness
Ron Brownstein of the Los Angeles Times analyzes the president's Meet the Press interview and suggests that what had been considered a plus for Bush -- his resolve -- was morphing into a weakness as it looks more like Bush will justify his actions at any cost. "With polls showing Americans uneasy over the economy and the mission in Iraq, Bush faces the risk that his unyielding defense of his decisions will strike many Americans less as determination than rigidity. 'What's happening is he is losing the trust of the public,' said presidential historian Robert Dallek. 'That's what the numbers are telling us. The public likes a pragmatist. If you are an opportunist, they don't like you; but if you are too rigid about your principles, they don't like you either.'"

Conservatives losing their compassion for Bush
Peggy Noonan watched Bush's Meet the Press performance and the former Reagan speechwriter concluded that this president just isn't good at interviews. "The president seemed tired, unsure and often bumbling. His answers were repetitive, and when he tried to clarify them he tended to make them worse. He did not seem prepared. He seemed in some way disconnected from the event."

Noonan wasn't the only conservative griping about Bush's missed opportunity to defend his record. John Podhoretz in the New York Post said Bush "didn't deliver a peak performance on Meet the Press yesterday in the midst of the dreariest days of his presidency," and gave a rundown of other conservatives' criticisms. "National Review magazine's Web site was firing on all cylinders as participants in its blog, The Corner, threw brick after brick at the president. Talk-show host Michael Graham called it a 'disaster.' Rod Dreher, formerly of this paper and now of the Dallas Morning News, said Bush made him wince: 'He looked nervous, defensive and intellectually insecure.' The vituperative John Derbyshire called Bush 'pretty dismal.'"

For his part, conservative blogger Andrew Sullivan called the president "frighteningly unaware of the reality of his own legacy and policies," referring to the Bush budget. "That's the only conclusion you can draw from his answers on Tim Russert. Either that, or he really is lying," Sullivan wrote.

[BlueEyedSon]

1. Woo hooo! *kick*

[SlavesandBulldozers]

2. "intellectually insecure"

if you were as intellectually impaired as this asshole, chances are you'd be insecure too.

[Poiuyt]

3. Any reviews that are positive for bush?

[grannylib]

4. wow - could it be that the press is finally waking up to the fact that

the emperor has been starkers from the get-go??
Never seen a person more completely exposed to the core of total bare-assed nakedness than Chimpy in a flight suit...
It truly was a dismal performance; the guy has the intelligence of toast.

[Eurobabe]

5. help me my pResident is a moron...

Noonan sez: "The president seemed tired, unsure and often bumbling. His answers were repetitive, and when he tried to clarify them he tended to make them worse. He did not seem prepared. He seemed in some way disconnected from the event."

Oh for godssakes, he's been this way for years, and NOW is the first time she notices??

I think he's been drinking again.

[jackie867]

6. they always knew it...

they just can't cover for him when the whole country gets to see it on display in this manner

[xxqqqzme]

7. hahahahahahahahaha

intellectually insecure....hahahahahahaha...that's assuming he had an intellect 2 begin with....that's a real ssstttrrreeetttccchhh.

sullivan's comment 'either that or he really is lying'???? ya think!