Pampered Bush meets real reporter-See the actual interview

I would have loved to see LBJ in that situation. Lester Pearson (Canadian PM) had publicly criticized the administration's Viet Nam policy, and a few months later, met LBJ in Philadelphia. LBJ went up to him, smiled, shook his hand, and said, in a voice audible to some reporters but not loud enough for the mikes: "Lester, you pissed all over my carpet."

I'm surprised that they don't have a blue background in the map room and cheney wearing a blue suit so he could hold dubya's hand throughout without anyone seeing him on tv...But I would love to see some more bush interviews with real reporters!

Bush most certainly is a gentleman.

I thought it was hilarious when the Irish reporter asked him about allied support in Europe and his response was I'm sure you're talking about France...

Um, dunderhead, have you looked at a map lately? Europe is far more than just France. Please count the number of troops in Iraq from countries not named the US or UK.

Weren't making claims re doltishness, or non-doltishness, Bill - was just suggesting that, in parliamentary democracies, leaders are exposed on a very frequent basis to heavy attack in parliament - and, I was asking if my impression that American presidents are treated very "softly" by reporters (from here, it looks as though - except back when presidents used to appear regularly and sometimes be questioned somewhat challengingly at White House press conferences - remember that? - as though they get treated more like a cross between royalty and and elder statesmen in set piece interviews, than the more challenging way they tend to be treated in countries like my own) is true?

Mind you - there is debate here about when reporters do and do not cross lines with senior pollies. But - boy, it can get rough!

Former Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, who had a long career in the trade union movement before becoming PM, had a great technique for calming things down when they got too hot and heavy for him in interviews (mind you, he was a skilled debater, and throve on conflict). He would just start swearing, most horribly - and they HAD to cut!!! This gave him time to think.

Politicians here are judged, in part, on their ability to participate in parliamentary debate - and to be able to handle a media scrum. I see that ability to think on their feet, that ability to respond quickly and appropriately, as indicators that the leader would be able to handle a real emergency.

Absolutely, yeah, exactly.

To see an American "press conference" - pretty much the only time an American journalist gets to speak with the President at all, and even of those they've had preciously few in Bush Jr's reign - is perplexing to a European (or Canadian or Australian I gather). The President's aides get to decide who is allowed to ask a question or not. The questions are deferential and uninsistent. There is little follow-up questioning on anything the President says - next subject, next subject. Its like it's they're dealing with Royalty rather than an elected official.

Here, whenever something important happens, the PM will be followed and questioned on the street by reporters, and he regularly appears in the news or current affairs, and in any interview there will be some tough follow-up questioning. OK, we're a small country, but it's no different in the UK, is it? (is it?)

I think the "controlled environment" character of journalistic access to the administration and the self-learned caution of American journalists - you dont want to be kept out of the loop next time, so you already apply some self-censorship this time - have played a serious role in the slow, incomplete ways in which stuff has come to light. Perhaps American politicians and voters wouldnt have fallen so collectively for the "we have conclusive evidence of Iraq still possessing WMD" kind of ****-up, if journalists would have done their work more stringently. Only this year (Abu G.) have they started showing some spine, some of 'em anyway.

<nods>

I seem to have a memory of different and better White House press condference days?

But - they are sad, tame, kid-gloves things by our standards, indeed!

'Tis like people NEED some sort of royalty/god figure? And for Americans the pres occupies some sort of slightly blurred politician/royal place?

I know that I've seen a lot about Clinton vs. Bush and press conferences -- both amount and tenor. (Clinton, frequent, long, and voluble [and I have an impression of adversarial questioning, not as sure of that] -- Bush, incredibly infrequent and scripted as possible.) My impression is that the kid-gloves stuff, if it existed before, has been taken to a whole new level with this administration. Can look some stuff up, if there's interest.

I think the more pertinent point right now is just that Bush is so UNused to it, the whole pampered thing, and how much that sucks in several different ways.

I found a great pic of our most recent ex-PM, Jean Chretien, throttling a protestor during a scrum. Now, that's a man of action! (his wife beaned someone who broke into their home - quite the couple)

LOL Jer! That was a good one! Does Bush still hold the record for least amount of solo press conferences?
I didn't think the interviewer was rude or pushy. I think Bush was afraid of getting thrown off track and having to think for himself; say something unrehearsed, God forbid!

Exactly, even Nixon during his lowest days had press conference and took it on full force. Helen Thomas, the dean of WhiteHouse reporters and always got the "first question" has been completely ignored at Press Conferences. This kinda stuff is from the "uniter not divider" President who was to bring diginity back to the WhiteHouse. Deb (et al) it may seem like forever, but it has only been 3+ years.


I will admit that I have never seen a European or Ozzie press conference - but, there have been some very heated ones in the past. Arrogance and hubris belongs to this jerk and Reagan with a little from Bush, Sr. during my life time. But the current is really sucky...

Yes, this administration has bullied the press corps into poodleness, refusing to take questions from those it deems unfriendly, limiting time, giving 'leaks' to the preferred outlets and reporters, etc. It's a very dangerous direction, and the press still aren't growing balls for the most part.

My notion is that there are three things going on here:
1) protection of Bush's image...we see how poorly he has done here with this one reporter asking questions really only about Iraq. Can you imagine how silly he would look in a free-wheeling townhall meeting such as Clinton put himself in front of.
2) media control has been developed to an art by folks inside this administration
3) the philosophy of this administration that leads to its secrecy and its disdain for transparency and real citizen/congressional oversight

My sixteen year old daughter just sat and watched the interview with me. I have not talked politics with her because I believe children should achieve their own thoughts - with my help, of course, if asked. She has never asked me anything. She sat and watched of her own volition, I didn't ask her to come, stay or leave.

Her comments:

She was totally turned off by him, his speech, his choice of words, his ideas - she expressed his arrogance and hubris. BTW, she is an advanced honor student with straight A's.

Geeees - I didn't lead her, push her, set ideas in her head, a few opening and continuing questions that's all.

Bill

I've been away from home travelling for some while. when Abu Ghraib hit the news, my 21 year old daughter called me, worried that the story might have depressed me deeply. Ain't daughters cool?

Out of the mouths of babes. We don't have to direct them, they are self directing - now fools, that's a total different story.

In our history, Presidents have been treated as though they were royalty. It is important to remember that our office of President combines both the Chief Magistrate (for which there is no parliamentary equivalent) and the Head of State. In a parliamentary government of the British Commonwealth, the nation in question--be it Australia or Canada, or some other--has as a Head of State the monarch, represented in the person of the Governor General. In other parliamentary governments, such as Germany, there is a President who is the Head of State, but takes no active role in parliamentary government or to promulgation of policy. In still others, such as France, the President has many of the active powers of the office as it exists in the United States, but appoints a Prime Minister to be responsible for parliamentary management. In the theory of our government--formed before the existence of political parties as they are now known--the separation of the legislative and the executive infers that there ought to be no management of the legislative by the executive. In practice of course, the party to which the President adheres will often work closely with the administration's legislative policy through the Majority Leader of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. The American electorate has often shown, however, a distinct preference for electing the chief magistrate from one party, while assuring a majority of the other party in Congress. In the respect of the concept of the separation of powers, and therefore of the branches of government, i really know of no significant corrolary in other nations. Parliamentary government is almost an antithesis in that the Prime Minister often acts as both the chief magistrate and the party manager within parliament. This creates, of course, the situation in which someone such as Mr. Blair will act upon the international stage as the governmental equivalent of Mr. Bush, while still subject to the rough and tumble of the House.

Washington was very conscious of the effect upon his successors of all of his actions--which is not to say that he always succeeded in setting the best precedents, or in consciously setting precedent. For example, the constitution is mute on the subject of the attendance of the President upon the deliberations of the Congress. While the national government was still located in New York, Washington once went to a session of Congress, which being still rather small, met in a rather small hall, with both the House and Senate seated in that hall. Washington, who had an aversion to being the object of undue public attention, was disgusted to find the members "playing to the gallery," and left, never to return. Since then, no President attends upon the sessions of Congress without a specific invitation.

Washinton held weekly public gatherings, not unlike the social institution then current in Europe of an assembly. Anyone who was presentably dressed was free to attend, with an unspoken but well understood prohibition against petitioning Mr. Washington in his capacity as President. This precedent was long observed, with variations dependent upon the individual occupying the office. John Adams was a rather secretive man when it came to his discharge of the duties of the office, and the assemblies became more and more stilted, and less popular. Although Washington would not tolerate petitioners, he would discuss policy--Adams would not. The practice fell into desuetude. Jefferson revived the practice, but usually failed to attend--it degenerated into a social gathering to those who considered themselves to be or wished to be considered, members of the elite of the Capital. Madison was a vivacious personality, and his wife, Dolly was an eager hostess. The assemblies became truly entertaining social events in a town which only existed for sake of government (Maryland had given up no land coveted by even the most desparate of farmers), and lacked any genuine social life of its own accord. Government was still small enough that those residing in the Capital for sake of making a living providing the necessities of life for the government greatly outnumbered those who constituted the government. Monroe was more dour than Madison, but the practice continued. John Quincy Adams had learned the lessons of his fathers misanthropy, and partook more of the lively and outgoing character of his mother Abigail, although he was as unforthcoming on political and policy matters as his father.

The election of Andrew Jackson changed the political and social landscape radically. Jackson had taken the disaffected remnants of Jefferson's Republican party (long the only political party in the nation, but fragmenting almost from its creation), and carefully constructed an apparatus, a machine of party politics in Tennessee before winning the Presidency. The Democrats like to style themselves the party of Jefferson, but it was Jackson who created the modern political party, with all of its discipline and machinery. The "polite" society of Washington (soi-disant) was scandalized by his "pandering" to the common man, and there were reports that druken horsemen rode through the White House at the inauguration festivities. The political era which Jackson ushered in was known as the "Age of the Common Man," and David Crockett was held to epitomize the new politician--quixiotically as it turns out--he had offended and alienated Jackson's political machine in Tennessee, and was no better received by them when he arrived in Washington to serve two politically useless terms in Congress.

The assembly died completely under Jackson. Much is made of Jackson's "kitchen cabinet," but it is usually ignored that Jackson attempted to honor the traditions of his predecessors, but justifiably felt betrayed by Henry Clay during his first administration, who had designs on the office, and was willing to tread on Jackon's hands as he attempted to scale the political ladder. Thereafter, Jackson took the line that he would appoint Secretaries in complaince with the constitutional power of the Congress to provide for the office, and that he would take the advice of those he trusted in private meetings with them "after normal business hours"--hence, the "kitchen cabinet." Martin Van Buren replaced Clay in Jackson's trust and cabinet, and was thus ordained to succeed him in office.

From then until Lincoln's arrival, Presidents held it beneath their dignity to associate with the public while in the discharge of their office, and this created a new tradition which grew, despite Lincoln's attempt to revive Washington's assemblies. Lincoln ranks as the most accessible president until the time of Theodore Roosevelt almost half a century later. Respected members of the Press would sit with him in rustic camaraderie at the War office, waiting for telegrams from the field on the progess of the war. In modern terms, Lincoln's presidency would rank as the most "transparent" administration which has ever sat. Lincoln's first Vice President, Hannibal Hamlin, was unceremoniously dumped at the end of the first term. Lincoln was a canny politician, first and last, and the two most important measures he took to assure his re-election in 1864 were the introduction of the absentee ballot, which was designed to get the vote of the Army (and was wildly successful), and a bill pushed through the "radical" Congress (it is so odd to describe Republicans as radicals) which allowed for the re-admission to the Union of any formerly withdrawn state in which 10% of the electorate who had never taken up arms against the national government petitioned for readmission. This allowed Louisiana and Tennessee to be readmitted with what were shameless rump governments. Tennessee did have a large population of men loyal to the Union, and they paid dearly for that loyalty. Their most prominent political leader was Andrew Johnson, who became Lincoln's second Vice President.

Upon the assassination of Lincoln, Johnson took office after having managed to casually offend and alienate virtually the entire Congress. He was impeached, and although acquitted in the Senate, the effect on the relationship between the two branches was very chilling indeed. Thereafter, the Presidents reverted more and more to the position of distant power, and had none of the homely, friendly contact with the public which Lincoln had managed so well. Grant was socially inept, and took advantage of the situation to avoid public contact. Hayes and his successors, right up to McKinley became so aloof as to completely avoid the press, and their campaigning was done by surrogates.

Grover Cleveland was the first Democrat to be elected after the Civil War. He managed to piss off nearly every special interest group in Washington, including the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Civil War veterans, as well as almost every member of Congress, including the Democrats. He ruthlessly slashed "pork barrel" projects and appropriations, and unhesitantly vetoed any legislation which he considered "pork." When he ran for re-election, he won the popular vote, but lost in the electoral college to Benjamin Harrison, the only grandson of a president (William Henry Harrison, who died in office after one month) ever elected. Four years later, Cleveland came back to win the office again. This he accomplished by taking his case to the public. Presidential traditionalists were scandalized. But Cleveland won both his elections with a coalition of the still weak Democrats, and the "Mugwumps," who were "radical" Republican attempting to reform their party and make a party of the people, as Lincoln had envisioned it. Once of those "Mugwumps" was Theodore Roosevelt. He had decided that Cleveland was his enemy when he sat in the New York Assembly, but Cleveland didn't seem to mind, and appointed him Secretary of the Navy. Cleveland's electoral success in overcoming defeat to win the office a second time impressed Roosevelt. When McKinely ran for a second term in office, Roosevelt was a newly minted war hero of the Spanish War, and in a surprise to everyone including Roosevelt, was chosen as McKinley's running mate. As he was not the candidate for the office of President, it was not deemed unseemly for him to actively campaign, and he did so with vigor and success.

After McKinley was shot, and Roosevelt was installed in office to the despair of the Republican leadership, he immediately took steps to trample all existing traditions about the grandeur of the office. If the press did not come to see him, he went to their offices and demanded to be interviewed. He used this method to get his message to the people. When he ran for office in 1904, he polled the greatest plurality in the history of the office with the exception of George Washington, who was unopposed, and James Monroe, who was unopposed in his second term. "Teddy" (actually known as "Theddy" within his family circle) loved nothing better than deflating what he considered to be bloated egos. A vigorous exerciser, he habitually joined the Marines in long forced marches along the banks of the Potomac. When a new British Military Attache presented himself at the White House, Teddy invited him to "take the air." Teddy then proceeded to lead this officer, resplendent in scarlet coat and riding boots, through the worst country around Washington. At that time, there was no rose garden at the White House, and where it now stands there was a pond amidst one of the overgrown "natural" gardens popular in that day. Teddy marched straight through the pond, and the Brit, knowing his duty, followed dutifully behind. The entire incident may be apochryphal, but it's repeated in many places, and is exemplary of his character.

Sadly, he was succeeded by a friendly, but rather pompous bachelor, William Howard Taft, and the tradition of an aloof President, above the fray in demeanor and behavior, succeeded him. From then until the election of Teddy Roosevelt's cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Presidency was once again unapproachable. FDR was no man of the people, but he was completely comfortable around anyone, and his wife, Eleanor, acted as his legs, constantly roaming the country to meet with the public and further his policies. FDR began a tradition of the President addressing the public directly with his radio-broadcast fireside chats. Elected to four successive terms, he not only torpedoed the tradition of observing Washington's precedent of stepping down after two terms, he also killed completely the tradition of an "imperial presidency" with an inaccessible Chief Magistrate. When the Republicans took over the Congress after World War two, they moved quickly to pass an amendment to the constitution limiting the term of the President. But FDR's legacy of staying in touch with public could have had no better bearer than Harry Truman.

Eisenhower was the first President to use television advertising, and was quite comfortable meeting the public, but he tended to avoid the press, whom he mistrusted. John Kennedy broke the mold here however--he instituted the Presidential Press conference.

I have sufficient regard for the members here to leave them to form their own opinions of the observance of that Kennedy legacy.

"What a piece of work is man, How noble in reason! how infinite in faculty!"

unfortunately, the man from stratford-upon-avon never met george w bush.

the irritation bush showed was a result of the discomfort at having his sense of entitlement challenged. rich folk never, ever can stand it when they are called on to account for their actions. they don't even understand that for 99.9% of the world, that is the way it is daily.



btw: nice historical essay setanta.

Thanks for your kind remarks, Kuvasz . . .

I love the "cartoon," which is obviously of Irish origin . . .