You hit the nail right on the head, Katie: this wasn't a mis-statement. He said exactly what he meant. He said that the terrorists are always thinking, always scheming, always planning, and that our guys are always right there with them, protecting our homeland and our citizens.
Some damn fool AP reporter went in just looking for something to bitch about and he found it, by god. And all the news services ran with it.
I'm reminded of that old joke from LBJ's time. He said, "If I got up one morning and WALKED across the Potomac, the headlines that afternoon would read, 'President can't swim.'"
Oh come on, this was terrible - exactly the kind of thing that makes me NOT want to vote for Bush. I don't like the idea of someone who appears to be such a moron running our country. No, this won't change my vote, but yes, this is the kind of thing I _hate_ about the current president.
We can guess at what he _meant_ to say, but it's very clear what was said. Very clear.
Didja read the transcript, Erik, or didja just read the AP story?
Let us remember that our president is no fool. His SAT scores were higher than Gore's. So his verbal skills aren't flawless? What a shame. Guess he won't ever get anywhere in life. Oh, wait...
I don't mean to be harsh here, but you shouldn't try to defend Bush's verbal gaffes. He obviously said something wrong, so it's better to accept his flaws, than try to explain them away - everyone heard what he said, so no amount of accusing CNN for stretching for headlines will convince anyone otherwise.
I've been reading your blog for a while, and along with the majority of British (and European) people, am anti-Bush. I'm very interested in what you write - since seeing Fahrenheit 911 and MoveOn.Org's 30 second adverts about Bush, I've been engrossed in the run-up to the presidential elections. Would be interested in e-mailing you to find out more (no e-mail address on your site)...
As long as we're being picky, the correct spellings are:
sentence
and
grammar
That we need to be constantly thinking of new ways that the US might be harmed, I think, is an important and worthwhile effort. Yes, I noticed the ambiguity and humor in the president's sentence, but I also didn't miss his point. If all you did was snicker and roll your eyes, you have an adolescent mindset, and might also enjoy sticking your hand in your armpit and pumping your arm to make flatulent noises. You will also be qualified to be a journalist.
Mr. Bush has admitted that he is not a polished speaker (although he tore up Gore one-on-one in the 2000 debates). But that doesn't mean that he doesn't know what he's talking about. Since when has image become more important than substance in selecting our leaders?
Bush wants to be tough on these crazed mass murderers. Kerry wants to call a "terror summit." Which man will protect the American people better?
Claude -- it's kmangoum ~at~ aol ~dot~ com.
Well it's that time again and it will be interesting to see what happens with a new president. This one claiming to be liberal. I'm sure he'll change his views once he gets his security briefings.
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