AM Feed - August 22: Bush Spins at News Conference
Hot Topics
- President Bush delivered a news conference yesterday, during which he desperately defended his “stay the course at all costs” strategy for dealing with Iraq. But what he failed to do – again – was outline any semblance of a strategy for dealing with the situation. In one curious exchange, Bush also denied that anyone “ever suggested that the attacks of September 11 were ordered by Iraq.” Of course, that’s untrue – Vice President Cheney appeared on “Meet the Press,” in December 2001, and said that Iraq’s role in 9/11 was “pretty well confirmed.” [link]
- Meanwhile, a new poll released by CNN has found that opposition to the Iraq War has reached an all-time high, with just 35 percent of Americans supporting the effort. More than six in 10 – 61 percent – say they oppose the war, which is now well into its third year with no end in sight. The poll revealed other disastrous results for President Bush as well: 54 percent don’t think he’s honest, another 54 percent don’t think he shares their values, and 58 percent don’t think he inspires confidence. Bush’s disapproval rating stands at a whopping 57 percent. [link]
- Another piece of the puzzle in the Valerie Plame case has come together, as calendars show that former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage met with Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward on the same day that Woodward reported someone in the administration told him about Plame. The meeting, a “private appointment,” occurred on June 13, 2003. Woodward’s source of the information has been a secret in this ongoing case, although former Post editor Ben Bradlee has previously guessed it was Armitage. Scooter Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, has been charged in connection with the investigation, and is scheduled to stand trial beginning in January 2007. [link]
Quote of the Day
“We’re not leaving so long as I’m the president.” – President Bush, speaking about Iraq at yesterday’s news conference.
Morning Snark
- Two and a half years more years in Iraq? That sound you hear is another round of cigars lighting up in the Halliburton boardroom.
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