TWO MORE ON BUSH'S PRESS CONFERENCE

From Tom Tomorrow at This Modern World:

About last night

It's hardly a surprise when a politican gives evasive answers at a press conference. It's just that Bush is so terrible at it--he has maybe eighteen pre-programmed sound bites ready to go, and if none of them are applicable to the question, he just starts sputtering like a computer on the original Star Trek, after Captain Kirk has just irrefutably pointed out the illogic of its basic programming.

One of the standard soundbites is, of course, that no one could have imagined 9/11 beforehand:

"But there was nobody in our government at least ? and I don't think the prior government ? could envision flying airplanes into buildings on such a massive scale."

And yet, mere seconds later:

"I asked for the briefing. And the reason I did is because there had been a lot of threat intelligence from overseas. And part of it had to do with the Genoa G8 conference that I was going to attend."

Alert readers will recall that one of the major security concerns at the Genoa conference was the possibility of aerial incursions.

Click here for more.

And from the Progressive:

A Scary Performance, and a Signal for Slaughter

No, his performance was scary because he plunged the United States deeper into a no-win war in Iraq.

"We will finish the job of the fallen," he said.

He gave only a pro forma nod toward the additional innocent Iraqis the United States may kill in the process.

"We will continue taking the greatest care to prevent harm to innocent civilians; yet we will not permit the spread of chaos and violence," he said. "I have directed our military commanders to make every preparation to use decisive force, if necessary, to maintain order and to protect our troops."

He reiterated this point later, saying, "Our commanders on the ground have got the authority necessary to deal with violence, and will--and will in firm fashion."

Here is the President warning that U.S. troops, who have already killed more than 600 Iraqis in the last week, will have a free hand.

That is a signal for slaughter.

Click here.

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