100 monkeys typing.

O'Really et Shrub II

O'Reilly, for all his fawning, has stuck Bush with a few zingers. Problem is, the real reactions don't seem to translate as well in the transcript as they do when you see the facial reactions. Thanks to TIVO, you're able to go back and freeze frame through those uncomfortable moments before he recovers. FWIW, Bush grinds his teeth.

BILL O'REILLY: How will the federal government ever pay off the federal deficit, in your opinion?

(...)

BUSH: Yeah, it’s happening. Seriously. One other, you know, I get accused for not having vetoed any budgets. One reason why is because I’ve worked with Speaker Hastert and Leader Frist, and formerly worked with Leader Lott, to develop a budget that trunked discretionary spending, that was reasonable about the growth in discretionary spending. It’s now, — non-defense, non-homeland, discretionary spending — is less than one percent in our budget. And that was growing at one, less that one percent, when I became President, it was growing at fifteen percent. So we’ve made some progress. The reason I believe tax cuts were necessary is because we were in a recession and we needed to grow this economy.

So, ignore the war impact, homeland security and all the other budgetary impacts we refuse to factor in... and you'll find us on the right track? Now that we've reduced the amount of money flowing into the government Bush is working hard building a coalition of the 'like-minded' (Frist, Lott and Hastert) to what, continue fudging numbers? He goes on to complain about 35% tax for the rich.......not so much in his case.

O’REILLY: Do you think the federal government has a moral obligation to pay Americans’ health bills?

BUSH: A moral obligation to pay, now, I think the federal government has an obligation to help those who cannot help themselves.

(...)

BUSH:: Well, let me stop you on the prescription drugs just for a second. Prescription drugs is a part of medicine. And we provide it, we said to the seniors, we’ll provide you medicine. We would put, we’d put the money up to, for heart surgery, we wouldn't put the money up for the prescription drug coverage necessary to prevent the heart surgery from happening in the first place. So that's a wise use of modernizing Medicare. I think it’s going to save us money in the long term. I know it’s going to provide our seniors better coverage and care, and seniors are going to have a choice in this plan. In other words, we’ve introduced market reform into Medicare for the first time, and that's why it was opposed by my opponent, and many people who believe we ought to nationalize healthcare. This is, you — what you're talking about is an issue in this campaign, and that is, do we increase the reach of the federal government to the lives of our citizens?

(...)

BUSH:: My answer is no. We shouldn’t.

Drugs is a part of medicine? After the 13% increase in Medicare costs for 2004 and the 17% increase projected for 2005, who's swallowing the "we're looking out for you" line? The prescription cost savings as described at this rate, will be totally eaten up by the time it's fully implemented in 2006. Why does no one call him on this? So help those who can't help themselves, but we don't have a *moral* obligation to pay the health bills? Swimming in rhetoric here. The question should have been, "does the government have a moral obligation to look out for the taxpayer base that supports its existence and to ensure the health and stability of the individual to build a strong nation that can effectively defend itself?" for starters.

on the subject of Bush being a Uniter.

BUSH:: Well it’s just — it’s just one, a period of history, you know, and I’m doing my best to bring people together. We’ve been united at times during my presidency. We were united after [CROSSTALK] September the 11th, we were united going into Afghanistan.

O’REILLY: But why did it go, why did it go out, is there one thing that's polarized the nation?

BUSH:: I, well, you know, we’ll see how polarized it is on Election Day, for starters. But, if I, — the Iraq war was a, — is a polarizing event, because a lot of people didn't see the wisdom of going into Iraq.

The boy in the bubble still can't see the extent of the damage he's caused to the nation as whole. Ironic, Mr. President.... there are more people *now* that don't see the wisdom of going into Iraq than prior to the invasion and we have less voting citizens as a result. Does he have rose colored contacts too?

regarding Chirac

BUSH: Well, you’d better get him on your show “Factor,” because I don't want to put words in his — I’ll tell you this. I’ll tell you this. — If Saddam Hussein were in power today, we’d be a heck of a lot worse off. And it’s really important for our citizens to understand that. This is a guy that had the capability of making weapons. I believe he was trying to delay and hope that the world would turn its head once again, and remember, there was what, seventeen different U.N. resolutions…

O’REILLY: Oh, it’s ridiculous. I, mean…

BUSH: That had been totally ignored.

O’REILLY: On that one, I’m with you.

BUSH: He would have been completely strengthened if the United States and the world had not acted.

O’REILLY: Well what about the guys who died in the first Gulf War, when you sign a cease-fire that he disobeyed seventeen times…

Heck of a lot worse off.... than what? No WMD, no nuclear capabilities and the sanctions had crippled the nation completely. Were they planning an attack on the US that no one's shared with us yet? First wave of stone throwers? Hell Texas has more firepower than most of the Middle East combined... who, really, was at risk... besides Halliburton's bottom line? After 12 years of restrictions, we went back in to honor the Gulf War 1 dead? Rather insulting to the current string of casualties.

O’REILLY: If you had to do anything again during those years, if you had to live, re-live them, would you have done anything differently?

BUSH: No, I fulfilled my duty, and was honorably discharged. I think I had about five hundred and seventy flying hours, and…

O’REILLY: So all this is propaganda, all of this…

BUSH: I was on active duty for a little over a year and a half and I proudly served.

CROSSTALK

O’REILLY: And they…

BUSH: And had my unit been called up, I’d have gone.

O’REILLY: They say you didn't register in Massachusetts, is that bogus?

BUSH:: I fulfilled my duties, I mean, this is...

[LAUGHTER]

I did exactly what my commanders told me to do.

Minus the physical, right? No more questions your honor.

proceded by a dissing of the 527's and their funding....missing completely the irony of the vast sums of money his campaign pulled in from major corporations.

O’REILLY: You didn't know anything about the Swift Boat ads before they went on the air, did you?

BUSH: No. I didn't.

O’REILLY: Did Karl Rove know anything about it?

BUSH: I don't think so. (pause) In other words, you're asking if anybody coordinated this in our campaign?

O’REILLY: No, whether they’d give you a heads up they were going to do it.

BUSH: Not to my knowledge.

What's missing here (identified by the pause) is the visual where the camera pulled back and Bush then followed up his own answer with a question. His face at this point could have been more pinched, but they'd have to have employed a ton of lemons.

All in all, the non-verbals are almost more telling than what's stated. The nervous laughter, the grinding of teeth, the pursed lips (see extended entry). As Commander in Chief for the last 3.7 or so years, he should not be this uncomfortable with unscripted interviews.