Beltway Buzz Eric Pfeiffer Reporting
NYT Arrives Locked And Loaded
03/16 12:18 PM
You can expect the mainstream press to ask its share of loaded questions in presidential press conferences. However, Elizabeth Bumiller of the New York Times asked Bush a question that caught even the White House press off-guard.
When discussing Paul Wolfowitz, Bumiller described Wolfowitz as “a chief architect of one of the most unpopular wars in history.” The president was clearly surprised by the opinionated slant of the question, as was just about everyone in the room. After laughing, President Bush responded, “That's an interesting start.”
Compassionate Conservative
03/16 12:07 PM
At the briefing, President Bush went into greater detail on Social Security, explaining how personal accounts would benefit those who lose a spouse. “Under the current system, it doesn’t serve you well if you’re a widow.” However, the president explained that with personal accounts, the government would not be able to take away earned benefits from a departed spouse.
Pumpin' the Senate
03/16 11:52 AM
President Bush took one question regarding Harry Reid’s threat to shut down the Senate if Republicans override Democrat filibusters on the president’s judicial nominees. In response to Reid’s threat, the president said, “I believe I have an obligation to put forth good and honorable people to serve on the bench … They deserve an up or down vote.”
When asked about rising oil prices, the president responded that Congress should pass his energy bill and that “I hope Congress passes ANWR.”
Rather Fun
03/16 11:35 AM
One of the lighter notes at today’s press conference involved President Bush and John Roberts from CBS. It was Roberts’s turn to take a question but Terry Moran from ABC jumped ahead of him. When joking about his “bias” (my word not his), in calling on Moran over Roberts, the president joked, “Don’t take it personally John, I don’t.” I didn’t see how Roberts reacted, but the president smiled, laughed and almost seemed to blush momentarily at the reference to Dan Rather and the “60 Minutes” National Guard memo scandal.
nationalreview.com |
