George Bush’s bizarre farewell to the press
George Bush's final press conference at the White House yesterday, during which he defended his war on terror and the US-led invasion of Iraq, was a jabbering and sometimes bellicose affair and has left observers asking whether this was one of the most cringe-making appearances ever given by an American president.
Bush began by making light of his fabled tendency to mash up words and mangle sentences. "Sometimes I didn't like the stories that you wrote or reported on," he told the White House Press Corps. "Sometimes you 'misunderestimated' me."
Looking flushed, he gave a truculent defence of his two-term presidency, routinely described as the worst in recent US history - he currently has an approval rating of just 27 per cent, the lowest since President Nixon left office in 1974. He became indignant when asked about America's low moral standing overseas as a result of torturing terrorist suspects. "I disagree with this assessment that, you know, that people view America in a dim light," he said.
Regarding the anger people felt about his handling of the war in Iraq and the economy, Bush countered: "They are not angry, they are not hostile people. I view those who get angry and yell and say bad things and all that kind of stuff as just a few people in the country."
He did, however, appear pleased to be bowing out. "When I get out of here, I'm getting off the stage... I've had my time in the klieg lights [spotlight]." Of retirement, he said: "I just can't envision myself, you know, with the big straw hat and a Hawaiian shirt sitting on some beach, particularly since I quit drinking."
Which raised the question - is he still on the wagon? His demeanour suggested, not for the first time during his presidency, that he might be back on the booze.
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