This is amazing -- or maybe not so amazing if you've been paying attention for the last eight years. When I watched President Bush's last press conference this morning, he made a casual remark that struck me as the perfect epitaph for his administration, and I made a mental note to go back and write about this when the transcript became available online.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one who saw the devastating irony of Bush's comment -- someone in the White House press office must have, as well. Because even though -- as you can see by watching the video -- the president's wording is unmistakable, the official transcript on Whitehouse.gov has Bush saying something completely different, and it's even more ironic when you see the subject matter.
It was after the first question of the press conference, which had to do with the transition to Barack Obama and the release of $350 billion in federal bailout dollars. The president answered the question, and then continued to address his good rapport with Obama in a follow-up question. This is what I, and millions of viewers, heard Bush say:
He's -- you know, I've had my third conversation with him, and I generally mean what I say. I wish him all the very best. I've found him to be a very smart and engaging person. And that lunch the other day was interesting, to have two guys who are nearly 85, two 62-year-olders, and a 47-year-old -- kind of the classic generational statement.
When I heard that live, I thought: This is the perfect summation of his presidency, that "I generally mean what I say." Sure, generally, which is to say that Bush means what he says maybe, what, 70, 80 percent of the time that he speaks? Less? Certainly not when he told the nation the already-disproved notion that Iraq was buying uranium in Africa, or that there were ties between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, or that a country with no active weapons program could create "a mushroom cloud," or when he said he would fire anyone who leaked Valerie Plame's identity, or when he said that America doesn't spy without warrants, or....Well, you get the picture.
But..."Generally, I mean what I say."
Well, now the official transcript is out, and how ironic: Bush's words were magically changed. It reads:
He's -- you know, I've had my third conversation with him, and I genuinely mean what I say. I wish him all the very best.
So the word "generally" has been changed to "genuinely." Does that change the meaning a tad? Only by about 180 degrees. Is there any chance that I'm mis-hearing the remark? No. I've posted the video of the press conference from MSNBC at the bottom. The remark in question is 2:45 in.
Listen for yourself.
An administration that struggled with the truth for eight years gets in one last distortion on its way out the door. To use the phrase made famous by the columnist Jimmy Breslin, "beautiful."
But generally, the transcript was correct.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
PLEASE COMMENT WITH PASSION...
...but not with racial slurs, potentially libelous allegations, obscenities or other juvenile noise. Such comments will, at our discretion, be deleted in their entirety, and repeat offenders will be blocked from commenting. ALSO: Any commenter advocating killing any government official will be immediately banned.
Thanks.
- Atrios
- Kiko's House
- Suburban Guerilla
- Booman Tribune
- All-Spin Zone
- Philly (Dragonballyee)
- Afro-Netizen
- Rowhouse Logic
- MyDD
- Bad Attitudes
- Billmon
- iFlipFlop
- CorrenteWire
- upyernoz
- Tattered Coat
- Fables of the Reconstruction
- Slacktivist
- Citizen Mom
- The Next Mayor
- Philly Future
- Philadelphia Will Do
- Philebrity
- Young Philly Politics
- Phillyblog
- Welcome to Phillyville
- Phawker
- A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago
- Keystone Blog
- Philadelphia - America's Hometown
- BlankBaby
- Above Average Jane
- Phillyist
- Metroblogging Philadelphia
- The Clog
- Josh Marshall
- Daily Kos
- Juan Cole
- Oliver Willis
- Andy Borowitz
- War and Piece
- Wonkette
- BuzzFlash
- Raw Story
- Cursor
- Crooks and Liars
- Swing State Project
- Kevin Drum
- Talk Left
- AmericaBlog
- Hullabaloo
- Mad Kane
- Think Progress
- Jesus' General
- The Carpetbagger Report
- Majikthise
- Echidne of the Snakes
- David Sirota
- Glenn Greenwald
- TBogg
- Fire Dog Lake
- Taylor Marsh
- Matthew Yglesias
- Jon Swift
- Drudge Report
- Beer Leaguer
- The 700 Level
- Dick Polman
- Balls, Sticks and Stuff
- Shallow Center
- Philling Station
- Phillies Nation
- A Citizen's Blog
- The Good Phight
- Romenesko
- Editor and Publisher
- Pressthink
- Buzzmachine
- The Inksniffer
- Media Bloodhound
- Eat the Press
- Mickey Kaus
- Media (Huffington Post)
- Blinq
- The Corner
- Instapundit
- Andrew Sullivan
- Free Republic
- James Taranto
- Blonde Sagacity
- ScrappleFace
- Blogorrhea
Get it now
- February
- January
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- January 2008
Philly.com Promotions
- News | Sports | Business | What's Happening | Restaurants & Food | Entertainment | Living | Marketplace | Jobs
- Jobs | Cars | Real Estate | Rentals | Marketplace | Celebrations
