"but overall Bush looked like Matt had taken a piss in his coffee. "

Jamal Simmons
10.11.2005

Mr. President Don't Value

Iraqi Sacrifices More than

Americans in the Gulf

Link Here
This morning Matt Lauer interviewed President Bush on NBC's Today Show and gave him little room to exploit the photo op of the Habitat for Humanity set they were standing on. Instead of a softball interview about volunteerism, Matt asked the President about Democratic criticism of unfair and unusual provisions in Hurricane relief legislation, conservative rebellion over the Harriet Miers nomination, his promise to “handle” anyone involved in the Valerie Plame leak and the grand jury interest in Karl Rove and violence in Iraq.

Of course, with the First Lady present, there were a few softballs to round out the interview about how the President is holding up, but overall Bush looked like Matt had taken a piss in his coffee.

In the most remarkable exchange, Lauer asked the President why Hurricane victims had to repay much of the relief aid they will get while Iraqis will not have to repay the money we spend rebuilding that country. Bush's response: Iraqis are paying a heavy cost (I originally wrote "helluva cost" but saw differently in the transcript) for democracy.

I'm sorry Mr. President, residents of the Gulf are paying a heavy cost too. They have paid in lost homes and lost loved ones. And for those left in New Orleans for three days while you dithered around your ranch in Texas, plucked on a guitar at a political event and scratched your head in confusion at the White House, they paid in starvation, dehydration and lost confidence in their government that they were important enough to be fed or rescued.

Most of all, Mr. President, residents of the Gulf are Americans and most of them paid in taxes, many of them paid in Korea, Viet Nam, Kuwait and other conflicts, and lots of their children are paying by fighting your ill-planned and strategically suspect war in Iraq while Osama bin Laden is still free and the war on terrorism has taken a back seat.

It's clear the President is not used to the tough questions and does not like them at all, but hopefully (to turn a phrase from Bill Clinton) the era of the puff puff presidency is over. Now, once Democrats join with people like Congressman Rahm Emanuel and start to offer a coherent vision for protecting America from terrorists and violent gangs, preparing our citizens for global competition and helping parents raise their children in a changing popular culture Americans will trust us to lead the nation again.