more on the press conference

[khedron]

I came across this link while reading the Slacktivist guy describing Clinton's 9/11 commission testimony. Admittedly this is from the "style" column of the Washington Post, but it's still the Washington Post.

Excerpts from Tom Shales in the Washington Post:

Although the short speech was well-written, especially toward the end, Bush looked upon it as an address in which all sentences were created equal. He never stressed any particular point or added any emphasis. He might as well have been reading letters off an eye chart.

On NBC, reporter David Gregory, who'd been among those asking Bush questions in the East Room of the White House, said the president was "filibustering at times" with his meandering responses. Indeed, most of the questions seemed to go unanswered. A reporter asked, twice, why Bush and Vice President Cheney insisted on appearing together when they testify before the 9/11 commission. Bush ignored the question both times, uttering familiar generalities instead.

[...]

And yet people responding to polls today will probably give Bush points for just showing up. By having so few televised news conferences, he's made the ones he does have into big events. By expressing tremendous confidence in his own judgment and actions, even to the point of not being able to recall a single mistake, it's likely Bush made Americans feel a renewed confidence as well.

Comments

[desdenova.livejournal.com]

Although the short speech was well-written, especially toward the end, Bush looked upon it as an address in which all sentences were created equal. He never stressed any particular point or added any emphasis. He might as well have been reading letters off an eye chart.

And this is different from the way he reads every other speech, how?

Re: The Washington Post style section: it's so goofy; only in D.C. would the local paper consider politicians and government figures to be "stylish."

[khedron.livejournal.com]

And this is different from the way he reads every other speech, how?

It's not. Whenever I'm hearing Bush speak, it always takes me five minutes to adjust to the heavy-handed emphasis on each and every line before I can start listening to the actual words (and realizing he's not answering the questions). Darn it, Bush Sr. talks like a normal person, and so does Laura Bush. You'd think he'd have better trainers.

Or, as Shales says:
"I'm sure something will pop into my head here," he said, noting the intense "pressure" of holding a news conference on TV. Of course people watching throughout the country expect a president to be able to handle that kind of pressure without blinking, based on the assumption that this is one of the milder forms of pressure that come with the office.

[keyne.livejournal.com]

Although the short speech was well-written, especially toward the end, Bush looked upon it as an address in which all sentences were created equal. He never stressed any particular point or added any emphasis. He might as well have been reading letters off an eye chart.

From "In Passing" (http://www.livejournal.com/users/inpassingsynd/22121.html):

"His phrasing is weird, it's offbeat. He's not pausing at the commas. Hear that? Wait a minute... Dude, he's pausing at the big words."

[khedron.livejournal.com]

*wince*

I'll admit, this is one of the many reasons I'm A.B.B. You just can't hold your own in conversation or get your ideas across well if you can't talk.

[lcohen]

A.B.B.?

[khedron.livejournal.com]

Okay, now I owe m00nglum an apology. A.B.B. stands for "Anyone (or anybody) But Bush." There was a song take-off on "O.P.P." which circulated a while back, and you can even get bumperstickers and pins saying that, now.

(Of course, you can get bumperstickers and pins which say anything, these days. Warning, not precisely work safe.)