Late Nights

The Daily Show is back from hiatus, thank goodness.

Also, next week Ari Fleischer is scheduled to be on David Letterman. I cannot even begin to guess what that will be like.     1 comment(s)  

. . . more fun than the Madonna appearance, I'll bet.
      ...posted by Bobby on July 12, 2003 6:45 PM

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 "I am confident."

The New York Times presented these without comment today: Excerpts From Bush's News Conference in South Africa

QUESTION: Yes, Mr. President. Do you regret that your State of the Union accusation that Iraq was trying to buy nuclear materials in Africa is now fueling charges that you and Prime Minister Blair misled the public?

BUSH: There is no doubt in my mind that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the world peace. And there's no doubt in my mind that the United States, along with allies and friends, did the right thing in removing him from power. And there's no doubt in my mind, when it's all said and done, the facts will show the world the truth. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind. And so there's going to be a lot of attempts to try to rewrite history, and I can understand that. But I am absolutely confident in the decision I made.

QUESTION: Do you still believe they were trying to buy nuclear materials in Africa?

BUSH: Right now?

QUESTION: No, were they? The statement you made...

BUSH: One thing is for certain, he's not trying to buy anything right now. If he's alive, he's on the run. And that's to the benefit of the Iraqi people. But, look, I am confident that Saddam Hussein had a weapons of mass destruction program. In 1991, I will remind you, we underestimated how close he was to having a nuclear weapon. Imagine a world in which this tyrant had a nuclear weapon. In 1998, my predecessor raided Iraq, based upon the very same intelligence. And in 2003, after the world had demanded he disarm, we decided to disarm him. And I'm convinced the world is a much more peaceful and secure place as a result of the actions.

It's called 'not answering the question'.

Good thing he doesn't hold unscripted, free-for-all press conferences any more. Those are so 20th century.

The standard Bush is explicitly going by is whether there's any doubt in his own mind. "I'm convinced", "I am confident". According to his popularity rating, this is sufficient for a lot of people to follow him. Who needs verifiable evidence when you have convictions?