Monday, December 12, 2005

Bush says he does not live in a bubble



This is from Yahoo News:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush said on Monday that he does not live "in a bubble" and that he is well aware of what is going on outside the White House, rejecting critics' claims that he is out of touch with public opinion.

"I don't feel in a bubble," Bush said in an interview on "NBC Nightly News."

"I feel like I'm getting really good advice from very capable people, and that people from all walks of life have informed me and informed those who advise me. And I feel very comfortable that I'm very aware of what's going on," Bush said.

But Bush did acknowledge the bubble of security that prevents him from enjoying ordinary experiences.

"I mean you feel in a bubble in the sense that I can't go walking out the front gate and you know, go shopping, like I'd love to do for my wife," he said.

Asked how much television news and newspapers he regularly consumes, Bush moved to dispel a myth that grew a few years ago after he told an interviewer that he does not read newspapers.

"Every morning I look at the newspaper," Bush told NBC. "I can't say I've read every single article in the newspaper. But, I definitely know what's in the news."

I find it ironic that after the Valerie Plamegate, the Katrina disaster, and Iraq, that President Bush finally responds to the idea that he's living in a bubble. The critics have been saying Bush has been living in a bubble for over a year (If not longer). And Bush is only now responding to it?

I guess Bush is still living in a bubble.

3 comments:

Eli said...

Bubbles within bubbles...

Eric A Hopp said...

Eli: It is amazing how Bush is so insulated within the office. The fact that he is just now responding to this issue of him living in a bubble shows how insulated he is. He doesn't read the newspapers, he doesn't watch too much television news. In fact, the only news and information he's getting is from the White House staffers, and that information is already sanitized for "political correctness." You can bet that Bush doesn't get any information from the bogs, which can also provide alternative views and opinions--conservative, liberal, and progressive. Without this diverse, and contradictory set of views and opinions to reflect upon, President Bush is following a very narrow, ideological course that is certainly not good for the country as a whole.

Eli said...

And he once again expresses great confidence in his staffers' ability to provide him with a complete picture of what's going on out there in the big bad world (just like in his original "filter" remarks way back when). 'Cuz, sure, everyone in the White House is motivated to give the president a completely objective, unbiased view of the world, even to the point of giving him bad news on occasion.