BUSH'S PRESS CONFERENCE. This is by far the pissiest press conference Bush has given. He's furious. I assume his feet are manacled behind the microphone. Otherwise, he'd be stalking across the stage, tearing apart the podium, and occasionally leaping into the crowd to rip out David Gregory's heart. The content is no finer than the normal Bush fare -- he's currently blaming the U.N. for not stopping the genocide in Darfur -- but the attitude is entirely different. Where Bush is generally petulant and unhappy at these events, he's now snapping at reporters, straightforwardly insulting them, yelling from the podium, losing control, and generally evincing a combativeness and barely suppressed rage that I've never seen from him before. On the bright side, his suit finally fits. Update: Okay, I was going to end on the suit fits note, but Bush just said: "I don't think the Democrats will take over, because our record on the economy is strong. If the American people take a step back and realize how effective our policies have been given the circumstances, they will embrace our philosophy of government...I believe the reason is because we've cut taxes, and at the same time showed fiscal restraint here in Washington." I mean, wow. Update: Okay, he just gave Ann Richards a very generous and respectful remembrance. Good for him.
--
Ezra Klein
