(1) WaPo:

Appearing with members of his Cabinet assembled behind him on the White House steps, Bush told reporters in the Rose Garden after a Cabinet meeting that he and other top administration officials “respect the results” of the elections, which gave Democrats control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as most of the nation’s governorships.

Did they actually have a cabinet meeting to discuss whether they should respect the results of the elections?

(2)
Still WaPo:

“We’ll discuss the way forward for our country, and I’m going to tell them what I just told our Cabinet,” Bush said. “It is our responsibility to put the elections behind us and work together on the great issues facing America.”

The cabinet presumably says “Yes, boss”. Pelosi and Reid may be going “Yeah, right!”

(3)
Bush, from Wednesday’s press conference:

I told my party’s leaders that it is now our duty to put the elections behind us and work together with the Democrats and independents on the great issues facing this country.

Ironic that he said that on national TV, looking straight at the camera. I’m sure I wasn’t the only viewer thinking: “You, sir, are literally the greatest issue facing the country.”

(4)
The press conference again:

We had the race in Florida, the Foley seat. That’s a hard race to win in a Republican district because people couldn’t vote directly for the Republican candidate. And all I’m telling you, John, is that there’s a — when you dig into the races, there’s a — look, I had to go down to Houston, in Sugar Land, and act as the Secretary of State: Take your pencil into the box and then write it in.

Is that what he thinks Condi Rice does for a living? Rushes about the capitals of the world, telling world leaders to pick up their pencils and start writing?

(Aside to readers: Yes, I know what he meant, but when the President of the United States talks about the Secretary of State, and offers no further explanation, you don’t exactly expect him to be referring to a clerk in the driver’s license bureau.)

(Aside to Matt: Don’t we need a word similar to “nullus” to cover situations like the President talking of taking a pencil into the box?)

(5)
Senator Orrin Hatch obviously came to praise Rumsfeld, not to bury him. But surely he could have done better than this:

“You don’t hear much about Afghanistan,” Hatch said. “We certainly won that war.”

The only way you don’t hear much about Afghanistan these days is if there isn’t much fresh air in the region where your head is firmly lodged.

(He spouted a lot more bilge than that. If you have low blood pressure, just click on the link and skip your medication for today. Among other things, Hatch explains how every young American who served in Iraq bears equal responsibility with Rumsfeld for the way things have gone in Iraq.)