I don't think... um

That's all you hear Tony blair say as he gets cut off at the end of this video. Try as I might, I don't think I can sum up what Bush had just said as succinctly. Well, not without resorting to some ghastly cliché* like 'train wreck' that is.



For some analysis here is the eternally spot-on Josh Marshall, with his take on it:

...we're here listening to the Bush-Blair press conference. And a few minutes ago a reporter (I think David Gregory, but will check on that) asked the president in so many words: You said Iraq was going to bring about new Middle East but now the Middle East is a complete disaster.

Certainly, this would be a challenging question on more levels than one. But the president's answer, quite a lengthy one actually, showed in a really frightening detail how President Bush seems to be basically brain dead on this issue
-snip-
We know the president isn't very articulate in news conference settings. But national leaders don't have to be articulate to be good leaders. In fact there have been a number very good ones who could scarcely speak coherently for thirty seconds.

But if you watch this passage I think you see something different. Namely, that pretty much everything that's happened over the last three years, and certainly over the last three months has just gone in one presidential ear and out the other. He is, in both the deepest and most superficial sense, out of it.

Two more years? Oh christ.


-Mr. Ed

*In honour of CEW.