Where the President Isn't

The Photo Op

By contrast, there was plenty of coverage of Bush's four-minute chat with the handpicked seniors.

David Jackson writes in USA Today: "President Bush acknowledged Tuesday that signing up for the government's new prescription-drug benefits can be a 'daunting task,' but he said help is available for a plan that will save seniors money."

Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar writes in the Los Angeles Times: "With the Medicare prescription benefit scheduled to take effect in less than three weeks, President Bush acknowledged Tuesday that navigating the complex program could be a challenge -- a complaint often voiced by its detractors. . . .

"White House spokesman Trent Duffy said the president did not intend to criticize the drug benefit -- one of the main achievements of his administration -- but was merely relaying concerns from a retiree he had just talked to at Greenspring."

Robert Pear of the New York Times worked Bush's comments into his story about another snag in the drug program: "Insurers reported government delays in handling applications for Medicare's new prescription drug benefit on Tuesday, and they said the delays could create problems for some beneficiaries when the coverage became available next month."

Here is the transcript of Bush's remarks.

Bush-Press Glasnost?

NBC Anchor Brian Williams spent at least part of the day Monday hanging out with President Bush -- that itself being news -- and came away with the distinct impression that something's up.

From the transcript of MSNBC's Hardball last night with Chris Matthews:

"MATTHEWS: Did you get a feeling, Brian, that he really wanted to do this interview or his public relations people, his press people, said you have got to get out there and kill this idea that you are isolated?

"WILLIAMS: Very hard to know the motivation, Chris, but we have been lobbying for a good long time. I had not had any exposure to him or chance to ask him any questions since Katrina. A whole lot of people have been after them for more exposure. It was really unprecedented. They allowed us with him in many behind the scenes moments, five different venues, three different sit downs that were brief, but cumulatively, it was a lot of exposure to the president. . . .

"I found that he was comfortable in the job, very jovial and comfortable in his own skin. And we should probably point out that every journey begins with a step, and I suspect they are about to put this president out a lot more.

"I think they view this as having gone well for him. Were there topics I didn't have time . . . to get to, you bet . . . including the false news reports in Iraq, including a lot more on torture -- but others will. And hopefully there will be other opportunities.