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Cover-Up Exposed?
My question: Where is Vice President Cheney on all this?
Sitting Back
Robin Wright and Thomas E. Ricks write in The Washington Post: "In blunt language, President Bush yesterday endorsed Israel's campaign to cripple or eliminate Hezbollah, charged that Syria is trying to reassert control of Lebanon, and called for the isolation of Iran. . . .
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"For now, the administration is letting Israel's military strategy to weaken Hezbollah and its Syrian and Iranian backers play out."
At a brief press availability, Bush was asked if he was comfortable this going on for weeks. He wouldn't answer. "I want the world to address the root causes of the problem, and the root cause of the problem is Hezbollah."
Bush once again misrepresented a recent statement by the G-8 leaders. As many times as he says his fellow leaders agreed that the root cause of the current crisis is terrorists, the official statement says that "The root cause of the problems in the region is the absence of a comprehensive Middle East peace."
The Texan Neck Pinch
Carla Marinucci writes in the San Francisco Chronicle about the continued furor over Bush's videotaped stealth neck-massage of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"The scene, captured by a Russian TV camera, hit the Internet like a summer wildfire Tuesday, and it may be most memorable for the German chancellor's reaction. Bush applies his hands to Merkel's shoulders and neck while she's speaking with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi; the chancellor hunches her shoulders, then throws her hands up to stop the unexpected massage with a wan smile -- and an expression that can best be translated as 'Ewwww.'"
Bush and Putin
Jim Rutenberg writes in the New York Times about how well Bush and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin got along at the recent summit. At one luncheon, a witness "said they had united to make fun of President Jacques Chirac of France, with Mr. Putin joking, 'My next big goal is to find a way that Jacques Chirac won't complain about the food.'. . . .
But the "Russians had a parting shot for Mr. Bush, this one on the Web site set up for the meeting. Along with headings for news releases about summit happenings there was this one: ' U.S. President Avoids Media After G8 Summit.' "
NAACP Boycott To End
Darryl Fears writes in The Washington Post: "After six years in office, President Bush has agreed to address the NAACP at its annual national convention in Washington, the White House announced yesterday."
"The president's change of heart followed a change in the NAACP's leadership. Bruce Gordon, the new president, is a former telecommunications executive who is more moderate than his predecessors."
Indeed. See my December 9 column, Bush Meets Blacks Behind Closed Doors .
Live Online
I'll be Live Online today at 1 p.m. ET. Come visit.
Off Balance
Via Romenesko, a Survey and Research Policy Institute poll finds: "Among those who watch Fox for their news, 59% approve of the job George W. Bush is doing as president and 29% disapprove. But among non-Fox viewers, just 25% approve of the president's performance and 66% disapprove."
Bushism Watch
The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire notes: "President Bush, known for coining new words along with his evolving antiterror policy (think 'suiciders') described the rocket launches against Israel as 'Hezbollian attacks.' (Spelling courtesy of official White House transcribers.)"
Maureen Dowd Watch
Maureen Dowd writes in her New York Times opinion column (subscription required): "The president has enshrined his immaturity and insularity, turning every environment he inhabits -- no matter how decorous or serious -- into a comfortable frat house.
"No matter what the trappings or the ceremonies require of the leader of the free world, he brings the same DKE bearing and cadences, the same insouciance and smart-alecky attitude, the same simplistic approach -- swearing, swaggering, talking to Tony Blair with his mouth full of buttered roll, and giving a startled Angela Merkel an impromptu shoulder rub. He can make even a global summit meeting seem like a kegger. . . .
"Catching W. off-guard, the really weird thing is his sense of victimization. He's strangely resentful about the actual core of his job. Even after the debacles of Iraq and Katrina, he continues to treat the presidency as a colossal interference with his desire to mountain bike and clear brush."
Late Night Humor
Via Youtube: David Letterman's top ten favorite George W. Bush moments.