by Mark Silva
It's 2 p.m. at the White House.
The call goes out for the press pool, not quite sleeping.
Who are you going to trust for this report?
At 2:10 pm EST, on a cloudless and warming late-winter day, the pool is led into the Oval Office, where President Bush is meeting with Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno.
"In thanking the general, I'm really thanking everyone who's worn the uniform" and their families, the president said of the former Iraq-forces commander and now commanding general of Fort Hood, Texas. "The progress that's being made there is real," Bush said of Iraq -- calling Odierno a man who "was there when times looked grim" and who has seen the "progress'' of the "surge.''
"I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who were trying to defeat us in Iraq," Bush told Odierno.
The pool was ushered out at 1:24 pm with the president ignoring a called-out question yet winking at the questioner.
Outside in the sunshine, fhe first dog, Barney, was trying to snatch a soccer ball with his jaws. The black terrier chased the white ball around the South Lawn and across the driveway to the Oval Office side barking at the ball repeatedly in a high-pitched volley of outburts.
There are buds on the cherry trees in the Rose Garden.
And the president is in the East Room now, awarding the first Medal of Honor, posthumously, to a full-blooded member of the Sioux tribe, a hero of the Korean War.
Earlier in the afternoon, the pool was led to Room 350 of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where the president was meeting with the states' attorneys general. Michelangelo-like scaffolding is erected in the stairwells of the north side of the bldg for renovation of the domes at the top.
It was cloudless outside, and inside the president was focused on FISA "modernization."
The pool enjoyed great whispering camaraderie, to the orchestration of the press office escort, maestro Carlton Carroll, and his occasional "shhhhhhhh,'' while holding at the side door.
Led inside at 1:22 pm, we saw the president at a rostrum with Attorney General Michael Mukasey to his right standing before a wall of eight American flags and facing four rows of seated state AsG. They were applauding him, not us, as we entered.
At the rostrum, Bush thanked them for serving the nation and said "there is no greater responsibility of the federal government than to proect the American people." While saying there are a "lot of legal complexities" in the FISA debate, he said, timely surveillance is critical He said "we can't do it without the cooperation of private companies.
"Should those who stepped forward to say they would protect Americans have to defend themselves in the courthouse?'' Bush said. ""They were told it was legal by the government. They were told it was necessary by the government, and here they are being sued."
They should be thanked, not sued, he said, and he thanked the seven Democratic and 14 Republican attorneys general who have signed a letter in support.
We were led out at 1:28, to more applause.
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Comments
"BUSH / MUKASEY/ DICK CHENEY/ FRED FIELDING / DAVID ADDINGTON SPEAKS"
IMMUNITY OR NO MORE GIPHONEHOME AT&T Calling Cards.
We should thank our young brave men, women, sisters, fathers, brothers, neighbors for letting us "EAVESDROP, WIRETAP, DATAMINE, every phone call made from Iraq to their love ones here in the United States.
We should thank our young brave, men, women, sisters, brothers, fathers, mothers, neighbors for the FISA laws we broke. We know they thank us for their privacy while using their "AT&T GIPHONEHOME" calling cards.
Let us not thank, Karl Rove, Tim Goeglien, Harriet Miers, and my long friend, Josua, for their reluctance in adhering to the law. Let us not thank them for all of your sacrifices over the past 7 years of my "GOVERNMENT"
Let us give all of the 4,000 men, women, sisters, brothers, friends, neighbors, moms, dads for sacrificing their lives for a mere "PHONY ACHIEVEMENT"
SO WE CAN ALL THANK OUR MEN AND WOMEN, FOR THE GAINS IN POPPY, HALLIBURTON, BLACKWATER, BECTEL, ACN, ACCENTURE, HALEY BARBOUR AND HIS 100 MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE KATRINA VICTIMS RELIEF FUNDS.
LETS US THANK DICK CHENEY FOR "cheneys law"
LET US ALL PRAY, BECAUSE..
RICK RENZI SAID HE DOESN'T HAVE TO LEAVE THE DARKEN HALLS OF THE WHITE HOUSE LIKE, CRAIG, FOLEY, VITTER, TOM DELAY AND ANYONE ELSE THAT QUIT BECAUSE THEY GOT CAUGHT!
THANK YOU MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVED, WHOM SERVED THIS BIG POPPY, BECAUSE POPPY IS UP!
Posted by: Roger Morris | March 3, 2008 3:42 PM
If Dubya didn't violate the law, then what's the problem?
Posted by: Doug "Hussein" Zook | March 3, 2008 4:01 PM
Prez Chimpy and the wimpy Republics fail to mention that they were letting the tele-coms spy on us BEFORE 9/11.
They should call this the "Protect AT&T and Bush's Arse Act" because that's exactly what it is.
Posted by: John Hussein E | March 3, 2008 4:35 PM
They don't need immunity if they didn't violate the law. If Bush wants to let them off the hook, all he has to do is say that he authorized them to break the law. I don't see why he needs Congress to pass a law. The "unitary executive" president clearly has the power to accept responsibility for his own actions.
Posted by: Tom O | March 3, 2008 4:56 PM
So when, exactly, is GW going to Iraq without the cover of darkness to unveil a street sign with his name on it?
Not any time soon is the right answer.
Which means defeat is still around the corner.
That is, of course, unless we keep 130,000 troops there indefinitely. Then they'll only face the occasional bomb blast and the streets will continue to be segregated and services will be intermittent and dependent on the mood of the local warlords.
If this is victory, the Texas Rangers are the champions of the baseball world.
Posted by: Bud McFarlin | March 3, 2008 5:09 PM
"I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who were trying to defeat us in Iraq," Bush told Odierno."
My gawd. He really is stupid. For a while I just thought it was his image, to appeal to the base.
GWB, you snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Or defeat from the jaws of victory, (Like Trent Lott re. Kosovo), but you don't snatch defeat from the jaws of defeat!!
Posted by: C.Morris | March 3, 2008 8:46 PM
"I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who were trying to defeat us in Iraq," Bush told Odierno.
Huh??? 1769th day since Mission accomplished.
Speaking of the war on terror...here's John McCain's friend.
Hagee on Women
"Do you know the difference between a woman with PMS and a snarling Doberman pinscher? The answer is lipstick. Do you know the difference between a terrorist and a woman with PMS? You can negotiate with a terrorist."
http://www.democrats.org/a/2008/02/john_mccain_sho.php
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | March 3, 2008 9:04 PM