Thursday, February 02, 2006

Other Things Bush Said That You Shouldn't Take Literally

Yesterday, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman admitted that when President Bush said that he had a plan to cut America’s dependence on Middle East oil by 75 percent, he didn’t really mean it:

One day after President Bush vowed to reduce America’s dependence on Middle East oil by cutting imports from there 75 percent by 2025, his energy secretary and national economic adviser said Wednesday that the president didn’t mean it literally.

Here are some other statements by Bush that are not to be taken literally –

Bush, 4/20/04:

Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires — a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we’re talking about chasing down terrorists, we’re talking about getting a court order before we do so.

Bush, 6/10/04:

Q Given — given recent developments in the CIA leak case, particularly Vice President Cheney’s discussions with the investigators, do you still stand by what you said several months ago, a suggestion that it might be difficult to identify anybody who leaked the agent’s name?

THE PRESIDENT: That’s up to —

Q And, and, do you stand by your pledge to fire anyone found to have done so?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Bush, 9/15/05:

And tonight I also offer this pledge of the American people: Throughout the area hit by the hurricane, we will do what it takes, we will stay as long as it takes, to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives.

President Bush, 1/11/06:

[W]hen an American President says something, he better mean it….in order to be able to have credibility in this world, when we speak, we better mean what we say.

You’re on notice: don’t take Bush at his word. He may just be using words as a metaphor to represent something completely different.

LINK

No comments: