DIY: Questions for the next Bush press conference

Even the righties have noticed how completely awful the press has become. John Podhoretz wrote:

If the press is so desirous of press conferences and so angry that Bush doesn't do enough of them, why do reporters just ask the same questions over and over again?

Now, Podhoretz is missing the questions his buddy "Jeff Gannon" used to ask--things like Exactly how cool are you, Mr. President? and What makes Dems so evil?, but we take his point. The press is too lazy to do new, independent research.

I say we use this post to do the work for the media. Let's give them questions they can ask next time Bush opens his mouth.

Here are the rules, though:

1. One sentence only, with no followups.
   
2. You should provide a link to any supporting materials to help the media understand why the question should be asked.
   
3. It should be written as a non-partisan question.

That doesn't mean that points can't be made within the question. I'll give us a question with which to start, which should explain better what I mean.

Mr. President, considering North Korea's recent testing of long-range missiles, do you still support your decision to provide North Korea with the $95 million provided for in the 1994 Agreed Framework, while waiving the Framework's requirement that the North Koreans submit to inspections in order to receive the funds?

Let's lend the media a hand.

•  Let's hear 'em

  by nitpicker on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:12:31 PM PDT

•  Mr. President,

  is there anything, in your opinion, which a president does NOT have the authority to do?

  by Alfred E Qaeda on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:14:50 PM PDT

  •  followup

    and if there is, who makes that determination?

    if it is you, doesnt that essentially mean the same thing?

    if it is another branch of government, say, Congress, why do they only get to make this determination on the things you choose, not the things they choose? and again, isn't that the same thing?

    Mr. President, doesn't the Constitution already answer this question?

    Why is your answer different?

    covers the issue in depth, and in a way that the media hasn't:

    http://www.dailykos.com/...

    by Ivan Carter on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:40:28 PM PDT

    •  my bad

      hadn't seen your guidelines, so that was a followup by a few different reporters. (but not only are their questions not very good, their followups are worse, so they need help with that too).

      by Ivan Carter on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:44:16 PM PDT

•  The same question I'd always ask:

  Mr. Bush, how come none of your children or Jeb's children are serving in Iraq?

  by richter on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:18:57 PM PDT

•  Since you mentioned the azimuth of

  the North Korean missiles the other day, could you please define for me what the word azimuth means?

  by melvin on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:22:36 PM PDT

  •  Did I mention azimuth?

    Either way, an azimuth (if I remember my land navigationtraining from the US Army) is a line of sight or direction in relationship to the observer. So, if I was trying to go due east, I would shoot an azimuth of 90 degrees, find something in that line and follow it.

    Why do you ask?

    by nitpicker on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:33:18 PM PDT

    •  Why are you speaking for the president?

      by melvin on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:36:20 PM PDT

      •  i have experts to answer questions like that

        because if i knew all the answers, then i wouldn't have any need for experts. So it's a...i'm kind of stalling for time here...a symbiosis of sorts...ok...they told me what to say...

        by Tamifah on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:45:32 PM PDT

•  Mr President...

  How much of the bill are American taxpayers currently footing for your upcoming travels across the United States in your fundraising appearances for Republican candidates?
  
  

  "Generosity, Ethics, Patience, Effort, Concentration, and Wisdom"

  by Dood Abides on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:23:27 PM PDT

•  Mr. President, sir:

  Could you please tell us which specific jury is still pondering the Theory of Evolution?

  by OCMIHOP on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:25:58 PM PDT

•  Mr. President, how will the recent Hamdan

  ruling effect your administration's policies and actions, for example regarding the center at Guantanamo, compliance with the Geneva Conventions, and views of executive privilege?

  by means are the ends on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:27:24 PM PDT

  •  Mr President

    Will you prefer to be in a Federal Prison in Florida, Texas, or Maine, or would you prefer The Hague (that's in Europe, next to where Tony Blair lives)

    by beaukitty on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:25:33 PM PDT

  •  we're at war with an enemy

    that wants to destroy us. We can't let dangerous people run around on the loose.

    This is because of 9/11. 9/11 changed everything. Before 9/11, there were no terrorists. Now there are a lot of terrorists, and so I have power as Commander in Chief to lock them up.

    If we don't lock the terrorists up, then they're...they're out on the loose and we might have more terrorist attacks.

    by Tamifah on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:44:09 PM PDT

•  First things first

  Why can't he hold an unscripted press conference with anyone who wants raising their hand to ask any question they want? He has a list of pre-screened names and a list of the questions they're allowed to ask along with his pre-arranged responses. The whole thing is a lie. And into that bullshit he tosses his incredibly witty comments such as, "You're kind of a trendy guy" that's supposed to divert attention from the NON answers he gives.
  If he says, "That's an interesting question" or "I appreciate the question" that means he had to rehearse the response harder. It's haaaarrrd work.

  by Panda on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:33:37 PM PDT

  •  clearly

    the man is unable to respond off the cuff. Especially to criticism. You actually expect those who actually hold the power to allow him to answer questions on his own?

    by adamschloss on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:47:36 PM PDT

  •  phone skills and customer service

    one of the first things i've always taught people when they are dealing with someone angry on the phone who says something clearly confrontational

    is to try to empathize with them. "Wow...I can certainly understand why you would be concerned about our service"

    something like that

    and that's exactly what bush is doing there.

    by Tamifah on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:49:36 PM PDT

    •  You're right

      He does that feigned compassion bullshit and places his paw over the area where a heart would be. Then he tilts his snout and tries to look sincere, ending with a smirk of accomplishment. Then a sneer as he belittles whichever "press" member lost the lottery to ask a fake question. Bubble Boy isn't going to have to answer any questions until his War Crimes Trial. If ever.

      by Panda on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 03:50:22 PM PDT

•  Mr. President

  Your head. Your anus. Why so similar?

  by fblau on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:34:06 PM PDT

  •  Love it n/t

    by bonesy on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:35:55 PM PDT

•  Mr. President

  Everyone is aware, in public, you referred to Iran and North Korea, in your Axis of Evil statement. What have you and your administration said or done, that the American people do not know about, that has gotten these countries, including other countries, so upset with The United States? What have you guys done to upset the world against us, besides invading Iraq based on lies?

  by bonesy on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:34:09 PM PDT

  •  diplomacy is when

    you can get two opposing sides to agree they want the same thing. And the other sides don't agree with us, so we've exhausted all diplomatic actions. We'll continue to work with our allies to pursue more diplomatic actions until the opposing sides agree with us.

    by Tamifah on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:46:24 PM PDT

    •  Mr.President, since when have we become

      the know all, see all, nation. Don't you understand, that what you might think is agreeable, they might not think so, and in a democracy, you listen to all sides. Mr. President are you actually saying you are a bully?

      by bonesy on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 03:16:46 PM PDT

      •  shut up, vassal

        oops i said the quiet part out loud again. heh heh heh. it's funny when I do that, Laura loves it!

        by Tamifah on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 05:32:33 PM PDT

        •  Mr.President,

          as you just admitted, you say things in your head, that no one hears but you. Do you often visit this quiet place, and if you do, do you answer back? This is two parts, and I know you don't like them, but allow me to elaborate with one more question. Do you think you are wacko sir? Just asking because I think you are.

          by bonesy on Mon Jul 10, 2006 at 12:27:45 PM PDT

•  Question

  Mr. President, you have not ruled out a pardon for Scooter Libby, even though he is accused of perjuring himself in an investigation into who leaked the identity of a CIA operative.  Is this because you, yourself, have committed a crime?  Will you assure the public that you have not committed any criminal act?

  by Unabogie on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:37:16 PM PDT

  •  i can't talk about ongoing legal actions but

    i can tell you this. Scooter Libby is a courageous, patriotic American, and I think it's important to make sure he receives justice, just not at the hands of activist justices.

    There's a problem with our legal system here in America, and that's the judges. And if they don't decide correctly, we'll have to see what we need to do about that.

    by Tamifah on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:42:27 PM PDT

•  My 10 questions for President Bush

  1. What are the differences between the way you conduct your presidency and a monarchy?

  2. When did you first learn that Iraq did not have WMD's?

  3. Why are you selling fighter jets to Pakistan, which has sold nuclear technology to some very seedy places?

  4. What, if any, actions can you not take due to your Commander In Chief authority?

  5. What conditions must be met for our venture in Iraq to be declared a success and our troops to come home?

  6. Why have you chosen not to secure our borders?

  7. Why have you not gone to a single military funeral?

  8. Besides your "bring it on" comment, what mistakes have you made?

  9. Were you lying when you said you had no knowledge of the Plame leak even though you gave direct instructions to people in your administration to non-credible information rebutting Joseph Wilson?

  10. When is the last time you drank alcohol, and when is the last time you did coke?

  by Tamifah on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:43:13 PM PDT

  •  Hooboy...

    We'd have to have him in Abu Ghraib on the other side of the bars, hooked up to whatever to get him to answer those questions.

    by sailmaker on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:44:25 PM PDT

•  Mr. Bush who in your Administration authorized

  the release of the notes from National Security Council meetings and other classified information regarding CIA sources and methods for Woodward/s two best-selling books and why hasn't a criminal investigation been initiated?

  “In his [Feb 2006] letter [to John Negroponte], Rockefeller said he wrote to both former CIA Director George Tenet and Acting Director John McLaughlin "seeking to determine what steps were being taken to address the appalling disclosures contained in 'Bush at War.' The... response I received was to indicate that the leaks had been authorized by the Administration."  (from same Murray Waas article linked in my diary)

  “In a PRIVATE (my emphasis added) meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Bush showed how much he was following the signals intelligence, especially on bin Laden. ‘We know Osama bin Laden called his mother,’ Bush told the Emir. ‘One of these days, he’ll make the mistake, and we’ll get him.’”  
  p196 Bob Woodward’s Bush at War

  “The information I obtained for this book includes contemporaneous notes taken during more than 50 National Security Council and other meetings where the most important decisions were discussed and made. Many direct quotations of the president and the war cabinet members come from these notes.”

  p1 A Note to Readers, Bob Woodward, Bush at War

  Please see my diary for the links and for an explanation of how Bush himself is tied directly to what Senator Rockefeller called a "torrent" of leaks.
  http://www.dailykos.com/...

  by katieforeman on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:59:19 PM PDT

  •  or maybe better

    Mr. President, were the leaks in Woodward's Bush at war authorized, and if not why hasn't a criminal investigation been initiated and if so who authorized the leaks?

    by katieforeman on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:22:42 PM PDT

    •  when we talk to reporters like woodward

      that isn't leaking, it's sharing things with the press

      a leak is when you tell the press something i don't want them to know.

      by Tamifah on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:37:52 PM PDT

      •  exactly

        That's the problem. This Administration is all about controlling information.

        by katieforeman on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:40:38 PM PDT

      •  mayby this would be a better question

        Were the disclosures of intelligence sources and methods to Bob Woodward for his book Bush at War authorized and if not why hasn't a criminal investigation been initiated and if so who authorized the disclosures?

        by katieforeman on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:43:07 PM PDT

        •  again bob woodward is a good reporter

          so when we tell bob woodward things, it's not the same as telling people who want to harm america things they shouldn't know.

          by Tamifah on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:45:16 PM PDT

•  Mr. President, have you watched the movie,

  the Wartapes and if so what did you think and if not why not?

  by katieforeman on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:01:54 PM PDT

•  Mr President, during a Q/A recently,

  in answer to a question "Do the contractors in Iraq follow US law or Iraqi law?", you said that you would call Secretary Rumsfeld and find out. (USe actual quote - something like " Mr SEcretary, I have an interesting question....") Now, did you ever call SEcreatary Rumsfeld? Did you get an answer?  IF you got the aanswer, why did you not announce it publicly so that the citizen's question is answered? If you did not follow up with Sec Rumsfeld, what does that say about your attitude with citizens' questions?  

  by ecoast on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:17:14 PM PDT

  •  we can't talk about things like this

    when we talk about what law american contractors in iraq follow, it exposes them to danger. We are at war with an enemy that wants to destroy us. And so it's important, you see, to keep contractors in Iraq.

    by Tamifah on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:40:43 PM PDT

  •  That's a good question.

    While we're on the subject of follow-up. Remember, just before the 2004 election, when the al Qaaqa weapons dump was reported to be left completely insecure and the Administration said they would conduct an investigation. Was there an investigation and what were the results?

    by katieforeman on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:51:20 PM PDT

•  Mr President

  Have you told Barbara and Jenna the actual cost to them and their children for your current escapades.
  Did they faint?

  by beaukitty on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:19:30 PM PDT

  •  are you going

    to wear those sunglasses? it's not very bright out here.

    by Tamifah on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:41:11 PM PDT

    •  Tamifah, you're cheating! You're

      giving him all the answers on the test!

      by Fasaha on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 03:08:33 PM PDT

•  mr president

  after spending over $90 billion on missile defense could you tell us how many sucsessful tests we have conducted?

  by onzaga on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:47:04 PM PDT

•  mr president

  since 911 we have spent over $520 billion fighting them over there,could you tell me how much has been spent on port,border security,and the destruction of loose chemical/nuclear materials to keep us safe here at home?

  by onzaga on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 02:51:26 PM PDT

•  Mr. President ( and I use that term losely)

   You promised the American people in September 2001 that You would not rest until Osama bin Laden  had been found "dead or alive", can you then explain how many vacation days you have taken since making that promise? Do you feel any guilt at all that you have broken all vacation records for presidents, while asking our military personell to deploy to Iraq multiple times?

  by samsdad on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 03:41:15 PM PDT