Presidential arrogance

Ed Naha in his article, "Drunk with Power", and Helen Thomas in her article, "Doing as he pleases: Lame duck Bush has swagger, not waddle", both report on a very telling episode of presidential arrogance. Thomas puts it this way:

When a Texas newspaper reporter told him, "Power is perception," Bush corrected him, saying, "Power is being president."

Naha ends his piece this way:

Bush is cynical, manipulative and a spoiled rich kid.

Remember this classic quote as noted by Bob Woodward in his book "Bush at War," from November 19, 2002?

BUSH: "I'm the commander -- see, I don't need to explain -- I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe ANYbody an explanation."

No, Dubya. You don't owe ANYbody an explanation.

As you continue to shred America and the entire world, you owe EVERYbody an explanation.

Unlikely that we are to get it, though.

I also want to direct your attention to another article about Bush's attitude toward the press. This one is about how he gave "the finger" to the press corps. The article is by Nick Coleman and is entitled "Bush's one-fingered 'salute' demeans us all". It was published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Here's an excerpt:

The Finger-in-Chief was flipped last Wednesday, when the president visited Capitol Hill to meet with Republicans. He waved at the cameras, then walked down a hallway, pestered by reporters' questions.

Then, as he faded out of sight, Bush jabbed his middle finger in the air, the way you would give a farewell salute to a jerk disappearing in your rearview mirror.

It was unmistakable. When "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno replayed the video, his audience knew instantly what the president meant (To see the video, visit the Onegoodmove website via www.startribune.com/347).

A president showing disdain for the media is nothing new. But doing it with a contemptuous gesture that is offensive to millions does not just insult the press. It insults anyone who relies on the press to tell us what our leaders are doing. When presidents flip off the press, Americans get the finger.

But you can't expect Americans to care if the press doesn't.

Yeah, I know. Some people (including the White House) insist he was giving the "thumbs up" but I saw the video and it sure looked like the finger to me.