Bush: "I thought you were gonna ask me about the pig." ... WTF?

Ye Gods!! Is this imbecile trying to see how fast he can hasten the Rapture?

Mr. Bush made his comments after a ceremony with Mrs. Merkel where he was presented with a traditional local gift in the town square here, a barrel of herring, and hours before he was scheduled to go to a barbeque with a freshly slaughtered wild boar served in his honor.

In his question-and-answer session with reporters, Mr. Bush joked about that dinner, kidding in response to a double-barreled question on the growing crisis and Iran's nuclear ambitions.

"I thought you were going to ask me about the pig," Mr. Bush said.

The NYT article

Being a little late getting on the road for home tonight, I heard part of Randi Rhoades' show on AAR and she was going on and on  [and on and on-she does this every now and then I'm told] about Bush and the German Chancellor doing an afternoon press conference before going to an evening state dinner in George's honor where the main course was a wild boar that was roasting on a spit. They were doing a press conference togehter. He came up with the line about the pig when asked about the Lebanon/Israeli violence. I couldn't believe that this was actually true. So I came home, Googled "Bush Pig" and got several hits other than those about wild pigs in the brush. The above link was first on the list.

Let's put this in perspective:
We've got the Mid East crumbling into chaos and bloodshed, Iran licking its chops about the success of their client army, Hezbollah, striking the Israelis [our client army] and Bush and the Chancellor are asked about the situation by the press corps. The best he can come up with is "I thought you were gonna ask me about the pig."

Anybody have any ideas on how to describe this in real terms? This is so unbelievable that I just can't get my head around it. The Freaking LEADER of the free world [well, we USED to be] is more @#$$% concerned about dinner than making a statement??? But then I realized - He hasn't had anyone script his answers on this and hasn't had the attendees vetted and given a loyalty oath. Of COURSE he can't say anything cuz he has nothing to say!

I immedately felt relieved that MY president was representing our country so well to the world and in such a fitting way. How folksy! "Le's tal' Barbque Chanshler! That'll shoow' em." Is this guy just freaking HIGH or what?!?

Well I can only wonder... [being a good Ahmurrican] "What's German Chili like?"

•  traditional tip jar

  How more idiotic and ill-equiped to cope can this poor dolt be?
  Snarky disbelief discovers that their Realiity has eclipsed our Sarcasm. - AGAIN.

  by daddybunny on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:09:16 PM PDT

•  Did you see the video?

  As I said in another thread Merkel looked like she wished she could just disappear when he said that.

  I saw the clip on CNN, but it's probably up on YouTube as well by now.

  Bush is just building on the success of his comment the last time he met with Merkel, when he said that the best moment of his Presidency was when he caught a fish.

  by ForFreedom on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:14:21 PM PDT

  •  Link Please

    by Sam Wise Gingy on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:20:14 PM PDT

    •  Here you go...

      Pig

      by duvallbuck on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:24:02 PM PDT

      •  thanks

        by Sam Wise Gingy on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:26:35 PM PDT

      •  Thanks!

        What amazed me was how serious Bush looked when he responded to the reporter, "I thought you were going to ask me about the pig."  I swear, I thought he looked pissed, like, yeah, "I thought you were going to ask me about the pig."  <shrug>  Maybe the reporter was supposed to ask him about the damn pig.

        by TracieLynn on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:43:35 PM PDT

        •  I think you may be right.

          Does anyone know if we went on to answer the question?  All I saw was what TDS had and assumed they just didn't show him answering.

          Stupid joke and bad timing, but please, please someone tell me he at least answered the question.

          by Ted Hitler on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 10:56:43 PM PDT

          •  He sort of did

            Here is the White House version of the transcript:

            http://www.whitehouse.gov/...

            by leevank on Sat Jul 15, 2006 at 12:34:21 AM PDT

      •  Thanks...

        I don't have CNN pipline and was trying to find the clip, hadn't even thought of TDS, even though I had seen that episode.

        Watch Merkel's face as Bush answers the question.

        by ForFreedom on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:45:25 PM PDT

      •  permalink

        TDS: Bush and the Pig!

        by subtropolis on Sat Jul 15, 2006 at 12:57:40 AM PDT

    •  Crooks and Liars have it

      http://www.crooksandliars.com/...

      by Pam from Calif on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 10:20:53 PM PDT

      •  Can't find the whole press conference

        It's not on cspan. Has anyone found the whole thing?

        by Sam Wise Gingy on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 10:30:32 PM PDT

•  Typical response

  By Bush when he doesn't want to answer the question.

  He makes a "joke" and the reporters "laugh".

  I read somewhere that it might also have been an underlying dig at the Germans themselves, but I am too tired to find it.  Maybe someone else can.

  I can give some credence to this theory simply because Bush kept repeating the word "pig".  Given that we raise pigs and eat pork (or even boar) I wonder why he insisted on repeating the word otherwise.  Why not say barbeque for variety?

  I worry that Bush is gonna get what he wants regardless -- War on Iran.

  I checked out Sy Hersh's column from April and read this:
  

  One former defense official, who still deals with sensitive issues for the Bush Administration, told me that the military planning was premised on a belief that "a sustained bombing campaign in Iran will humiliate the religious leadership and lead the public to rise up and overthrow the government." He added, "I was shocked when I heard it, and asked myself, `What are they smoking?' "

  What are they smoking indeed.

  by Bionic on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:16:27 PM PDT

  •  yeah

    He thinks he is cute that way. Somebody should tell him, sir. You are not cute, you sounded like a third grader dunce.

    by fugue on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:21:00 PM PDT

    •  You have to understand

      Pig was the word of the day.  You know how he likes to repeat the word of the day in his scripted Q&A sessions.  This was just todays word.  Perhaps next week he'll be ready for two syllable words.

      by Grannus on Sat Jul 15, 2006 at 03:02:00 AM PDT

  •  Maybe it was a dig

    at the WRONG FUCKING TIME, but a dig  nevertheless. The expression on her face seemed to betray some disagreement or hostility. Did someone on her staff refer to Bush as a pig within earshot of Bush or one of his staff? Did Bush assume the pig represented the Germans feelings toward him and ran with the comparison? Now I feel bad for Bush because....nah, he's still a fucktard!

    by ejbr on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 10:37:26 PM PDT

    •  I don't think her response necessarily

      would have anything to do with a dig.

      Frankly, it's the response that any adult human being would have to a world-class boor.  

      Now, I wouldn't put a sick, dig past petty, little George, but even if it wasn't a dig, man, he's an absolute mockery of a statesman, and what decent human being wouldn't respond with barely restrained disgust.

      Two more years of this freakish fool.  Gawd.

      by 2lucky on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 11:14:20 PM PDT

  •  Let me at him

    He makes a "joke" and the reporters "laugh."

    Just one time, I would like to be the reporter asking a question and getting that kind of answer. I would immediately ask another: "President Bush, do you have any fucking clue what you're doing?"

    Just one time. Just once. Please, please, please. The CIA can extradite me, the NSA can listen to me have sex, I don't care ... I just know that if one time someone came back at him he'd implode with anger and confusion ... and I would die a happy person.

    by JuliaAnn on Sat Jul 15, 2006 at 12:19:33 AM PDT

  •  yeah, he said it four times

    Check out this question from one of the journalists:

    Q A question addressed to you both. You talked about the Middle East, and what is your assessment of the military action of Israel in Lebanon? The French Foreign Minister already said it is disproportionate. Does that give you cause for Europe or the United States to intervene?

    And apart from the pig, Mr. President, what sort of insights have you been able to gain as regards East Germany? -- (inaudible) --

    by subtropolis on Sat Jul 15, 2006 at 01:04:29 AM PDT

•  I was just doing a post on this

  This is his International Katrina Moment.  

  by naufragus on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:17:23 PM PDT

•  Is it any wonder...

  that the world see us as dangerous. Here is the leader of the USA being asked a serious question about serious fighting and ramifications in the Middle East.

  What does he do? He shows the people of Germany that what we have is not a US President. What we Americans have elected is a senior class President. He acts like he hasn't grown beyond high school.

  by duvallbuck on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:21:28 PM PDT

  •  grade school not high school

    I think today's high school kids are more sophisticated and more articulate.

    by Pam from Calif on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 10:17:08 PM PDT

    •  Mine just graduated HS and ...

      she was more articulate in fifth grade. And yes, she's ashamed of the C-in-C.

      by va dare on Sat Jul 15, 2006 at 05:09:21 AM PDT

•  The Lord of the Flies has been buzzing in

  my head since I read Bush's banter.  I so wish that reporters would stop laughing at his nonsense and let him bomb harmlessly for a change.

  by Friend of the court on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:26:51 PM PDT

•  So frigging sad

  We used to have statesmen/women... now we have someone who isn't even up to customer service at Wendy's. Merkel's look said it all.

  What an asshole.

  by howth of murph on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:28:54 PM PDT

•  yes

  He said that.

  Now watch this drive.

  by jay23 on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:32:14 PM PDT

  •  Or

    when he chastises the press for not complimenting him on his rifle shot.  What a punk.

    by TracieLynn on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:44:49 PM PDT

•  Of course he acted like an idiot.

  An actual reporter asked him an actual, important question. You know George doesn't have the ability to answer.
  He continues to embarrass 170 million American citizens (the other 80 million are his 32% base)

  by shayera on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:40:53 PM PDT

•  *What an embarassment*

  If people think George is among the "elite" in this country, how stupid must they thing the rest of us are?

  by cackyp on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:41:53 PM PDT

  •  Oh Dude

    We don't think you guys are stupid.  

    (Although we are still wondering how during the election 30% of the votes ended up being the majority   /snark)

    by Sleeps in Trees on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:53:02 PM PDT

    •  LOL.

      I just read your sig.  

      by 2lucky on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:58:30 PM PDT

•  The Alphabet

  I am expecting Bush to burp the alphabet at the next UN Security meeting.

  by Sleeps in Trees on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:47:57 PM PDT

  •  You're assuming

    he knows the alphabet.

    by TracieLynn on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:50:50 PM PDT

    •  No child left behind .... n/t

      by Sleeps in Trees on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:54:06 PM PDT

  •  best laugh I've had all day

    that's very funny...what a visual

    by Winnie on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 09:58:03 PM PDT

  •  Right after he greets Kofi Annan

    with 'pull my finger' instead of a handshake.

    by ForFreedom on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 10:00:08 PM PDT

    •  And yet another contender ...

      for top comment of the day! I'm flat-out cracking up here.

      by va dare on Sat Jul 15, 2006 at 05:07:15 AM PDT

      •  Wooo hoo

        Rock On ForFreedom you just got an excellent "fart joke" on comments of the day!

        That is great!  No one gets potty humour like a mum living with 2 sons, a husband and a brother.

        Just for that  pull my finger

        by Sleeps in Trees on Sat Jul 15, 2006 at 10:06:22 PM PDT

•  Nice diary...

  ...but I thought you going to tell us more about that pig instead of BORING us with all this Israel this and Lebanon that.

  BRING ON THE PIG!

  ...uh, don't bother. He's here.

  by Bensdad on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 10:06:47 PM PDT

•  Yes, and don't forget about the defilement...

  The bit of snark in the poll is perhaps the most salient point of all.

  Jews and Muslims in the Middle East who were looking to the Bush press conference for insights into American policy were confronted with a disturbing joke instead.

  It's like if someone asked the Chinese leader Jiang about 9/11 and he said "I thought you were going to ask me about the roasted dog."

  nashophile

  by nashophile on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 10:45:54 PM PDT

•  I claim it first

  for my new sig line.

  by hoplite9 on Fri Jul 14, 2006 at 11:50:14 PM PDT

  •  We have another winner...

    for the day's top comments diary.

    by va dare on Sat Jul 15, 2006 at 05:06:08 AM PDT

    •  Cool!

      by hoplite9 on Sat Jul 15, 2006 at 08:40:17 AM PDT

•  It is Prozac they must smoke... Bionic

  But one should not under-estimate the scope of Mr Bush double-talk, nor the craziness of his administration hidden agenda.

  Sorry, but i started another diary on what pig can resonate with : here

  it would have been too long + i think the guy is a brilliant actor :
  Stupid for his enemy, but under the table, a genuin master for his crowd.
  Maybe it is Bush that lead Rove, after all...

  by Dav Let on Sun Jul 16, 2006 at 02:57:11 AM PDT