"Some Pessimism and Some Skepticism"

Add a little water, and—voila!—a 70% disapproval rate!

Shaker Random Guy forwarded me the link to Bush's interview with Jim Lehrer (watch it here), which is simply astounding. Even if you hate watching Bush (as I do), this one is worth watching, because Lehrer asks him real questions…and so Bush squirms.

I'm not certain what my favorite bit is, but this has gotta be a contender, following a hilarious exchange when Lehrer asks Bush about why he hasn't asked Americans to sacrifice for this war, and Bush pretends Lehrer is asking about tax cuts instead of a draft, something Lehrer refuses to let him get away with:

MR. LEHRER: Well, for instance, Mr. President, some people have asked why—and I would ask you about—have you considered some kind of national service program, that would be civilian as well as military, that would involve more people in the effort to—not just militarily, but you talk about ideology, all this sort of stuff—in other words, to kind of muster the support of young Americans, and other Americans, in this struggle that you say is so monumental and so important.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Yeah, I have considered whether it ought to be compulsory, non-military service, I guess is the best way to put it. I'm not for compulsory military service, by the way. I think the volunteer army is working and we got to keep it strong. I made the decision early on to set up what's—something called the USA Freedom Corps, which could encourage volunteerism; call people to take time out of their lives to serve our country with compassionate acts. And by the way, volunteerism is high in America. But no, you know, I thought through compulsory national service and thought that the route that we picked was the best route.

MR. LEHRER: The best route. How would you define, finally, where the best route is going to end? …

Wow.