Tony Snow Offers Defiant Clarification: Bush Is Not Frustrated Over Iraq
Tony Snow Offers Defiant Clarification: Bush Is Not Frustrated Over Iraq
Today, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times offer accounts of Bush’s recent meeting with a panel of Iraq scholars. The NYT piece claimed that the participants came away with the impression that Bush is “frustrated that the new Iraqi government…had not shown greater public support for the American mission.†The Times offers these quotes:
“I sensed a frustration with the lack of progress on the bigger picture of Iraq generally — that we continue to lose a lot of lives, it continues to sap our budget,†said one person who attended the meeting.
[…]
“I do think he was frustrated about why 10,000 Shiites would go into the streets and demonstrate against the United States,†said another person who attended.
More than 110 Iraqis were killed each day last month, and car bombs continue to erupt daily in Iraq’s most populous areas. Sixty percent of Americans oppose the war, yet the top concern for the White House this morning was to combat the impression that Bush is “frustrated” over these events and his own failing policies.
At the press briefing, Tony Snow said he took “exception to [the] verb, or variations of that verb.” He’s not “frustrated,” but rather, “determined,” Snow later said of Bush’s disposition on Iraq. Out of touch is a better description. Watch it:
Full transcript:
A number of newspapers today, a couple – the New York Times and the LA Times — had pieces about the president’s meeting the other day with Iraq scholars. Just a couple of nits to pick with the Times piece – and I have spoken with the note-taker in the meeting, I was in the meeting, I have talked to others in the meeting, and I have talked to all four scholars today. And all to a person take exception to a verb, or variations of that verb, that appear in number of times at the top of the piece — which is that the president is frustrated.
He is “frustrated that the new Iraqi government — and the Iraqi people — had not shown greater public support for the American mission.†All the participants said that that did not reflect the meeting they attended.
“A sense of frustration on the lack of progress on the bigger picture of Iraq generally.†Again, all of those in attendance said that that did not reflect their characterization.
And a paragraph that said, “The president expressed frustration that Iraqis had not come to appreciate the sacrifices the United States had made in Iraq, and was puzzled as to how a recent anti-American rally in support of Hezbollah in Baghdad could draw such a large crowd.†That was unanimously rejected as well.
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61 Responses to “Tony Snow Offers Defiant Clarification: Bush Is Not Frustrated Over Iraq”
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Snow is right on this one, Bush is not frustrated, …he is frushshtrated though.
August 16th, 2006 at 12:19 pmNo,Bush is not frustrated over Iraq.
The death,the horror–everything is just peachy.
August 16th, 2006 at 12:20 pmWhy would they appreciate all the chaos we’ve helped create?
“Puzzled”? How about, just plain clueless. Stupid little Shrub.
August 16th, 2006 at 12:22 pmI’m no grammar scholar, but isn’t ‘frustrated’ generally used as an adjective? It’s rarely used as a verb.
August 16th, 2006 at 12:22 pmHe is “frustrated that the new Iraqi government — and the Iraqi people — had not shown greater public support for the American mission.â€
Ha ha ha!
August 16th, 2006 at 12:28 pmAnd Americans continue to be frustrated at the lack
August 16th, 2006 at 12:37 pmof truth coming out of this administration, Tony.
Wait, not frustrated, PISSED OFF!
i am quickly reminded of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9YextYF-2k
August 16th, 2006 at 12:38 pmOnly fast growing brush and dull tools frustrate me.
-G.W. Bush
August 16th, 2006 at 12:39 pmBush is frustrated, but that doesn’t matter.
August 16th, 2006 at 12:42 pmTHE AMERICAN PEOPLE, AND MILLIONS OF OTHER PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD ARE FRUSTRATED! THAT’S WHAT MATTERS!
You know, if Bush was getting frustrated it would make most of the world feel a little better about him, we’d feel that at least he has the brains and the interest to realise he is screwing up.
August 16th, 2006 at 12:44 pmHe is “frustrated that the new Iraqi government — and the Iraqi people — had not shown greater public support for the American mission.â€
August 16th, 2006 at 12:46 pm———————–
Die,or be mutilated,with a little more grace,will ya?
What? My subjects don’t love me? Don’t they know all the wonderful things I’ve done for them?
Great. King George III morphs into St. George the Martyr.
Oh, and I believe Tony Snow as much as I believe George Allen didn’t mean to use an ethnic slur.
August 16th, 2006 at 12:49 pmNo,Bush is not frustrated over Iraq.
The death,the horror–everything is just peachy.
Comment by Steve53
Like mother like son…..now why would he worry his pretty little mind over this Iraq thing. The Iraqis were living in tents and such before this, so this is working out quite well for them.
August 16th, 2006 at 12:50 pmThe kicker: the conference was held to dispel the idea that the Bush administration is out of touch.
August 16th, 2006 at 12:54 pmDamn… Tony’s looking tired nowadays.
I would expect a real leader to be frustrated by the obvious lack of progress in Iraq. Frustration would be a natrual response to a situation wherein specific goals were not being achieved as planned.
Emphasizing that Bush is not frustrated with the obvious mess in Iraq only reinforces the perception that Bush has no plan, therefore the lack of progress cannot be measured.
August 16th, 2006 at 12:55 pmClyde is back.
Thanks for all your support. The cause has not been determined but my ISP changed my wireless server or some such thing. I apologize to any one I may have offended.
August 16th, 2006 at 12:55 pmWell, there you go. Tony says it didn’t happen…therefore, it didn’t.
It must be nice to be able to edit reality to suit your whims.
August 16th, 2006 at 12:59 pmHahahahaha… this is a clip from the Marx brothers, right? Camel Feathers?
August 16th, 2006 at 1:00 pmSnow is entertaining. He’s an entertainer. He entertains for his $$$. Like slapstick or ventriloquism or juggling or talk radio.
Entertaining.
August 16th, 2006 at 1:01 pmComment by TripMaster Monkey — August 16, 2006 @ 12:59 pm
I’ve noticed younger and/or computer savvy folks are less inclined to blurt. Modern phenomena.
August 16th, 2006 at 1:03 pmSorta reminds me of “Nineteen Eighty-Four” where Winston works at the Ministry of Truth rewriting old new stories in order change history, alter facts that the party finds inconvenient, and then sometimes create historical fact out of whole cloth to suit the needs of ther party.
August 16th, 2006 at 1:12 pmOh please! In order to get frustrated one has to posess the natural curiosity of a human being, not Curious George…
August 16th, 2006 at 1:16 pmIn the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.— Dwight D. Eisenhower
August 16th, 2006 at 1:16 pmde·lu·sion (d-lzhn)
n.
1.
a. The act or process of deluding.
b. The state of being deluded.
2. A false belief or opinion: labored under the delusion that success was at hand.
3. Psychiatry A false belief strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence, especially as a symptom of mental illness: delusions of persecution.
I’ll take b, c and d for a million.
August 16th, 2006 at 1:22 pmIs frustrated a verb?
August 16th, 2006 at 1:26 pmComment by Clyde the Ripper — August 16, 2006 @ 12:55 pm
Nice to have you back. :)
August 16th, 2006 at 1:32 pmhttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/frustrated
Even if Bush doesn’t feel frustrated, being stuck in Iraq is making his foreign policies “ineffectual and invalid,” so, uh, yeah, that’s frustrated.
August 16th, 2006 at 1:34 pmThe news is spinning the Bush machine. Not the other way around. They are broken and it shows.
-GSD
August 16th, 2006 at 1:42 pmTony looks very tired. It’s gotta be hard work — spinning, spinning, lying, lying. Trying to defend the indefensible. He looks like a ghost.
August 16th, 2006 at 1:43 pmNation building is hard work. Alot harder than clearing brush. I hope all the morons who voted for Bush are real pleased with their choice of a simpleton, C student, cowboy jack ass that has completly destroyed our standing in the world. Pat your selves on the back f@ckers!
August 16th, 2006 at 1:51 pmGood point GSD.
Either that, or Bush is trying desperately to repair his image so that other repubs can feel comfortable realigning under his banner. Don’t kid yourself. The lessons of Liberman vs. Lamont are no doubt being scrutinized even as we speak. Of course, Bush will begin withdrawing (without calling it withdrawing) and redeploying. The ultimate goal? Resolidify the base and get back to doing what matters: crushing the poor under the New Tax-And-Spend Hammer of the Elephant.
I mean, don’t you think it’s time? :(
August 16th, 2006 at 1:53 pmAnd its not daylight outside, i talked to some qualified people and they said its the moon your seeing with the volume turned up.
OK Tony, thanks for the clarification. Boy, we were way off…
August 16th, 2006 at 1:54 pmThe Tone-meister is aging . . . . very quickly.
August 16th, 2006 at 1:56 pmHe’s put on 10 years since he accepted his position as junior’s slot-machine.
And the Right gives Clinton trouble over the meaning of “is”. Sheesh. How does frustrated = determined?
Tony Snow deserves a raise just for that gem of re-writing history.
August 16th, 2006 at 2:03 pmBush denied being “frustrated”, but admitted yet again that it was “hard work” thinking about his War almost everyday and watching it on T.V.
August 16th, 2006 at 2:24 pmThis post claims that Tony Snow latter said that “out of touch is a better description.” It would be nice to have that part of the video included in the post, or at least in the transcript.
August 16th, 2006 at 2:25 pmWow! Well over three years into this war and the Bush administration is now willing to listen to experts who may be able to explain the dynamics at play within the country and the region? Nothing could better portray the intransigence of the neocon mindset. Further, it serves to reinforce the accusations that the neocons manipulated the data and the assessments prior to invading Iraq. The views they received in this recent meeting are not new observations…they are long held perspectives about Iraq and the region that have been readily available to any who were willing to listen. We can only hope that the President is finally listening and learning.
Read full article here:
http://www.thoughttheater.com
August 16th, 2006 at 2:33 pmTony Snow was at one time a professional journalist, now it appears he is just a professional liar.
August 16th, 2006 at 2:36 pmSO disappointing to cause a genocide and have to dismantle a country in order to leave four major airbases and a Citadel larger than the Vatican in the ashes — and not have you monkeys grateful we didn’t kill your whole family yet.
(KKK Shitehouse): “Hey, Macacas, you’re disappointing us! What, do you think you’re American n*ggers? Haji, please. Do what we say, or we’ll kill you. We’ll kill you anyhow, but do what we say or else we’ll torture your children. OK? It’s just SO DISAPPOINTING that the tens of thousands of tons of Uranium we’ve sprayed all over your land will cause hundreds of thousands of cases of childhood leukemia and bone cancer over the next 100 years. It’s RADIOACTIVE! So disappointing that you wouldn’t know that.”
August 16th, 2006 at 3:08 pm[…] Earlier today, I posted about President Bush’s recent meeting with Iraq experts at which it was reported that he expressed frustration about the progress of the war. At a press briefing this morning White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said that Bush was not “frustrated” but was rather “determined.” […]
August 16th, 2006 at 3:08 pm[…] The LA Times and NY Times reported in their papers that the President was frustrated with the situation in Iraq. Well, WH spokesperson Tony Snow says, the President IS NOT frustrated with Iraq. Yeah, it’s August, it’s vacation time, there’s really not much to do, so it’s pointless to be frustrated with a war that is going nowhere. Click here to see the clip at Thinkprogress.org […]
August 16th, 2006 at 3:54 pmMan, if the FUBAR that is Iraq happened on MY watch, I would be very frustrated.
August 16th, 2006 at 4:03 pmI would have never believed it but Tony McSnowjob, the White House spokesliar, is a bigger liar in this position than he was on FOX News.
August 16th, 2006 at 4:05 pm[…] Watch Video […]
August 16th, 2006 at 4:05 pmBush isn’t half as frustrated with the Iraq war as the Iraqis are frustrated with Bush’s war.
August 16th, 2006 at 5:00 pmI think at this point the majority of the country and the majority of the rest of the world could care less what Bush thinks about anything.
August 16th, 2006 at 5:44 pmThe only thing left in Iraq is the killing.
August 16th, 2006 at 5:46 pmWay to go, Snow. Bush isn’t frustrated? Really? You don’t say. Because Bush ought to be frustrated by it. The rest of the world is frustrated to DEATH by it. Not Bush though. He knows better than the entire population of this planet.
August 16th, 2006 at 5:47 pmThe Decider has spoken . . .
August 16th, 2006 at 6:09 pmUntil he’s Finished President . . . the death and destruction will continue.
Bush claims he’s not frustrated by Iraq, there is NO civil war, he intends to “stay the course,” and as long as he is President, we aren’t leaving. Folks, we have over 2 years left with this fool and his administration. Either the Democrats take the House (at least) in November, or there will be civil war in this country, I fear.
August 16th, 2006 at 7:06 pmApparently, W’s shallowness with being frustrated at a lack of Iraqi gratitude is too much for even the most vociferous of trolls to try and spin away, apologize for or defend
Apparently, W is now learning what the W trolls already know, it’s frustrating trying to spin or defend unpleasant realities on a constant basis, especially when they know it won’t rally the public around the President ever again
August 16th, 2006 at 7:16 pmDid someone just kick Snowflake in the nuts?
August 16th, 2006 at 9:53 pmBush SHOULD be beside himself with grief and self-loathing–knowing that all the unnecessary death and suffering was essentially a business decision.
How DO the self-serving elite manage to walk around without a particle of humanity?
August 16th, 2006 at 10:27 pmTony looks like shit. Do you think it’s oozing out from his brains?
August 16th, 2006 at 10:32 pmIs it just me or does Tony Snow look like he’s aged at least 5 years over the last few months? At this rate he’ll be in a box by New Years day.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:53 pmAt this rate he’ll be in a box by New Years day.
Comment by Zeke
Well, Scottie was only 22 years old….
August 16th, 2006 at 11:50 pmtony snow sucks Jeff Gannon/Guckert’s dick, and then pays him, or so I’ve heard.
August 16th, 2006 at 11:51 pmBush is not frustrated, he’s clueless.
That’s not correct , Jeff goes down on Tony too!
August 17th, 2006 at 6:51 am[…] Mid stay the course corrections: Bush is not frustrated in Iraq, he is “determined.” Determined to see us through. It’s always good when the blind ones will see us through. […]
August 17th, 2006 at 9:22 amApparently, W is now learning what the W trolls already know, it’s frustrating trying to spin or defend unpleasant realities on a constant basis, especially when they know it won’t rally the public around the President ever again
February 25th, 2007 at 10:08 amAt this rate he’ll be in a box by New Years day.
February 25th, 2007 at 10:09 amComment by Zeke