“I’m going to continue doing what I’m doing to try to make sure people can hear there’s — why I make decisions, and as best as I can, explain why I’m optimistic we can succeed.”
President George W. Bush
March 22, 2006
President Bush puts in a good word for blogs today during another powerful question and answer session with a friendly audience in West Virginia.
Expose the Left captured an amazing exchange from the event as seen on FOX News, VIDEO HERE
The White House website documented this powerful question from the wife of an Iraqi soldier who is now back in the states after serving in Iraq:
Yes, ma’am. Yes. No, right here. There you go.
Q Good afternoon, Mr. President. It is an honor to be here today. Thank you for coming. Greetings from Columbus, Ohio.
THE PRESIDENT: There you go. (Applause.)
Q My husband, who is sitting right here with me —
THE PRESIDENT: Actually, my grandfather was raised in Columbus, Ohio — not to change subjects, but —
Q That’s okay, you can do whatever you want to do.
THE PRESIDENT: Prescott S. Bush. (Laughter.)
Q I have a comment, first of all, and then just a real quick question. I want to let you know that every service at our church you are, by name, lifted up in prayer, and you and your staff and all of our leaders. And we believe in you. We are behind you. And we cannot thank you enough for what you’ve done to shape our country. (Applause.)
This is my husband, who has returned from a 13-month tour in Tikrit.
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, yes. Thank you. Welcome back. (Applause.)
Q His job while serving was as a broadcast journalist. And he has brought back several DVDs full of wonderful footage of reconstruction, of medical things going on. And I ask you this from the bottom of my heart, for a solution to this, because it seems that our major media networks don’t want to portray the good. They just want to focus — (applause) —
THE PRESIDENT: Okay, hold on a second.
Q They just want to focus on another car bomb, or they just want to focus on some more bloodshed, or they just want to focus on how they don’t agree with you and what you’re doing, when they don’t even probably know how you’re doing what you’re doing anyway. But what can we do to get that footage on CNN, on FOX, to get it on headline news, to get it on the local news? Because you can send it to the news people — and I’m sorry, I’m rambling — like I have —
THE PRESIDENT: So was I, though, for an hour. (Laughter.)
Q — can you use this, and it will just end up in a drawer, because it’s good, it portrays the good. And if people could see that, if the American people could see it, there would never be another negative word about this conflict.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I appreciate that. (Applause.) No, it — that’s why I come out and speak. I spoke in Cleveland, gave a press conference yesterday — spoke in Cleveland Monday, press conference, here today. I’m going to continue doing what I’m doing to try to make sure people can hear there’s — why I make decisions, and as best as I can, explain why I’m optimistic we can succeed.
One of the things that we’ve got to value is the fact that we do have a media, free media, that’s able to do what they want to do. And I’m not going to — you’re asking me to say something in front of all the cameras here. (Laughter.) Help over there, will you? (Laughter.)
I just got to keep talking. And one of the — there’s word of mouth, there’s blogs, there’s Internet, there’s all kinds of ways to communicate which is literally changing the way people are getting their information. And so if you’re concerned, I would suggest that you reach out to some of the groups that are supporting the troops, that have got Internet sites, and just keep the word — keep the word moving. And that’s one way to deal with an issue without suppressing a free press. We will never do that in America. I mean, the minute we start trying to suppress our press, we look like the Taliban. The minute we start telling people how to worship, we look like the Taliban. And we’re not interested in that in America. We’re the opposite. We believe in freedom. And we believe in freedom in all its forms. And obviously, I know you’re frustrated with what you’re seeing, but there are ways in this new kind of age, being able to communicate, that you’ll be able to spread the message that you want to spread.
Thank you for your concerns, and thank you for your prayer. I want to tell you something interesting about the job of President, and, frankly, I didn’t anticipate this part of the presidency, but it’s an amazing part of my job to know that millions of people pray for me. It’s a — (applause.) It really is. It’s — think about that. Strangers stand up and say, in front of a couple thousand people, I’m praying for you. And it helps. And I appreciate it, and I want to thank you for your prayers. It helps do the job, it helps keep perspective.
Update: (Thursday AM) Powerline wants to find this Columbus couple to help in promoting the DVD’s the media refuses to air. Please, let them know if you have any information.
Update 2: CNN interviewed Gayle (the woman who asked Bush about how to tackle the negative news) and Kent Taylor this morning. Expose the Left has the video.
