Bush was in Philadelphia last Tuesday, Jack Murtha’s home state, to give a rah-rah speech to the Philidelphia World Affairs Council on Monday.  This day Bush opened his sanctum to Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News for a little PR exercise.  Given his pathetic approval ratings in the 30’s,  the Bush Administration must have felt the need to reach out.

After his speech at the luncheon, Bush gets a silly grin on his face and says, "I’ve got a little extra time on my hands, maybe I’ll answer some questions." 

Nobody expected this.  He usually just smiles and waves, then darts for the safe haven of the Presidential limo.  Not this time - this time he had a reporter to cowtow to so he improvises.  God help us all.

 The first bomb:Bush called on Didi Goldmark, 63, a former libel defense lawyer from New Hope, Pa. "Since the inception of the Iraqi war," she said, "I’d like to know the approximate total of Iraqis who have been killed. And by Iraqis I include civilians, military, police, insurgents, translators." The Bush administration has usually brushed this question by saying that the Pentagon does not count Iraqi victims. The President showed a new confidence by answering the question, "How many Iraqi citizens have died in this war?" he said, beginning the answer that would create the headlines from the event. "I would say 30,000, more or less, have died as a result of the initial incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis. We’ve lost about 2,140 of our own troops in Iraq." The White House later backpedaled and stated the number was not a government estimate, but was based on news reports that the total was 27,000 to 30,000.

 The second bomb:Bush called on Faézé Woodville, 44, of Stratford, Pa., who cares for two sons at home. "Mr. President," she began, "I would like to know why it is that you and others in your administration keep linking 9/11 to the invasion of Iraqwhen no respected journalist or Middle Eastern expert confirmed that such a link existed." She got a burst of applause. 

The only applause the official White House transcript references is after Bush’s vacuous answer.  Bush pretended not to hear the question (Freudian, no doubt) and made her repeat it before he answered.  She repeated it word for word the second time.

"I appreciate that," he began, which is the way he often begins the answers to questions he does not appreciate the continued, " 9/11 changed my look on foreign policy. I mean, it said that oceans no longer protect us…"

In reality, this means his answer is that we should all be afraid and stay afraid and that is the justification for all unjustified slaughter.  Bush continued with the usual drivel about how Sadam was such a bad guy, etc.

Chatting afterward with reporters from TIME and The Washington Post, Woodville said she was disappointed by the non-answer. "He must think we’re morons," she said.

Bush excapes the real world for the sanctuary of la la land and a chat with Brian Williams.  During some non-camera on Air Force One that day Williams asked Bush about thePresident about one-time administration claims that Iraqis would welcome Americans as liberators. "I think we are welcomed. But it was not a peaceful welcome," the President replied.

Wow…and the scary part is he had no idea what he just said.