Kudos to President Bush

Yes, you read that right.

President Bush gave a speech today (the second time in as many weeks) at which questions were allowed from an unscreened audience.

The relevant part is here (the quote is a little long, but bear with me):

Q You never stop talking about freedom, and I appreciate that. But while I listen to you talk about freedom, I see you assert your right to tap my telephone, to arrest me and hold me without charges, to try to preclude me from breathing clean air and drinking clean water and eating safe food. If I were a woman, you'd like to restrict my opportunity to make a choice and decision about whether I can abort a pregnancy on my own behalf. You are --

THE PRESIDENT: I'm not your favorite guy. Go ahead. (Laughter and applause.) Go on, what's your question?

Q Okay, I don't have a question. What I wanted to say to you is that I -- in my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington, including the presidency, by the Senate, and --

AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: No, wait a sec -- let him speak.

Q And I would hope -- I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration, and I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself inside yourself. And I also want to say I really appreciate the courtesy of allowing me to speak what I'm saying to you right now. That is part of what this country is about.

THE PRESIDENT: It is, yes. (Applause.)

Q And I know that this doesn't come welcome to most of the people in this room, but I do appreciate that.

THE PRESIDENT: Appreciate --

Q I don't have a question, but I just wanted to make that comment to you.

Now, obviously, I agree with the speaker. But I have to give kudos to President Bush for taking the question/comment and (if you listen to the audio) being very patient and defending the guy's right to speak, even as the guy was saying bad things about the President.

On top of all of that, President Bush gave a reasoned and thoughtful response. The answer was wrong in my opinion, there were many facets of it with which I disagree, but he took the question, he hushed the crowd and let the man be heard, and then he gave an answer which actually answered some of the points rather than entirely ducking the issues raised.

I still don't agree with this President. I still believe his policies and his consolidation of Presidential power are unconstitutional and bad for this country. But finally he's starting to hear the other side. He's starting to get, in ever so small bites, a taste of the 65% of opinion which does NOT think he's doing a good job that has for all too long been kept out of his Presidential bubble. And he's not dismissing the rare comment he does hear as completely atypical of the average citizen.

Read the transcript here.

Liam.