Why is President Bush giving Kate Snow advice on her sex life?

[Snellius]

President Bush's press conferences are often more revealing for the inane little asides they provide into how his mind -- I use the term loosely -- works. This bit with the fresh new ABC correspondent, Kate Snow, who recently joined the press corps from CNN, struck me as particularly creepy:

THE PRESIDENT: Kate.

Q That's right. Thank you, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: How long have you been -- how long have you been in the press corps? You look like you just came.

Q Last week was my first week.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, congratulations.

Q Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Be careful whose company you're keeping, though. (Laughter.)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/07/20030730-1.html

I have no idea what this means or why the President of the United States, with so much else on his mind -- war, terrorism, how to pronounce "nuculur" -- would take the time to bother giving the cute young reporter advice on whom she's sleeping with. I assume that's what "keeping company" means, since I haven't heard that phrase -- other than in a few old westerns when I was a kid -- for many years.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

1. Because he's a jackass

:-)

[imwatchingem]

2. Not her sex life

He appeared to be referring to the reporter sitting to her left (can't think of his name at the moment).

I think it might be the last time young Kate is called on for a long time, as she asked a tough question that he did his best to avoid responding to. When he finally did get around to it, he was snappish and condescending. But what else is new.

[SpiralHawk]

3. Yet another curious remark to a woman reporter

at the Rose Garden "press event" of yesterday. I was washing the dishes last night, with the PBS mcNeil-Leher news hour on. They played a long segment of the press conference.

I wasn't paying strict attention, but I did hear a woman reporter pose to Bush a question that somehow included the word frustrated.

Bush looked at her and smirked, and said "You don't look frustrated to me." Then he smirked again.

[DemLikr]

8. OMG, is that for real? He's so smarmy it's breathtaking.

But, of course, as Tweety Matthews said last night on "SoftBall," Shrub is a "good guy, EVERYBODY likes this guy..."

what a fuckwad

[CBHagman]

12. Is that the same Tweety who said of the Iraq war...

..."women like this war"? :eyes:


I just DESPISE boorish, brainless Matthews.

[Imajika]

4. Hmmmm..

"THE PRESIDENT: Be careful whose company you're keeping, though."

How does this necessarily have anything to do with her sex life?

I believe I've heard the term before and I never thought it needed to mean who I, or anyone else, was sleeping with.

I took what Bush Jr. said as veiled slap at the rest of the press corps. Sort of like saying that the media people are wolves so don't trust them and be careful who you associate with.

"I have no idea what this means or why the President of the United States, with so much else on his mind..."

HA! Funny. I don't think he stresses too much over much of anything. Think about how, in a twisted sort of way, it must be sortof liberating being him - you make life and death decisions and never second guess yourself, look back, worry about having been wrong, consider how it might effect others, etc, etc. Really, I'd bet most American's spend more time fretting and concerning themselves over much smaller, day to day issues than Bush does about huge, earthshaking ones.

Imajika

[htuttle]

5. Bush was kind of light in his loafers at that 'press conference'

I think Poppy gave him an extra Haldol before he went on.

[Ripley]

6. I think it was a veiled threat for her to NOT hang out with

Helen, the real reporter.

[sexybomber]

7. yeah, that sounds more likely

since Bush hates her.

[DemLikr]

9. He is so offensive on so many levels...

He uses their first names derisively, to establish himself as the dominant player in the relationship, he smirks at women, he insults men, he rubs the heads of the bald ones, he speaks in exasperated tones as though his audience is simply too dumb to grasp the wisdom of his meaningless babblings.

OMG, I despise this man!!!!!!

I wish one of the reporters would refer to him as "George," or better yet, "Shrub," in response when he calls them by their familiar names or one of those demeaning nicknames.

[librechik]

10. he's a jackass

and a disgusting pervert, no doubt, if given the opportunity.
The kind of CEO who would flirt around "paternally" with the younger female employees and never get called on it because he's the boss.
It's supposedly innocent activity, but there's an evil undercurrent no one can miss.

His whole persona is this sort of evil jokester character. On some talk show I heard a caller say the Bush administration is satanic. "No," the host said. "They're Satan. There's a difference."

[yellowcanine]

11. Why did he say "You look like you just came"

Am I the only one that thinks this is a really dumb thing to say to a young female reporter? At best it is condescending, as in, she looks young and naive - at worst, with his back-slapping fratboy image, it might be taken as a sexual double entendre.

[BurtWorm]

13. Why do reporters laugh at Bush boy's "jokes"

when they're a) not funny and b) meant to put reporters in their place?

[Lisa]

14. because he's a smarmy old busybody!

He's done this a number of times -- made off-color or double-entendre comments to female reporters (especially young ones). I used to think he was just clueless, but now I suspect it's because he knows it flusters people (and panders to the "har, har!" type of male).

During Alexandra Pelosi's film of him, he badgered her about her romantic life. And a while back, he brazenly asked one woman if she was going to name her baby after him, "Georgia W." (something which is associated with claiming paternity!).