Reply #11: I dunno...

[wyldwolf]

Not discounting the possibility raised here, but I think "let me finish" is another of Bush's stock lines. He's said it before in a press conference - probably designed to make him look authoritative.

When I saw him use it the first time, I assumed a reporter was about to ask a follow-up before Bush finished the first answer. However, in the debate, it was obvious he was not running low on time, no one was interrupting him, and he said it for effect. The effect, however, was bewilderment from Lehrer and the audience.