Now Bush says it was a Bass? Media now says he was joking. IDIOT!

[Oreo]

Of course they're now saying he was joking when he answered the question. This one was so far out that they couldn't have spun it any other way. The fish story does (as another poster said) have legs.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12680181/from/RL.1/

Bush Jokes About Best Moment As President
Related Stories

Updated: 10:26 p.m. ET May 7, 2006

WASHINGTON - President Bush says his best moment in office was the time he caught a 7 1/2-pound largemouth bass.

During his more than five years in office, Bush has traveled the world's most impressive cities, met with world leaders and entertained celebrities.

[hippiechick]

1. Jebus now he's even lying about catching a FISH ?!?!?

:wow: Has he EVER told the truth about ANYTHING ?!?!?!

[DBoon]

5. and the media is even helping him out with this!!!

How many calls did Rove have to make to the major networks about a damn fish?

[rucky]

2. Clinton and Carter weren't joking.

and seemed delighted to answer the question.

it's not the kind of question you joke about when you've experienced as much as a president.

[NanceGreggs]

3. JOKING, my ass!

When you think about it, though, what else could he have said in answer to the question?

"My best moment? Let's see, there's the great economy - no, wait, it would be the incredible success in Iraq - no, I mean, the incredible success in Afghanistan - um, I mean, the way people have responded so positively to my Medicare drug - no, I mean my Social Security reform idea, which got such a -- oh, okay. Yeah, it was the time I caught a fish - yeah, THAT'S the ticket!"

What an idiot.

[Dudley_DUright]

4. It is even worse if he was joking,

since it shows that he has no idea how to answer this very serious question.

[robbedvoter]

13. But he's funnier than Comedy Central - Millbank sez so

[susu369]

14. Reminds me of his answer about his favorite philosopher

and he stated Christ was his favorite philosopher. He had no clue how to answer that question.

And the media responded:

God save great George, our King/Long live our noble King/God save the king.

[JuniperLea]

6. He doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground

No surprise he wouldn't know one fish from another.

[stepnw1f]

7. Shallow Fucking Loser

I can't wait till he is impeached and then tried for War Crimes. What an evil sick juvenile boy king.

[Supersedeas]

39. the dimmest bulb on the holiday tree

[Oreo]

8. German translations

Perch in German is Barsch
Bass in German is Bass

They didn't mess up the translation

http://www.dict.cc/english-german/b50.php

Dummkopf!

[MyNameGoesHere]

9. Hmm

I agreee

7.5 Zerstoßen Mit großer Öffnung Baß = 7.5 pound largemaouth bass

7.5 zerstoßen Stange = 7.5 pound Perch


Liar always.

[Igel]

22. Link, text

http://www.bild.t-online.de/BTO/news/aktuell/2006/05/07/bush-diekmann-besuch/bush-diekmann-besuch-teil2.html

... und was war der beste Moment Ihrer Amtszeit?

Wissen Sie, ich habe viele grossartige Momente erlebt. Es faellt mir schwer, die grossartigstenzu benennen. Ich wuerde sagen, der allerbest Moment war, als ich einen Siebeneinhalf-Pfund-Barsch aus meinem See geangelt habe. (lacht)

So not Stange, not Bass. Instead, Barsch. But Barsch clearly means 'perch', with 'bass' only a secondary meaning. Barsch is typically in Percidae. That's that, except there exists the word Seebarsch.

http://www.angelmax.de/fischlexikon/salzwasserfische/seebarsch.html

If you say "ich einen Barsch aus meinem See geangelt habe," would a native speaker probably assume it means "Seebarsch"? For that, my German isn't nearly good enough.

[robbedvoter]

12. What do THEY know? Only the White House can translate bushspeak

See last paragraph of the article in reuters yesterday:
"
Because Bild could not immediately furnish English quotes, Bush's comments were translated from the German. The paper said the White House planned to release an authorised English version of the interview on Monday."

[saltpoint]

16. Hah! Sounds like distortions from Old Europe to me!

[grannylib]

10. So was he joking about the WORST moment as well???

Has anyone brought THAT up to the liars and whores who support the Decider in Thief?

[Cha]

11. Me to media..."Who the

fuck cares what the little sob said?...it's all lies, anyway.

[saltpoint]

15. "It was a perch. No, wait, it was a bass. No it wasn't -- it was a

swordfish. Yeah, that's it. No, not a swordfish. Maybe a marlin. Or a rainbow trout.

Or wait, maybe it wasn't a fish at all. Maybe it was that monster rabbit Jimmy Carter saw.

Or an ocelot.

But whatever it was, it was the highlight of my presidency."

[Roland99]

17. This really is a non-issue.

[Dudley_DUright]

18. Here is a good response from the DCCC

"Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Congressman Rahm Emanuel, today released the following statement on President Bush’s “best moment in office”:

“Five years after President Bush said he would find Osama bin Laden, we’re all glad to hear that all he’s caught is an apparently harmless fish,” said Congressman Rahm Emanuel, Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee."

http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2006/05/touch.html

[Roland99]

19. heh...that's a good one.

But, the issue of perch vs. bass is ridiculous

[Ksec]

20. The pic I saw wasnt a largemouth bass

It looked like a white bass or a hybrid.

[saltpoint]

26. I wonder if it was made by the same company that made that fake

turkey he took to Iraq one Thanksgiving.

[bvar22]

21. He HAD to change his story.

The World Record for Perch is 4lbs 12oz.

http://www.schoolofflyfishing.com/resources/worldfreshrecords.htm

[bdamomma]

23. Frat Boy

sickening evil man he is. He thinks everything is a joke.

[lumpy]

24. Did Bush say he was joking

or is this just the media take? Everything is just a shitty joke with Bush, we know. He knows he has done nothing to be proud of so he makes a joke of it?

[VolcanoJen]

35. He laughed right after he said it, but...

... in this case, MSNBC is clearly editorializing with their headline.

The President never made it clear that he was joking about his "worst moment." He never said, "Heh, I'm kiddin'. Seriously. Here's my worst moment right here, here it comes..." for example.

It's nauseating... who pressured an MSNBC editor to write that headline?

[Ladyhawk]

25. Was there a video of the original statement?

First of all, I didn't think perch got that big...do they? We always thought of them as "trash fish." My family taught me to throw them (and the blue-gilled version) on the bank to die. Pretty damn cruel. :shrug: Of course, my family taught me a lot of things I wouldn't do now...like vote Republican. :)

[genieroze]

27. Perch, bass????? just say fish! Sheesh!

[montana500]

28. two things bad about this...

#1: he's lying about joking

#2: A 7 pound perch would be a U.S. 1st place record.

[Dr Fate]

29. So first he lied, then he lied about the lie....

And now he cant keep his lies straight.

[Nailzberg]

30. So what if it is a record??? Our Great Leader is also a great outdoorsman.

George W Bush is a great American. And now that he is a record holding fisherman, I like him even more.


</freepspeak>

[Dr Fate]

31. He lassos wild mustangs on his ranch too.

So I heared.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

33. And what about those times he rode with the Texas Rangers

fought the wild Commanches, hunted down and smoked out evil-doin' killerz, and went on long cattle drives across the great plains to Abilene?

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

32. So was he joking when he said Jesus was his favorite political philosopher

and that his favorite book was 'The Very Hungry Caterpiller'? Was he joking when he said he could see into Putin's and then Merkel's souls? Was he joking when he said God told him to invade Iraq? Was he joking when he referred in several speeches to the amazing incident in Romania when a rainbow appeared over his head and was a sign from God? Was he joking when (as related by his friend Don Evans), Bush said he ran for office because he was being called forth by God?

I'm confused now. When are we supposed to interpret his Chimpish elucubrations as a joke and when are we supposed to take them seriously? Can someone enlighten me, please?

[VolcanoJen]

34. Nothing like editorializing with a headline. Cheap. Effective.

Disgusting.

:wtf:

[radfringe]

36. another "NOT TO BE TAKEN LITERALLY" Moment?

TOP 3 excuses:
1. the president mispoke
2. the president was joking
3. the president's statement shouldn't be taken literally

[Kellanved]

37. the "joking" remark is in the printed interview

So it was not added later. That doesn't mean that much, the Bild is an extremely conservative instrument. Some actions by Springer (Bild's publisher) make Murdoch look like an angel.

I'd drop the stupid "Perch vs Bass" thing. The most likely explanation is a mistranslation by Bild. I don't really see the importance of that difference anyway. Bush said the best moment of his presidency was catching a fish. He mentioned it in the same paragraph as 9/11. That's comedy gold as it is and ample ammunition for debates.

[arwalden]

38. VERY TRUE! Why Should We Care About A Translation Error? The Fact REMAINS.

... that CATCHING A FISH is his biggest accomplishment... the one thing that he's most proud of... the first thing that comes to mind.