[ As unexpected as it is for me to say this, i think Bush did a good job in this interview. That is *not* to say that this interview has convinced me that Bush has done a good job, but in the context of this transcript, he did some things right.

His handling of the issues surrounding the Iraq war was better than i've seen previously. He was more convincing this time as someone who acted in a genuine way, even if it turns out that the intelligence on which his actions were based had some falsity. I think this will alleviate some people's concerns about being lied to outright, though I think there are a few more unanswered questions.
I certainly do not believe him when he says his motivation for setting the investigative committee's deadline in March is not at all political, and i think the structure and makeup of the commission is weak and questionable, at best. And, of course, I don't agree that he properly handled the case for war on the world stage... "bringing our case to the world" as he says, isn't what we did... we told the world we were gonna do this and they better hop on the C-130 with us... that's a different thing. Lastly, I don't think there was any substantial plan for rebuilding post-war Iraq, prior to engagement, and some attention should have been given to that as well.

On the economy, he did *not* do a good job, and was unconvincing. This segment :
] RUSSERT: But your base conservatives -- listen to Rush Limbaugh,
] the Heritage Foundation, CATO Institute -- they're all saying
] you're the biggest spender in American history.
]
] BUSH: Well, they're wrong.
is truly a standout. They're not wrong. Period. He could have made the case that they've mischaracterized his spending, and that the fiscal policy which demands it is based on the war and tax cuts etc. (all of which are *bad* policy in my opinion). The argument that he hasn't been a massive spender is totally untenable. He should have accepted the criticism and justified the spending. Calling your base stupid is not a great strategy.
He also brings up the reduction in unemployment to 5.6 %, but that number has been analyzed to be falsely encouraging because it doesn't account for the number of people who have stopped looking for work at all, which is an increasing number. It's not a good sign when people have been looking for so long that they give up.
He does attempt to justify spending due to the war later on, but he when he discusses ensuring that soldiers are well paid, it comes off flat -- didn't he *cut* military pay?

All in all, as I said, he did quite a decent job, comparatively, but if the Democratic contests are an indication of where the focus is going to be come november, he's gonna need some help shoring up his fiscal justifications and reengaging the fiscal conservative base who's stopped listening to him. -k]

President Bush on NBC's 'Meet the Press'