Another Bush Moment...

Another great 'Bush moment' in Japan yesterday. In his press conference in Kyoto, he was asked a - most predictable - question about the time-limit of the Japanese presence in Iraq (whose self-defense forces are supposed to leave by next month). George Bush answered second after PM Koizumi gave a lengthy response. You might think this would give him plenty of time to be prepared for a routine presidential answer.

Well here is what he actually said:

Obviously, the extent to which uh... the Japanese government wants to give reconstruction money to Iraq is up to the Japanese government, and [pause ] to- to the- and I- as to the- [pause] the- the uh deployment of troops, it's up to- ..... it's up to the government. [pause ] 's what happens in democracies -- government makes decisions that uh [pause] that uh that they're uh capable of living with, and that's [pause] that's what we said, ((we)) said, do the best you can do; [pause] make up your own mind, it's your decision, not mine.

(check the audio clip it's a lot more fun)

You may think it unfair to focus on such trivial matter, but at the same time, you'd think that the representative of the most powerful nation on earth would know how to be verbally fluent!

Needless to say that the White House's transcript has none of the hesitations and self-corrections of the actual speech. It reads much better than it sounds. Unfortunately, the press conference was not in the written form.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Obviously, the extent to which the Japanese government wants to give reconstruction money to Iraq is up to the Japanese government. And as to the deployment of troops, that's up to the government. That's what happens in democracies -- governments make decisions that they're capable of living with. And that's -- that's what we said, said, do the best you can do; make up your own mind, it's your decision, not mine.

It reads much better than it sounds, doesn't it?