2 Months Left, Bush Says Goodbye, Quietly
CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller Reports On A Winding-Down Presidency
-
Photo
President George W. Bush waves after making remarks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Nov. 12, 2008, during a ceremony honoring the 2008 NCAA sports champions. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)
-
Interactive
Bush Presidency
The president's agenda, plus facts, figures, major events and key personalities.
-
Photos
Presidency In Photos
Images from President George W. Bush's many trips, functions and ceremonial events.

Tick tock, tick tock.
Two months from today, the White House packs up the Bush Family belongings and moves in those of the Obama’s.
And it seems President Bush is accepting the ever-nearing end of his term in good spirits.
“He’s usually in a good mood,” said Press Secretary Dana Perino on Monday.
There are no indications he’s trying to hold back the calendar as did predecessor Bill Clinton, who was repeatedly heard to say about the presidency during his last months in office that “even the bad days are good days.”
When we see Mr. Bush at the increasingly-few public events on his daily schedule, he appears upbeat and even good humored, as was the case Tuesday when he spoke to officials at the Department of Transportation.
“You have done a terrific job, as far as I am concerned. The past eight years, I have not seen a traffic jam, waited for an airplane, or had my bags lost,” he said to hearty laughter from a decidedly supportive audience.
And last week in New York: “You know, oftentimes they ask me, what are you going to miss about the presidency? And first reaction is, I say, no traffic jams in New York.”
That’s true enough. The size of his motorcades will decrease significantly once he’s dropped off at Andrews Air Force Base for the flight home to Texas on January 20.
Conscious of the calendar, he has started to express his gratitude to key groups. He used his speech on Veteran’s Day for that purpose.
“The truth of the matter is I will miss being the Commander-in-Chief of such a fabulous group of men and women - those who wear the uniform of the United States military.”
But in recent weeks, it sometimes seems President Bush has got a case of “senioritis.” It would be wrong to say he’s pulling a Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, but his daily schedule in recent weeks has been thin. Take this week:
Monday: He flew back from Camp David just before noon, and then presided over a ceremony bestowing his final batch of National Medals of Arts and Humanities. He also did a photo-op with the U.S. Ryder Cup Team.It should also be noted that Mr. Bush hasn’t held a formal White House news conference since July 15.
Tuesday: He visited the Transportation Department to announce new steps to ease holiday air travel.
Yesterday: His only public event was the re-opening of the National Museum of American History.
And when his schedule for today was issued last evening, it only proclaimed “no public events.”
He deliberately avoided reporters’ questions all through the campaign season, and doesn’t seem in a hurry to subject himself to the travails of a news conference now that the finish line to his presidency is within sight. Usually, one is expected within a couple of days of the election.
Perino says she “wouldn’t be surprised” if Mr. Bush does a news conference before he leaves office. But maybe not.
“It’s just as possible that there might not be any,” she said Tuesday, covering her tracks.
By Mark Knoller
©MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.



- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
...
- 10
- next
See all 488 Comments---
With his tail between his legs.....
....but the shredders at the white house are humming 24/7......
Posted by babooph at 03:40 AM
Death by hanging....
-He should be resigning with his adminstration, now, in order to give back the Nation some dignity!
-Empty bag, then filled with sh*t. Charming but Evil-Spirited and Catastrophe President of this Nation!
As do the families, friends and comrads of the almost 5000 dead American soldiers
---
Now you are being generous, to say the least. I suspect they will place him in the company of that which resides beneath the very bottom of the outhouse.
Posted by dovestar at 07:43 AM
No foreign terrorist attacks happened BEFORE the Shrub took office either....
---
They could, but it would be just as counterfeit as his Presidency has been.
Great proof reading. That should be "concious of the calendar". But then again, I suppose being PC is of greater importance for a reporter than knowledge of the english language.
Through years of lying and misleading the American people these liberal fascists have pretty much destroyed this president.
Thanks fascists becasuse in destroying this president you''ve hurt our country and economy.
But you got your boy elected, Obama.
Goodluck with that for the next four years......
....but the shredders at the white house are humming 24/7......
Posted by earache4 at 07:28 AM : Nov 20, 2008
hahahahah. Priceless!
You are truly a republiCON idiot...
Turn out the light when you leave
Don''t let the door hit you on the way out !!!
See ya in 8 years
Posted by VatoFla at 07:59 AM
That will be a big factor when I vote next term. I would like to see torture eliminated. Reversal of illegal wire tapping. And elimination of illegal search and seizure.
Through years of lying and misleading the American people these liberal fascists have pretty much destroyed this president.
Thanks fascists becasuse in destroying this president you''''ve hurt our country and economy...
------------------------
Posted by perceptions5 at 08:00 AM : Nov 20, 2008
I know!!
It''s just like the way the press ruined Al Capones reputation. Just think of the good he could have done for Chicago if the Press had left him alone!
Posted by mytoosense at 08:10 AM
(toosense does realize fascists are extreme right wing conservatives by definition, right?)
And the only thing they see is Obama, Harry, and Nancy.
A Chicago Gangster, a Las Vegas Mobster,and a San Francisco Snobster.
The economy is the TOP issue right now SO why hasn''t The Emperor Without Clothes, Obama named his candidate to lead the US Treasury?
Of course the this new breed of liberal fascists that run the AP/CBS and the rest of our corrupt liberal MSM wolfpack press aren''t going to run with that theme.
After all Obama is their boy wonder.
It''s going to four years of major pain and suffering.
If you like the past two years that the Democrats have run our economy and Congress then you''re going to love the next four years with the Dems in 100% control.
........Standby....
Posted by perceptions5 at 08:16 AM
And has nothing to do with the fact that banks made risky loans, or that America is spending $10 BILION a month on an unwinnable war? The crash is based just on what MIGHT happen in the future? Wow, you must be a broker.....
saying goodbye under more somber
circumstsances and possibly settings
that include the rising sun just
about to peak over the horizon.
No wonder this man believes in God.
bush avenged our NYC dead by getting another 4000 of our boys killed along with 500''000 civilians in IRAQ, which had NOTHING to do with OBL.
he brought US into mega-debt, and ruined what was a good ecomony in 2000.
the worst "president" in our history.
What a relief it must be!
posted by Rowdydfw at 08:31 AM
ROWDY!!! You finally woke up from your blissful slumber....Good morning!
What a relief it must be!
Posted by Rowdydfw at 08:31 AM
By the way Rowdy, it was the Bush Government that asked for a $700 BILLION bailout, not the other way around...
I heard this on Fox news radio this morning on the drive in, and even their reporter seemed incredulous of his reason.
Wifes without husbands.
The RICH recieved huge tax cuts.
Corporate execs raped us without so much as a kiss
Environment cards tossed aside
Biggest DEFICIT in the history of our country.
Missle Defense [that does not work] stuck in Soviet Unions face, therefore incoming Dem president can leave in place a non working system, or remove it and appear weak. [GOP goal, cripple the Dem president if they win]
Economy in the sewer, but thanks to the Saudi guy for purchasing CitiBank, ***.
America''s image in the world tarnished for decades.
I will never, ever, ever vote for any republican for any office again in my life.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
I just hope that at 53, I can live long enough to see us dig out from this GOP / BUSH mess. I am not optimistic.
Posted by Rowdydfw at 08:37 AM
So Rowdy, did you start throwing tomatoes at Shrub the day you found out WMD''s weren''t real?
We can thank him for the Democrats getting almost total control of Congress (2 more Senators to go, folks), Control of the White House and soon, a majority vote on the Supreme Court.
That second term of Bush''s gave the GOP enough rope to hang themselves to death.
So here we are, Rush Limbaugh is now the most powerful voice of the Republican Party. Not having a vote in Congress does not make him much different than the Republicans in Congress who do have a vote.
At least Rush has his minions of Ditto Heads.
This calls for some new acronyms...
rww = right-wing-whining
cc = conservative crying
Used in a sentance:
Let the rww and cc begin...
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
...
- 10
- next
See all 488 Comments