The White House is bending itself into a pretzel to avoid the appearance of gloating over Tuesday's elections. The President and his staff refuse to allow the term "mandate" to be used in describing the election results.
Here's a snippet from the President's press conference yesterday. NBC's Campbell Brown had asked the President if he thought the election "validated his presidency:"
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you for that loaded question. (Laughter.)
Look, sometimes you win them, and sometimes you lose elections. That's
just the way it is. And I was pleased with the results. I was more
particularly pleased for the candidates who worked so hard, and their families
and their workers. That's how I feel about it. I really don't put this in
personal terms.
I know people in Washington like to do that. You know, George Bush won, George
Bush lost. That's the way they do it here. Zero sum, in Washington. And I
know that.
Say there had been a poll on Sept. 10, 2001 with this question:
If the United States were to be harmed by a military, economic, or terrorist attack how much confidence do you have in President George W. Bush to protect your family and the country?
Total confidence; B. A good deal of confidence; C. Only some confidence; Or D. No Confidence.
What percentage of Democrats and independents do you think would chosen A or B? For that matter, what percentage of Republicans would have chosen A or B?
While Democrats and the media say that September 11 was the defining moment in George W. Bush's Presidency, what they are REALLY saying is: He is - in a terribly ironic way - fortunate to have had such a moment to be able to show his mettle.
In reality, the Democrats nor the press corps ever thought for a minute that President Bush would rise to the challenge. Not for a second. Remember the brutal, angry statements by the network anchors when the President didn't return to Washington on the schedule they had set?
The chat shows were full of smug "See? We told you so!" prattle by Democrats and journalists. When Karen Hughes briefed in the afternoon, it was described as another sign of President Bush's inability to cope.
Then he got back. And he went on the air. And he told us what was on his mind and what was in his heart. And Americans heard him.
And then he went to New York. And, as he promised, "The people who knocked down these buildings" heard from all of us shortly afterward.
When the chattering classes warned that Americans would soon sour on the war when thousands of Americans were killed - "body bags" provide the imagery of choice by the Left - the U.S. Departments of State and Defense organized a strategy which gave Afghans their country back in a matter of weeks.
When the chattering classes tried to pin corporate misdeeds on the Bush Administration, we were greeted with footage of one corporate malefactor after another being ducked into a police car in handcuffs. The Bush Administration was catching and punishing the crooks.
In races for the U.S. House, Americans voted for Republicans by a margin of 53% - 47%. Republican candidates - promising to support the President - received 4.3 MILLION more votes than their Democratic opponents.
This WAS a mandate on the Presidency of George W. Bush.
It was the first time since September 11, 2001 that the American people have gotten the chance to tell President Bush what they think of the way he has handled their lives and their future.
They said, "Thank you, Mr. President."
To our Muslim friends, we hope Ramadan finds you and your family in good health and safety.
On the Secret Decoder Ring page today: The transcript of the President's press conference, a link to the Election Night Travelogue, and the usual things.
� 
