His approval of a program to eavesdrop without warrants: “As I stand here right now, I can tell the American people the program is legal,” he certified.
His refusal to release photos of him with Abramoff: “They’re not relevant to the investigation.”
His view on congressional anti-torture legislation: “Conducting war is a responsibility in the executive branch, not the legislative branch.”
His refusal to provide Congress with testimony about the federal response to Hurricane Katrina: “That’s just the way it works.”
Midway through this Bourbonic performance, the Los Angeles Times’s James Gerstenzang offered an observation on Bush’s surveillance policy: “This seems to sound like something President Nixon once said, which was: ‘When the president does it, then that means that it’s not illegal.’ ” Whispered “oohs” could be heard in the room. ” (Washington Post op-ed)
