Remarks by President Bush After Meeting With Cabinet Members

And I will try to add a little snark to what is being said.

Its only partly trying to be funny, which it isn't because this is just how you have to listen to this guy. Most politicians are like this and you need to "hear" what is really being said.

I apologize for for a technique I've employed that requires you to understand whether it is Bush thinking to himself or if I'm making a comment. It isn't that hard to do. I did it quite easily.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a
transcript of remarks by President Bush after meeting with Cabinet Members:
Rose Garden
10:19 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. We just finished our first Cabinet meeting of 2007.

And, thank God it didn't take a whole 3 hours like working down there in Crawford.

I want to thank my Cabinet officers for joining me here.

Like they had the choice of skipping the meeting.

We discussed our priorities for the next two years, and how we plan to achieve them.

Or, how can we milk the US people for as much as possible for us and our friends before this gravy train comes to an end.

The Congress has changed; our obligations to the country haven't changed.

Nor have my mind and priorities changed.

Tomorrow, members of the 110th Congress will take their oaths of office, and I congratulate them. I welcome their arrival into town. I'm looking forward to working with them, and so are members of my Cabinet.

Did the speech writers really have to put that shit in there? Yeah, I want to work with the in the same way the guys on my "ranch" work with the bull calves at castrating time.

We've all been entrusted with public office at a momentous time in our nation's history.

If not the end of our nation's history.

And together we have important things to do. It's time to set aside politics and focus on the future.

I'll just bet he thinks people might still believe this line.

I've been encouraged by the productive meetings that I've had with many of the new leaders of Congress, people from both parties. I want to thank them for coming down to the White House and talking to me about their ambitions and their goals for our country. I'm hopeful that Republicans and Democrats can find common ground to serve our folks, to do our jobs, to be
constructive for our country.

Yada, yada, yada. Yawn.

One area where we must work together is that we've got to make sure we spend the people's money wisely.

Damn! Came close to snickering when I read that. Gotta tell the speech writers to leave out the jokes.

Over the past few years, pro-growth economic policies have generated higher revenues.

For Halliburton and our other friends.

Together with spending restraint, these policies allowed us to meet our goal of cutting the budget deficit in half three years ahead of schedule.

They won't noticed I slipped that one past 'em.

We did so without taxing the working people. We kept taxes low.

Especially for us guys with the big bucks. Hehehe.

It's now time to take the next step. Next month I will submit a
five-year budget proposal that will balance the federal budget by 2012.

Which, if my math is right, means most of the balancing will have to be done by someone not named W.

This budget will restrain spending while setting priorities. It will address the most urgent needs of our nation, in particular the need to protect ourselves from radicals and terrorists; the need to win the war on terror; the need to maintain a strong national defense; and the need to keep this economy growing by making tax relief permanent.

Of course, based on past experience, doing all these things will not balance the budget just as it hasn't in the last 6 years. But that won't be my problem. I got mine.

By balancing the budget through pro-growth economic policies and
spending restraint, we are better positioned to tackle longer-term fiscal challenges facing our country, namely the entitlement programs.

Because I'm nearly entitled and I want more ice cream and cake. Besides, if I can convince these idiots to implement private accounts, hell, I can afford 'em.

These programs need to be reformed for the sake of younger Americans.

Damn you writers. You slipped another knee slapping joke in there. I'm trying to look serious here.

We need to reform Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid so future generations of Americans can benefit from these vital programs without bankrupting our country.

Bankrupting our country is the preznit's job, not all the riffraff's.

Another area where we can work together is to reform the earmark
process. One important message we all should take from the elections is that people want to end the secretive process by which Washington insiders are able to get billions of dollars directed to projects, many of them pork barrel projects that have never been reviewed or voted on by the Congress.

Some of the earmarks are not even included in legislation. They are stuffed into committee reports that have never been passed, and are never signed into law. Earmarks often divert precious funds from vital priorities like national defense. And each year they cost the taxpayers billions of dollars.

As if there aren't sixty gazillion other ways we can get what we want. Rove was right about using smoke and mirrors. This shit really works.

I appreciate the fact that Senator Byrd and Congressman Obey, the
Democrats who will lead the appropriations process in the new Congress, heard the same message. For this year's budget, they pledged to maintain current levels of spending without additional earmarks. They agreed to a temporary moratorium on all earmarks. And this is a good start, and I appreciate their position.

Hahaha. Got 'em there. A good start. And they weren't even first.

I also appreciate the fact that House Republicans last fall passed strong earmark reform idea -- put forth earmark reform ideas. And I appreciate their hard work.

That's who was first, the GOP. Or as I like to call 'em my Group of Pirates.

But we need to do more. Here's my own view to end the "dead of the
night" process: Congress needs to adopt real reform that requires full disclosure of the sponsors, the costs, the recipients, and the justifications for every earmark.

In the first place, "dead of the night" is a ridiculous time to be working. Won't catch me doing it.

Congress needs to stop the practice of concealing earmarks in so-called report language.

Which I could never understand anyway. Didn't understand it as Texas governor and really didn't understand it here in DC.

And Congress needs to
cut the number and cost of earmarks next year by at least half.

Half sounds good. I think my friends and I can still make out like bandits.

To help rein in wasteful spending and restore fiscal discipline in
Washington, I call on Congress to give the President the tool that 43 governors have, a line-item veto.

I think that's the only tool I'm missing before taking complete dictatorial control of this damn nation.

There are just a few of the issues that we're going to need to work on in the year ahead. This new year brings new opportunities for progress, and
I'm looking forward to working with the new Congress.

Now don't even think of bring up the word impeachment.

Thank you for your time.

And please explain how, after 6 years, you can still set through one of these pressers? Please. I know I could never manage it.

END 10:25 A.M. EST


SOURCE White House Press Office