Oops!

Oops!

Of course, the president's defenders will come to his aide and say that he didn't lie. After all, what we heard Bush say in the State of the Union is not neccesarily what he meant. So when you read (or hear) his pledge to "move beyond a petroleum-based economy and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past," realize that what he was really saying, or doing was providing the American public with an "example."

What Bush meant by what he said about moving beyond our dependence on Middle East oil is "This was purely an example." At least that is what Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman wants you to believe.

Of course, the change in what Bush meant might be better understood in understanding the context of Bush jawboning the Saudis.

I happened to catch the prevaricator for Bush, former Commerce Secretary Don Evan on Chris Matthews "Hardball." (Sorry the transcript wasn't available at the time of my posting. Should be this after noon.) Lets just say that Evans prevaricating was obscene. Had Matthews been more rigorous in his questioning of Evans we might have heard something different than the talking points covered by Bodman.

Other "Oops" moments from Bush are found by comparing the following statements. The First from 2004.

Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution.

This "rationalzation" is no longer applicable. In November, 2005 Bush said,

I don’t give a goddamn. I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way. Stop throwing the Constitution in my face, it’s just a goddamned piece of paper!

This was in response to the concerns being raised by members of his own party about the Constitutional powers of the president. Perhaps Bush had forgot the scripted message. Or maybe he grew tired of lying about lying why he did what he did.

Maybe he was just a little pissed of that members of his staff and his party just didn't understand grasp the sarcasm in his voice when he said in October 2001,

First, we must always maintain the highest ethical standards. We must always ask ourselves not only what is legal, but what is right. There is no goal of government worth accomplishing if it cannot be accomplished with integrity.

There is no finer example of integrity than that of a president who says his administration is doing one thing (as in not eavesdropping on Americans) while doing the exact opposite (in this case eavesdropping on Americans) going back to 2001.

The next time you hear that Bush doesn't lie, remember to say, "Oops he did it again."