Live blog Bush's press conference, on in moments

I'd say do a shot for every criminal act he admits to, but then we'd be drunk by noon.

LIVING BLOGGING

He dressed the nation?

The Iraqi people enjoy constitutionally protected freedoms? Unless they're at war, then their new president becomes a dictator and all of their rights go out the window. Oh yeah, they are at war, so that means Iraqi has the same rule of law it had under Saddam Hussein. Nice.

Ah September 11! It took Bush 3 minutes to bring it up.

Al Qaeda isn't a conventional enemy. This new threat required us to think and act differently. So Bush chose to break the law repeatedly for 3 years. Oh, and now he's using the 9/11 Commission to buttress his crime? Funny, would that be the same commission that has repeatedly come out and said you've totally dropped the ball in not doing most of what they recommended?

People with known links to Al Qaeda. Like that German guy you holed up for, what, a year or more in Guantanamo Bay until you realized you made a mistake? People like him?

The Patriot Act? Why does he need the Patriot Act? He can do anything we want. We're at war. He said it himself. What the hell does he need the Patriot Act for?

Oh NOW IT'S THE DEMOCRATS WHO KILLED THE PATRIOT ACT. You lying mother fucker. It was a coalition of Democrats and conservative Republicans who killed the Patriot Act. What a fucking liar.

The man needs to be impeached. Congress better not dare reauthorize the Patriot Act until this man admits every single thing he did and Congress corrects his abuses in the new law. He has got to be kidding. Reauthorize the Patriot Act because I need to it stop the terrorists, even though I really don't because I'll violate the Patriot Act anyway.

Oh, and now we're into la-la-land. We need tax cuts, immigration reform, blah blah blah.

QUESTIONS (paraphrase)

Leak investigation into NSA disclosure? Why did you skip asking courts for permission?

A: It was a shameful act... during a time of war. Helping the enemy. [OH COME ON PEOPLE, KARL ROVE, HELLO, CONNECT THE DOTS]. It was a shameful act by somebody who has got secrets of the United States government and feels they need to disclose them. We're at war and we must protect America's secrets.

Q: Why didn't you ask the courts for permission?

A: I uh, I uh, right after Sept 11, I asked people in my administration to analyze how best to do the job... blah blah blah. Came up with the current program, enables us to move faster and quicker. We have to be fast on our feet. [HE'S A LIAR, THEY CAN DO THE SURVEILLANCE AND THEN GET THE COURT ORDER AFTER THE FACT - HE'S LYING NOW.] Is it legal to do so. I swore to uphold the laws. Absolutely I have the legal authority to do this. The legal authority is derived from the Constitution. [IN OTHER WORDS, HE CAN DO WHATEVER HE WANTS TO BREAK THE LAW PER THE CONSTITUTION.]

Now we have Bush making lots of jokes.

Q: Biggest mistake made during your presidency and what have you learned from it?

A: Wasn't a mistake made to go into Iraq. [HUH?] We had enough troops. A mistake was trying to train a civilian defense force and the Iraqi army at the same time [HUH?] HE'S NOT ANSWERING THE QUESTION

A: This program is limited in nature to those with known Al Qaeda ties or affiliates. [OH WHATEVER, RIGHT]

A: An open debate about law would say to the enemey "here's what we're going to do." [WOW, SO NOW WE CAN'T CALL BUSH ON HIS CRIMES BECAUSE IT'S AIDING AND ABETING THE ENEMY.]

Q: Why not monitor calls within the US if you need to?

A: We will.

Q: But you said the courts don't work, not enough speed.

A: Sometimes we have to move very very quickly. [COME ON MARTHA, ASK HIM ABOUT BEING ABLE TO APPROVE THE SEARCH RETROACTIVELY.]

Q: Dems have said you broke the law, some Republicans are calling for hearings and an investigation. Are you willing to go before Congress to explain this?

A: [laughs] We have gone before members of Congress. I want to assure the American people that I am doing what you expect me to do.

[TOTAL SOFTBALL PRESS CONFERENCE, WE HAVE NO MEDIA]

[Oh, now he's saying we want to condemn the Iraqis to tyranny by criticizing Bush.]

Q: FISA has only rejected 19 of 19,000 requests for wire taps, so why did you sidetrack that process?

A: We used the process, to monitor. This is a different era, a different war. They're moving quick. It requires quick action. [HE'S NOT ANSWERING THE QUESTION]

Q: Are there any limits on the power of a president during war time. And if the war on terror will last for decades does that mean we're going to see a permanent expansion of the unchecked power of the executive during wartime.

A: I disagree with the phrase unchecked power. blah blah blah. I am not a dictator. [paraphrase]

[THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES JUST HAD TO DENY BEING A DICTATOR]

[HEY THE NEW JEFF GANNON JUST ASKED A QUESITON - HOW EXCITING - DO YOU EXPECT CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS TO STOP THEIR PARTISAN POLITICS ON THE WAR ON TERROR? GIMME A BREAK]

A: We can't withdraw from Iraq because it would upset the Iraqis and despirit our troops. [UH HUH, BECAUSE THAT'S WHY YOU FIGHT A WAR, SO THE TROOPS WILL BE HAPPY AND SOME FOREIGNERS WILL BE HAPPY.]

A: They were dangerous before we went into Iraq [YES, EXCEPT THEY WEREN'T IN IRAQ UNTIL YOU INVADED.]

A: [AGAIN BUSH IS BLAMING THE DEMOCRATS FOR STOPPING THE PATRIOT ACT REAUTHORIZATION - ANY JOURNALISTS GOING TO REMIND HIM ON NATIONAL TV THAT IT WAS A BIPARTISAN COALITION THAT PULLED THE PLUG?]