No, Mr. President. Your resigning will help.

George W. took me aside and said, "Jim, I don't understand poor people. I don't live, never lived around poor people. I don't know poor people think. Frankly, I'm a white Republican guy who just doesn't get it. But I'd like to. How do I get it? How do I understand?"

I said, "You need to listen to poor people, and people who work and live with poor people." ----Jim Wallis, PBS The Jesus Factor, April 29, 2004

THE PRESIDENT: You work three jobs?

MS. MORNIN: Three jobs, yes.

THE PRESIDENT: Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that. (Applause.) Get any sleep? (Laughter.)

MS. MORNIN: Not much. Not much.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, hopefully, this will help you get you sleep to know that when we talk about Social Security, nothing changes.

---February 4, 2005, Omaha, Nebraska, http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/02/20050204-3.html">discussing strengthening Social Security

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, Peter. Are you going to ask that question with shades on?

Q I can take them off.

THE PRESIDENT: I’m interested in the shade look, seriously.

Q All right, I’ll keep it, then.

THE PRESIDENT: For the viewers, there’s no sun. (Laughter.)

Q I guess it depends on your perspective. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Touche. (Laughter.)

---Bush to legally blind reporter, June 14, 2006

Unaware that a microphone at the summit was switched on, Mr Bush, chomping a piece of bread, used the opportunity to suggest a way out of the latest criss in the Middle East.

"See, the irony is what they really need to do is to get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s***," he said. --- Bush at G8 Summit, July 17, 2006

Steve.

Q Thank you, sir. Just to follow up --

PRESIDENT BUSH: Follow up on?

Q On both of these. Does it concern you that the Beirut airport has been bombed? And do you see a risk of triggering a wider war?

And on Iran, they've, so far, refused to respond. Is it now past the deadline, or do they still have more time to respond?

PRESIDENT BUSH: I thought you were going to ask me about the pig.

Q I'm curious about that, too. (Laughter.)

PRESIDENT BUSH: The pig? I'll tell you tomorrow after I eat it. ---Bush, July 13, 2006, at news conference with German Chancellor Merkel

The President chuckled. "Well, you got a pretty face," he told the surprised Mr. Reid. He wasn't done. "You got a pretty face," he said again. "You're a good-looking guy. Better looking than my Scott anyway." ---Bush to Canadian Prime Minister's senior strategist, Scott Reid, January, 2004

Bush, who has suits made by Georges de Paris, the tailor to presidents since Lyndon Johnson's time, has teased reporters about their appearance in the past. In June, he poked fun at CNN's David Gregory for his loud pocket scarf.

"Gregory, fine-looking scarf — not scarf, what do you call that thing?" said Bush. "It's strong."

In August, while discussing the war in Lebanon, Bush took note of a suit worn by Ken Herman of Cox Newspapers, saying: "By the way, seersucker is coming back." Later in the news conference, Bush again referred to the suit, calling it "that just ridiculous-looking outfit."

Asked about the president's commentary, White House Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino called Bush "a personable man," saying that "although he's president and that's a serious job, he does like to reach out to others in friendly ways."

snip

Herman, the reporter in seersucker, was amused when a media dust-up followed Bush's comments on his suit. "If there's anything reporters know better than math, it's fashion," he joked.

Herman said he considered the banter just part of Bush's social mannerisms. "I've been covering him since 1993 in Texas," Herman said. "That's the way he likes to make connections. He still has some frat boy in him. He likes to tease people." ---Press conference, August 21, 2006

WH Transcript

Q Mr. President, the Iraq Study Group described the situation in Iraq as grave and deteriorating. You said that the increase in attacks is unsettling. That won't convince many people that you're still in denial about how bad things are in Iraq, and question your sincerity about changing course.

PRESIDENT BUSH: It's bad in Iraq. Does that help? (Laughter.)

Q Why did it take others to say it before you've been willing to acknowledge for the world --

PRESIDENT BUSH: In all due respect, I've been saying it a lot. I understand how tough it is. And I've been telling the American people how tough it is. And they know how tough it is. And the fundamental question is, do we have a plan to achieve our objective. Are we willing to change as the enemy has changed? And what the Baker-Hamilton study has done is it shows good ideas as to how to go forward. What our Pentagon is doing is figuring out ways to go forward, all aiming to achieve our objective.

Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die. I understand there's sectarian violence. I also understand that we're hunting down al Qaeda on a regular basis and we're bringing them to justice. I understand how hard our troops are working. I know how brave the men and women who wear the uniform are, and therefore, they'll have the full support of this government. I understand what long deployments mean to wives and husbands, and mothers and fathers, particularly as we come into a holiday season. I understand. And I have made it abundantly clear how tough it is.