why he hasn't been out front on this. The question was why Bush hadn't had a press conference in about two months.
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MS. PERINO: -- that if you guys had him in here, almost everything would be geared towards the election, and he is cognizant of that. He wants to make sure that this election remains fully focused on the two candidates. He's not on the ballot. This is about John McCain and Senator Obama and how those two present themselves to the American people. And the President is reluctant to be in a place where there's going to be a lot of competition for questions that get him involved in the 2008 campaign --
Q How about if we keep it to the he economy?
Q So no press conferences for the next 48 days?
MS. PERINO: Not -- I didn't say that. I just said that I'm telling you that one of the reasons that we haven't -- I mean, every time that I would think about maybe having a press conference, the news of the day would be such that we might be talking about lipstick on a pig, and the President is just not going to get involved in it.
Q Well, but in fairness, Dana, right now you've had an unprecedented week of economic financial news. He still is President of the United States --
MS. PERINO: I hear you on that.
Q -- through January 20th at noon.
MS. PERINO: No, I hear you on that and I will update you as soon as possible as to when you would hear from the President on the economy again.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/09/20080917-5.htmlThis has got to be one of the lamest excuses I have ever heard, even from Bushco. When the US is facing a real economic meltdown, he's can't have a press conference because he won't get involved in pig and lipstick questions.