CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- President Bush isn't used to tongue-lashings, but he got a scolding Thursday from a North Carolina man who told him that he should be ashamed of himself.

"While I listen to you talk about freedom, I see you assert your right to tap my telephone, to arrest me and hold me without charges, to try to preclude me from breathing clean air and drinking clean water," real estate broker Harry Taylor told Bush at a town-hall meeting. "I have never felt more ashamed of nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington."

The audience at Central Piedmont Community College booed, but Bush seemed to take the criticism in stride.

"I'm not your favorite guy," the president said. "What's your question?"

Taylor didn't have one, but he wasn't finished.

"I feel like, despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration," he told Bush. "And I would hope, from time to time, that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself."

Bush defended his decision to authorize domestic eavesdropping in cases involving conversations between people in the United States and terrorism suspects or their associates in other countries.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, appearing at a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, suggested for the first time that the president might have the legal authority to order wiretapping without a warrant on communications between Americans that occur exclusively within the United States.

"I'm not going to rule it out," Gonzales said when asked about that possibility.

The extraordinary encounter between the president and Taylor in North Carolina highlighted just how far Bush has come from the days when he limited his appearances to carefully screened crowds. In the past, tickets to presidential events were typically distributed through the Republican Party or other Bush-friendly groups.

White House aides acknowledge that Bush's new willingness to take tough questions is part of an effort to respond to concerns about the war.

For all their differences, Bush and Taylor agreed on at least one thing.

"I really appreciate the courtesy of allowing me to speak what I'm saying to you right now," Taylor said. "That is part of what this country's about."

"It is," Bush agreed.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- President Bush isn't used to tongue-lashings, but he got a scolding Thursday from a North Carolina man who told him that he should be ashamed of himself.

"While I listen to you talk about freedom, I see you assert your right to tap my telephone, to arrest me and hold me without charges, to try to preclude me from breathing clean air and drinking clean water," real estate broker Harry Taylor told Bush at a town-hall meeting. "I have never felt more ashamed of nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington."

The audience at Central Piedmont Community College booed, but Bush seemed to take the criticism in stride.

"I'm not your favorite guy," the president said. "What's your question?"

Taylor didn't have one, but he wasn't finished.

"I feel like, despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration," he told Bush. "And I would hope, from time to time, that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself."

Bush defended his decision to authorize domestic eavesdropping in cases involving conversations between people in the United States and terrorism suspects or their associates in other countries.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, appearing at a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, suggested for the first time that the president might have the legal authority to order wiretapping without a warrant on communications between Americans that occur exclusively within the United States.

"I'm not going to rule it out," Gonzales said when asked about that possibility.

The extraordinary encounter between the president and Taylor in North Carolina highlighted just how far Bush has come from the days when he limited his appearances to carefully screened crowds. In the past, tickets to presidential events were typically distributed through the Republican Party or other Bush-friendly groups.

White House aides acknowledge that Bush's new willingness to take tough questions is part of an effort to respond to concerns about the war.

For all their differences, Bush and Taylor agreed on at least one thing.

"I really appreciate the courtesy of allowing me to speak what I'm saying to you right now," Taylor said. "That is part of what this country's about."

"It is," Bush agreed.

looks like someone just made it onto the FBI watchlist! :eek:

gotta play it cautiously, this is our national security we're talking about

Taylor's in
Grumpy's in
count me in too.

"looks like someone just made it onto the FBI watchlist"
.
That's if anybody ever sees him again.....Accidents can happen.

What I do find interesting about this, is the fact that the media, when they report this, make Bush look like some sort of damn hero for actually answering a tough question, or responding to someone who doesn't agree with him. Oh my God!! Imagine that. A person in leadership actually talking to and responding to people who weren't pre-screened into Bush's talking points presentation.

Funnily enough, in this situation, all of the reports I heard about it on the radio while driving into work this morning said that someone in the audience questioned him about the wiretapping, and then they played Bush's response. They didn't add in any audio of what this guy actually said, they made it look like Bush had made some sort of fair response to a question, instead of criticism. Liberal media indeed.

Reporters tend to be Liberal. Media owners don't.

Looks like Harry Taylor was just removed from the list of potential candidates for Medals of Freedom.

:D Man you guys are killing me!!! That man may not become a "Point of Light".. Anyone remember that crap? I think it was Bush 1 that started it...

Looks like Harry Taylor was just removed from the list of potential candidates for Medals of Freedom.

wanna see the video?

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/04/06/bush-event-goes-off-script/

Bush comes off as an arrogant pr*ck for sure.

whaddaya mean "comes off as"?

wanna see the video?

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/04/06/bush-event-goes-off-script/

Bush comes off as an arrogant pr*ck for sure.

Wow I didn't think so. He even quieted the crowd down so the guy could make his point. I'm no Bush fan but I think this was a pretty decent exchange. I think Bush actually comes off better when he is confronted like this as opposed surfing the rah rah total support from usual cast at these nitwit pep rallies.

Wow I didn't think so. He even quieted the crowd down so the guy could make his point. I'm no Bush fan but I think this was a pretty decent exchange. I think Bush actually comes off better when he is confronted like this as opposed surfing the rah rah total support from usual cast at these nitwit pep rallies.

well I thought it was a typical CEO response when they get a shareholder question they don't like. They just sit there and grin while the person vents his spleen and then totally invalidate what was said. In this case, Bush grins like a deer in the headlights, cracks a lame joke about how he's not the guy's favorite person and then not only disagrees with the man's points about wiretapping, but outright says he refuses to apologize and sees nothing wrong with what happened. Nevermind the environmental points the man made--they were ignored.

well I thought it was a typical CEO response when they get a shareholder question they don't like. They just sit there and grin while the person vents his spleen and then totally invalidate what was said. In this case, Bush grins like a deer in the headlights, cracks a lame joke about how he's not the guy's favorite person and then not only disagrees with the man's points about wiretapping, but outright says he refuses to apologize and sees nothing wrong with what happened. Nevermind the environmental points the man made--they were ignored.

I'm sort of impressed how Bush continues to exude this veneer of utter confidence but speaks so incompetently. Anyone else the audience would be gritting their teeth and shuffling in their seats in embarrasment. But nooo! Pleased rapt attention. Amazing.

I'm sort of impressed how Bush continues to exude this veneer of utter confidence but speaks so incompetently. Anyone else the audience would be gritting their teeth and shuffling in their seats in embarrasment. But nooo! Pleased rapt attention. Amazing.
I'm not. I'm not impressed at all. He's not smart enough to realize the damage he's doing to the nation.

Lipstick on a pig.

well I thought it was a typical CEO response when they get a shareholder question they don't like. They just sit there and grin while the person vents his spleen and then totally invalidate what was said. In this case, Bush grins like a deer in the headlights, cracks a lame joke about how he's not the guy's favorite person and then not only disagrees with the man's points about wiretapping, but outright says he refuses to apologize and sees nothing wrong with what happened. Nevermind the environmental points the man made--they were ignored.

Not to defend Bush or anything, but what would you have the guy do? When confronted with someone who so obviously disagrees with you, you've got to stand your ground right? Bush did. I still of course don't agree with much of anything that the man stands for, but he did stand his ground in this case. I still think he's playing too little too late to the common folks now, only when his poll numbers are sagging does he go out, and receive questions. Also, if the man keeps giving the same speech, with the same talking points, over, and over, and over again; how is that going to sway opinion back towards his favor? I don't think that it is.

So they let one or two people in the audience now who disagree with Bush rather than none, and that's a huge step? Please...

And does it seem like most of these 'town hall" meetings that we hear about happen in towns in places like North Carolina, Kansas, Texas, etc...? I'd like to see video of one in Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago, Boston, New York, Seattle... some place where he might actually be able to get a good picture about how a majority of this country feels about him. Berkeley would be nice, but I think that anyone on the right automatically has their life force drained from them once they enter Berkeley.

Does he do these meetings in places like this?



joe

Not to defend Bush or anything, but what would you have the guy do? When confronted with someone who so obviously disagrees with you, you've got to stand your ground right? Bush did. I still of course don't agree with much of anything that the man stands for, but he did stand his ground in this case. I still think he's playing too little too late to the common folks now, only when his poll numbers are sagging does he go out, and receive questions. Also, if the man keeps giving the same speech, with the same talking points, over, and over, and over again; how is that going to sway opinion back towards his favor? I don't think that it is.

Oh he handled it fine--he's gone too far to back down from anything at this point. His response was textbook CEO answering criticism from employees or shareholders. He's still a arrogant jackass though. :rolleyes:

The guy didn't ask a question. He attacked the integrity of the President of the United States with his opinion. Who cares if that jackass is embarrassed? Do you think people didn't feel similarly about Bubba? How many do you believe got to express those thoughts publicly and without harassment?

The guy didn't ask a question. He attacked the integrity of the President of the United States with his opinion. Who cares if that jackass is embarrassed? Do you think people didn't feel similarly about Bubba? How many do you believe got to express those thoughts publicly and without harassment?

So true! I didn't care that Bush (jackass) was embarrassed.

Are you starting to see the light?

He didn't seem to be too put out by it.

The guy didn't ask a question. He attacked the integrity of the President of the United States with his opinion.

Does the president actually have any integrity left to attack?

Sadly, red states like the one I live in were enough to carry Pres. Bush during the last election. It was a valiant effort on the part of the big metros and coastal states to bring someone else into power, but let's face it, Kerry wasn't much of an improvement.

FURTHERMORE :D....Charlotte, NC, by my experience there, is about as red as they get. Definitely not 80-20, like, say KANSAS, but still far away enough from 50-50 to make it a comfort zone, one would think.

Doesn't matter, because Harry Taylor will never find work again. I can just see his 14 yo kids (assuming here) rolling their eyes and saying "Thanks, Dad, for screwing our futures!!" :D