BREAKING NEWS: Even More Of The Same!

ABC News' The Note got it right with their predictions about the Bush press conference today:

Things you should look for tonight:

1. There will be a heavy dose of frission in the room as the clock strikes 8:29 pm ET — because even in the currently changed/changing politico-media landscape, primetime is primetime.

And here's El Busho catering to his TV shareholder "base":

Final question. Hutch? I don't want cut into some of the TV shows that are getting ready to air...

(LAUGHTER)

... for the sake of the economy.

Sad that the Resident's only prime-time press conference in a year should be so predictable, isn't it?

There was some effort to ask a few hard questions in the press conference, but the responses were also very predictable (emphases and asides are mine):

QUESTION: Mr. President, your State Department has reported that terrorist attacks around the world are at an all-time high. If we're winning the war on terrorism, as you say, how do you explain that more people are dying in terrorist attacks on your watch than ever before?

BUSH: Well, we've made the decision to [yawn!] defeat the terrorists abroad so we don't have to face them here at home. And when you engage the terrorists abroad, it causes activity and action. And we're relentless... (yadda yadda)

QUESTION: So in the near term you think there will be more attacks and more people dying?

BUSH: I can't predict that. In the near term I can only tell you one thing: We will stay on the offense. We'll be relentless ... (yadda yadda)

QUESTION: Mr. President, it was four years ago when you first met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. You said you looked into his eyes and you saw his soul. You'll also be meeting with the Russian leader in about a week or so. What do you think of Putin now that he has expressed a willingness to supply weapons to outlaw regimes, specifically his recent comments that he said he would provide short-range missiles to Syria and nuclear components to Iran?

BUSH: Yes. First, just on a broader -- kind of in a broader sense... (yadda yadda)... So I think Vladimir was trying to help there... [say what?!?!?]

QUESTION: Sir, you've talked all around the country about the poisonous, partisan atmosphere here in Washington. I wonder, why do you think that is? And do you personally bear any responsibility in having contributed to this atmosphere?

BUSH: I'm sure there are some people that don't like me. You know, and I don't know. I've [thought] long and hard about it. I've been disappointed. I felt that people could work together in good faith.

It's just a lot of politics in the town... (yadda yadda) ... I can't answer your question as to why. I'll have to continue to do my best. I've tried to make sure the dialogue is elevated...(yadda yadda)

QUESTION: Mr. President, under the law, how would you justify the practice of renditioning, where U.S. agents who bust terror suspects abroad, taking them to a third country for interrogation? And would you stand for it if foreign agents did that to an American here?

BUSH: That's a hypothetical. We operate within the law, and we send people to countries where they say they're not going to torture the people.

But let me say something. The United States government has an obligation to protect the American people. It's in our country's interests to find those who would do harm to us and get them out of harm's way... (yadda yadda) ...

But, you bet, when we find somebody who might do harm to the American people, we will detain them and ask others from their country of origin to detain them. It makes sense. The American people expect us to do that. We're still at war... (yadda yadda) ...

But, you bet, we're going to fight people before they harm us. [in other words, it's OK by me]

PREDICTABLE FOLLOW-UP SOFTBALL QUESTION: I'd just like to ask simply, what's your view of the economy right now?

And from BuzzFlash: After Bush's scripted TV appearance, Instant AOL Poll Had 61% Dissatisfied with His Remarks and 56% Rating His Overall Job Performance as Poor.