Bush nearly flattens press corps with erratic bull-dozer driving

Newsweek blogger Holly Bailey reports on a bizarre and troubling incident involving the president of the United States, the media, and heavy machinery:

Does President Bush have it in for the press corps? Touring a Caterpillar factory in Peoria, Ill., the Commander in Chief got behind the wheel of a giant tractor and played chicken with a few wayward reporters. Wearing a pair of stylish safety glasses--at least more stylish than most safety glasses--Bush got a mini-tour of the factory before delivering remarks on the economy. "I would suggest moving back," Bush said as he climbed into the cab of a massive D-10 tractor. "I'm about to crank this sucker up." As the engine roared to life, White House staffers tried to steer the press corps to safety, but when the tractor lurched forward, they too were forced to scramble for safety."Get out of the way!" a news photographer yelled. "I think he might run us over!" said another. White House aides tried to herd the reporters the right way without getting run over themselves. Even the Secret Service got involved, as one agent began yelling at reporters to get clear of the tractor. Watching the chaos below, Bush looked out the tractor's window and laughed, steering the massive machine into the spot where most of the press corps had been positioned.

I presume that Bailey was at the plant and saw the incident first-hand. She doesn't cite any other sources. The AP confirms that Bush told people to back up because he was about to "crank this sucker up." So far, I can't find a major media report of Bush's visit to the tractor plant that mentions the chaos the president's joyride caused on the ground. If reporters scurried away from Bush's tractor and didn't report the incident, they would be taking self-censorship to a whole new level.

Update: I found another news account that appears to corroborate Bailey's story. According to this piece by Molly Parker of the Peoria Star Journal, Bush's jaunt on the bulldozer was arranged by Karl Rove at the last minute and his driving did scatter reporters:

Before the tour, Rove chatted briefly with Caterpillar executives about whether Bush would drive one of the tractors. Rove reminded them Bush doesn't do much driving on his own these days and asked if Caterpillar's insurance was up to date.

"We figure he'll have a tendency to go to the right," quipped Tim Elder, director of corporate public affairs.

At the end, Bush, dressed in a bright blue shirt and without a tie, did indeed climb inside a "Black Iron Machine" bulldozer.

"I would suggest you move back. I'm about to crank this thing up," he told the gaggle of reporters following him. He moved it to the left and then the right, reporters scattering as he wheeled in their direction.

"I thought you were joking," one reporter yelled to the president. He just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

Shakespeare's Sister has photos of Bush's visit to the Peoria plant.

[HT: Michael Hussey]

x-posted at This Modern World.

Comments

[cfrost]

Oh. My. God.

[Njorl]

I don't know if you can really blame Bush. You just have to accept a high mortality rate among White House correspondents. Creatures that rely on extremely rapid reproduction generally die at an alarming rate. At least a dozen times a year one of 'em gets sucked into the engines of Air Force One or suffocates in a cloud of hairspray in a small enclosed space.

[B-Money]

Too bad he didn't get them. Not that I am a Bush fan at this point, but I definitely hold the media in much more contempt. They are scumbags and a few less would do the world good. Now, I am a lawyer, and while I can appreciate that many view lawyers as scumbags, I always say, when faced with lawyer hatred, at least I am not in the media. In most cases, the person or persons slandering the legal profession say, "That's true. At least you're not that bad."

[cfrost]

"Too bad he didn't get them."

Yeah, who needs the fourth estate. Let's raise a glass the the folks jailing and killing reporters in Iraq, Chechyna, Pakistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Venezuela, China, Ethiopia, etc., etc.

[mfs]

I heard it on NPR this morning. It didn't make it clear that he almost killed people with the machine.

[michael schmidt]

Well, it's a cry for help, obviously. Except that he doesn't want help, especially from the Iraqi Study Group, or Congress, or scientists, or...

[Matt]

Well the first thing that comes to mind is frat boy.

[B-Money]

"Yeah, who needs the fourth estate. Let's raise a glass the the folks jailing and killing reporters in Iraq, Chechyna, Pakistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Venezuela, China, Ethiopia, etc., etc."

Here, here! If only we could do the same to the papparazzi here!

[hack]

First Cheney shoots a guy in the face, now Bush tries to outdo him by running over some reporters with a tractor. What is with these guys.

It would have made for some really interesting press coverage if he had actually flattened a few people.

[John Lucid]

It's too bad that the conservative blogosphere couldn't have arranged for Jamil Hussein to be in front of the tractor along with the rest of those damn commie reporters. That way the Confederate Yankee wouldn't have to out Mr. Hussein, thus removing any blood from his hands. The Messiah and Commander already has the blood of thousands on his hands, so what's a little more? Especially if he's not a white Christian American.

[Chris]

People were concerned for the safety of the reporters, but as usual in these cases, the administration assured the public that civilian casualties would be minimized.

Asked about Bush's visit, John Edwards said, "Let me reiterate – When it comes to tours of tractor factories, ALL options must remain on the table."

[cfrost]

I have no idea how many readers here played with guns as kids, and I can guess what many might think of letting kids play with guns. For all its negative aspects, kids playing with lethal weapons has one good thing going for it: backing peer pressure, the instrument of socialization, with an implicit gravity like no other. There were rules to the game: no vandalism, animals are to be killed not maimed, know exactly what you’re shooting at, keep the safety on until ready to fire, etc. There was one cardinal rule: never, ever, ever point your weapon an anyone else, loaded or unloaded. Inevitably -we were kids after all- someone would point a gun at someone else through thoughtless carelessness. When that happened the most forceful language was appropriate: “don’t be an asshole”. One thing was understood, which never even needed mention: one never clowned around by pointing a gun at anyone. That was beyond the pale, past even occurring to us to do. That’s in large measure what the process of growing up is - learning, understanding, and abiding by serious codes of conduct.

Our president obviously grew up not only with a silver spoon in his mouth, but coddled to the point that he has no natural understanding of the kind of basic accommodation that honest human social interaction requires. Apparently he was never properly socialized. Perhaps it’s not his parents’ fault, perhaps it’s an artifact of the wealth that buffered him from the real world, perhaps he’s the victim of some sort of sociopathic pathology, and is by reason of genuine organic mental deficiency, blameless. (I’m trying to be charitable) In any case, adults don’t fiddle around with bulldozers when people might get hurt. He doesn’t belong at the controls of a D-10, and he certainly does not belong in the oval office. He shouldn’t even be night manager of a burger joint where he’d probably get in trouble clowning around with the deep fryer.

Oh, and B-Money, you’re right, no one needs the press. Smart guys, guys who know the score, guys who wear suits, guys like lawyers, guys like you, can tell us all we need to know. We can watch Fox News, or read the Washington Times or Pravda, or the Völkischer Beobachter, Granma…

[Dunc]

A D-10 huh? Isn't that the model the IDF uses to demolish homes in the West Bank? How apt...

[Njorl]

"Oh, and B-Money, you’re right, no one needs the press. Smart guys, guys who know the score, guys who wear suits, guys like lawyers, guys like you, can tell us all we need to know. We can watch Fox News, or read the Washington Times or Pravda, or the Völkischer Beobachter, Granma… "

The value to society of these specific reporters is reflected by the fact that they did not immediately flee to safety when they saw Bush climbing into the vehicle. They obviously do not understand the subject they are covering. Also, how many of these reporters failed to write a story about how the president's recklessly poor judgement nearly killed people? I think journalists are great. It's a shame so few of the White House press corps are journalists.

[togolosh]

My first thought on hearing this was that the wingnutosphere would love it if a few reporters were killed. After witnessing the hideous behavior of the crazies when Rachel Corrie was killed I imagine they'd outdo themselves if W ran over Helen Thomas.

Incidentally, today is the third anniversary of her death.

[B-Money]

"Oh, and B-Money, you’re right, no one needs the press. Smart guys, guys who know the score, guys who wear suits, guys like lawyers, guys like you, can tell us all we need to know. We can watch Fox News, or read the Washington Times or Pravda, or the Völkischer Beobachter, Granma"

Well CFrost, I never said we don't need reporters. And I never said I would tell anyone what they need to know. Just because I am smart and wear a suit doesn't mean that is my place. I do not watch FOX News or read the Washington Times. I merely do not like the media, as many dislike lawyers. But I realize that journalists, like lawyers, are a necessary evil. But I do not have to respect these people who think they are so above the rest of us because they give us their version of the news. So if a few get clipped, oh well, no tears from me. And if all the papparrazzo disappeared, I'd throw a party for a year!

But as usual, you toss out blanket commments and are completely off base.

[cfrost]

"journalists, like lawyers, are a necessary evil"

How is it exactly that journalists, or lawyers for that matter, are "evil"? Talk about blanket comments.

[B-Money]

OK, now you are just being a jerk. You know EXACTLY what that comment means. If you don't well, then, ask someone to explain it to you. I guess I thought you were informed enough to know what is meant by "necessary evil". Instead, you want to play symantic games.

[paperwight]

Well, in the same vein as B-Money, we're all a necessary evil, aren't we. I mean, teachers are a necessary evil, since kids don't come fully-educated. Businessmen who profit from others are a necessary evil, since we don't live in Big Rock Candy Mountain. And so on.

Of course, people like B-Money just single out a few professions they don't happen to like and then backtrack rapidly when called on it.

Incidentally, you want to get rid of lawyers? Change business people so that you can trust them as far as you can throw them, and so that they don't want to push all of the negative externalities of their business on to everyone else. That would get rid of probably 50% of the lawyers in the country immediately. But *lawyers*, they're the bad guys.

[janet]

What method would you prefer to see used to cull journalists (randomly, of course, since they're all equally despicable, from the editor of the high school newspaper to the political pundits on TV)?

[B-Money]

"Of course, people like B-Money just single out a few professions they don't happen to like and then backtrack rapidly when called on it."

People like me huh? Exactly who am I, oh font of wonderous knowledge?

For the cheap seats, and those of you who just like to flame, I do not like the media, generally speaking. Does that mean I hate and despise all journalists and writers and reporters? No. Some people do not like lawyers, such as The Phantom, who posts here regularly. His disgust of the legal profession is the trial lawyer. My disgust of the media is not the high school editor or the jorunalist on the front line in Iraq trying to being us the news. I do not like the reporters who put out a story at the expense of the people in the story. They expose "truths" no matter the consequence. They even sacrafice children for the sake of a story. It is not something I respect and I am entitled to my opinion.

Which is, generally speaking, I do not like the media, the papparrazi in particular. And in my view, many so called "journalists" are no better than the papparrazi. Just as some view lawyers or used car salesmen, or others professions in a negative light, that is how I view the media.

So watch your mouth before you say I back track. I am firm in my stance and view. You people are just to ignorant to see what it is.

[Hop Out Now]

Not the only one to think of Rachel Corrie when I read this, I wondered whether anyone suggested that the reporters don orange vests as Bush took the wheel.

[Juno888]

He doesn’t belong at the controls of a D-10, and he certainly does not belong in the oval office. He shouldn’t even be night manager of a burger joint where he’d probably get in trouble clowning around with the deep fryer.