Demagogue

Right after the November 2000 election, US News & World Report's Michael Barone assured his readers that George W. Bush "is a good listener." In May 2001, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, a former Democratic congressman, agreed with that assessment.

But yesterday's presidential press conference revealed that Bush's listening skills aren't so stellar. The Washington Post's Jim VandeHei writes:

Bush endorsed a plan to allow Russia to help produce nuclear energy for Iran as a way to keep the anti-American regime from building nuclear weapons. But he mischaracterized Iran's public position by saying, "The Iranians have said, 'We want a weapon.' " Publicly, the Iranian government has insisted the opposite is true, though Tehran is widely believed to be actively seeking nuclear weapons.