From The New Yorker "Back Pages"

1. Three of these statements were made by George W. Bush during his Febuary interview with Tim Russert. Which one did he make at his April press conference?

(a) The American people need to know they got a President who sees the world the way it is.

(b) In my judgment, when the United States says there will be serious consequences, and if there isn't serious consequences, it creates adverse consequences.

(c) Nobody likes to see dead people on their television screens.

(d) I don't think America can stand by and hope for the best from a madman.


and the answer is: C

2. What did Karl Rove say he wished had been done differently?

(a) He wished that Condoleeza Rice had fired Dick Clarke on January 21, 2001.

(b) He wished that Paul Wolfowitz had known exactly how many US troops had died in Iraq, instead of underestimating the number by more than two hundred.

(c) He wished the "Mission Accomplished" banner had not been raised on that aircraft carrier.

(d) He wished that Fabian Basabe, the Ecuardoran socialite wanted in California on three warrants for speeding, driving under the influence, and trespassing, had not been pictured on the front page of the Daily News "dirty dancing" with the President's daughter Barbra.


and the answer is: c

According to various recent books about the Bush Administration, who did what?

3. Dick Chaney
4. Donald Rumsfeld
5. Paul Wolfowitz
6. George Tenet

(a) Complained that a pre 9/11 White House meeting about terrorism was spending too much time on "this one man, Bin Laden."

(b) Responded to the suggestion that the government couldn't afford any more tax cuts for the wealthy as follows: "We won the midterms. This is our due."

(c) Argued for post 9/11 bombing strikes against Iraq instead of Afghanistan, even though Afghanistan was linked to bin Laden and Iraq wasn't, saying thta Iraq had better targets.

(d) Threw up his arms and declared that Iraq's possessing weapons of mass destruction was "a slam dunk."

and the answers are: 3b; 4c; 5a; 6d

7. Complete George W. Bush's statement: "I believe that _____ can self-govern."

(a) folks who have lived under dictators or torturers

(b) people whose skins aren't necessarily -- are a different color than white

(c) only those who accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior

(d) under certain circumstances, even wild animals

and the answer is: b

8. In a speech covered by CNN, Dick Cheney's attacks on John Kerry as a threat to America's security were broadcast, on a split screen, alongside what kind of images?

(a) Scenes of soldier's coffins being carried off of military planes.

(b) Scenes of Cheney shotgunning pheasants.

(c) Scenes of the devestation in Baghdad following a hotel bombing.

(d) Scenes of George W. Bush playing golf in Texas the day after receiving the "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." briefing.

Answer: c

9. Why did President Bush say that he wanted the 9/11 commission to meet with him and Dick Cheney together?

(a) He wanted to have the Vice-President on hand in case he started to make jokes about weapons of mass destruction, as he'd done at a dinner for broadcast journalist.

(b) He wanted the commission to "see our body language."

(c) Ever since the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Anzar had told him "You're nearly as unpopular as Ronald Reagan was," he needed moral support in public.

(d) He was worried that the commissioners would ask him why John Ashcroft had not included counter terrorism in his May, 2001, memo listing the new Justice Department's top priorities.