"...The best way to get the news is from objective sources, and the most objective sources I have are people on my staff who tell me what's happening in the world." — President George W. Bush, 9/22/2003, explaining why he doesn't pay much attention to the press.

"I failed to recognize how important it was to elevate a matter of such gravity to the highest levels, including the president and the members of Congress. " — Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, 5/7/2004, explaining why he did not inform the president of the unfolding torture scandal in Iraq.

"Yeah, the first time I saw — heard about pictures [of Americans torturing Iraqis] was on TV." — President George W. Bush, on Arab network al-Hurra, 5/5/2004.