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Think Progress » President Bush To Legally Blind Reporter: ‘Are You Going to Ask That Question with Shades On?’
Wallsten is legally blind. Wallsten tells us he has a rare genetic disorder called Stargardt’s Disease. The disease is a form of macular degeneration that can be slowed “by wearing UV-protective sunglasses and avoiding exposure to bright light.”
Tim Grieve has this follow up:
Bush has now called Wallsten to apologize. “He said, 'I needle you guys out of affection,'” Wallsten tells the Associated Press. “I said, 'I understand that, but I don't want you to treat me any differently because of this.'” Wallsten says he told the president to “needle away.” Bush's response: “I will. Next time I'll just use a different needle.”Here's a different idea. Maybe Bush could make it up to Wallsten by, you know, answering the question he asked him when the “shades” jokes were over. Wallsten asked the president if, during the course of the Valerie Plame investigation, he “learned anything that you didn't know before about what was going on in your administration.” “And,” Wallsten asked, “do you have any work to do to rebuild credibility that might have been lost?”
Bush's response: “I think that -- first of all, the decision by the prosecutor speaks for itself. He had a full investigation. Karl Rove went in front of the grand jury like -- I don't -- a lot of times. More times than -- they took a hard look at his role. Secondly, as I told the other Peter, I'm going to tell you that there's an ongoing trial, it's a serious business. And I've made the comments I'm going to make about this incident, and I'm going to put this part of the situation behind us and move forward.”
Tags: Shrub
