"under the spot"
An extract from George Bush's news conference (from Mathaba News Index):
Judy: ...You've looked back before 9/11 for what mistakes might have been made. After 9/11, what would your biggest mistake be, would you say, and what lessons have you learned from it?
THE PRESIDENT: I wish you would have given me this written question ahead of time, so I could plan for it. (Laughter.) John, I'm sure historians will look back and say, gosh, he could have done it better this way, or that way. You know, I just - I'm sure something will pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference, with all the pressure of trying to come up with an answer, but it hadn't yet.
I would have gone into Afghanistan the way we went into Afghanistan. Even knowing what I know today about the stockpiles of weapons, I still would have called upon the world to deal with Saddam Hussein. See, I happen to believe that we'll find out the truth on the weapons...
... I hope I - I don't want to sound like I've made no mistakes. I'm confident I have. I just haven't - you just put me under the spot here, and maybe I'm not as quick on my feet as I should be in coming up with one.
I admit it. I just quoted that interview because I wanted to write some limericks.
"My biggest mistakes?" you ask. How
can I answer unprep'd? I'll allow
that historians will say
"Gosh! Why not this way?"
But I'd make all those same mistakes now.
Had your question been earlier declared
I might have seemed less thought-impaired.
When you probe my mistakes
my false confidence breaks
'cause I don't have my bullshit prepared.
We apologise for this political intrusion. Normal fantasy will be resumed shortly.