Bush vows he won't be "pundit-in-chief" in 2008

WASHINGTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) President George W Bush, standing on the sidelines of the 2008 race to replace him, says he will not be the ''pundit-in-chief'' offering opinions on those who want his job.

So said the commander in chief in the White House East Room today on a snowy day in Washington. Over the course of an hour, Bush showed flashes of impatience, but mostly was relaxed and poked fun at reporters in his first news conference of the year.

He gave a squinty stare to a reporter who asked whether the debate about his Iraq policy among 2008 presidential contenders would hurt US efforts to bring stability to Iraq.

He offered what he called some ground rules for those reporters ''who are stuck following me'' for the rest of his term. He has one year, 11 months and six days left.

''I will resist all temptation to become the pundit-in-chief and commenting upon every twist and turn of the presidential campaign. As much as I like politics, and I'm intrigued by the race ... I won't comment,'' he said.

Bush thus dashed the hopes of reporters who saw chances of conflict between the president and potential successors, most of whom are raising doubts about his Iraq policy.

He said anything he said about Iraq at this juncture would have little impact on turning around American public opinion until conditions improved on the ground in Iraq.

Bush is in the odd position of not yet having a horse in the race to replace him. His vice president, Dick Cheney, has made clear he is not running. It would therefore be the first time since 1952 a president or vice president would not be on a major-party ballot.

As for a reporter who had the temerity to look at his watch as Bush's news conference neared its conclusion, the president could not help but take note of it.

''Checking the time?'' he asked.

Then he added, ''Remember the debates,'' a reference to a presidential campaign debate in 1992 when his father, then-President George H W Bush, was criticized for sneaking a peek at his watch.

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