Honest and responsive

Members of both parties praised the president's performance.

Clearly, he had "battened down the hatches to prepare for this very methodically," one observer said, which made him very "forthcoming and responsive" on all the issues discussed.

A prominent Republican said despite "some pretty detailed questions," the president "was just totally frank — totally frank, totally honest, and forthcoming."

"He did very well," said another Republican observer. "He gave us a lot of very helpful insights [and] policy approaches."

Yes, former President Bill Clinton seems to have impressed the members of the Sept. 11 commission with his testimony last Thursday. (See here and here.)

You didn't actually think I was talking about President Bush's press conference last night, did you? I mean, "forthcoming and responsive" is pretty much the opposite of what we saw yesterday.

Update: Here's Tom Shales on Bush's prime time special:

"When I say something, I mean it," George W. Bush said decisively near the end of last night's prime-time presidential news conference. Nobody called out, "When will you say something?" — the White House press corps is too mannerly for that — but some reporters, and some viewers, must have been thinking it. …