In his first press conference since before the invasion of Iraq, President George Bush yesterday vowed that weapons of mass destruction would still be found in Iraq.

He backed his controversial tax cuts despite the worsening economy. He said he took responsibility for including a false claim about Iraq’s weapons program in the State of the Union. He defended National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice. He denied repeatedly that he oversold the case of war against Iraq. And he announced White House lawyers were actively looking for a way to bar same sex couples from being allowed to get married.

It was only the ninth press conference of Bush’s term. By comparison, Bill Clinton had held 33 by this stage of his presidency, and Bush’s father 61.