So an unconvincing public statement is actually more plausible...This thing gets pretty complicated.

Maybe this explains why Americans seem to think Bush sounds honest, when this side of the water pretty well everyone thinks he sounds like the kind of guy from whom you would never buy a used. It's just that you are one step further along down this road, and what we see as shiftiness comes across domestically as an indication that he hasn't been polished up for sale.(But then I imagine the spin-merchants are one stage further on, and that unpolished effect is intentional, because they reckon right now it sells best...)