Philosophy, Not Policy Why Bush isn't good at interviews.
Sunday, February 8, 2004 4:30 p.m. EST
President Bush's interview on "Meet the Press" seems to me so much a big-story-in-the-making that I wanted to weigh in with some thoughts. I am one of those who feel his performance was not impressive.
It was an important interview. The president has been taking a beating for two months now--two months of the nonstop commercial for the Democratic Party that is the Democratic primaries, and then the Kay report. And so people watched when he decided to come forward in a high stakes interview with Tim Russert, the tough interviewer who's an equal-opportunity griller of Democrats. He has heroic concentration and a face like a fist. His interviews are Beltway events.
But certain facts of the interview were favorable to the president. Normally it's mano a mano at Mr. Russert's interview table in the big, cold studio. But this interview was in the Oval Office, on the president's home ground, in front of the big desk. Normally it's live, which would be unnerving for a normal person and is challenging for politicians. Live always raises the stakes. But Mr. Bush's interview was taped. Saturday. Taped is easier. You can actually say, "Can we stop for a second? Something in my eye."
You can find the transcript of the Bush-Russert interview all over the Web. It reads better than it played. But six million people saw it, and many millions more will see pieces of it, and they will not be the pieces in which Mr. Bush looks good.
The president seemed tired, unsure and often bumbling. His answers were repetitive, and when he tried to clarify them he tended to make them worse. He did not seem prepared. He seemed in some way disconnected from the event. When he was thrown the semisoftball question on his National Guard experience--he's been thrown this question for 10 years now--he spoke in a way that seemed detached. "It's politics." Well yes, we know that. Tell us more.
I never expect Mr. Bush, in interviews, to be Tony Blair: eloquent, in the moment, marshaling facts and arguments with seeming ease and reeling them out with conviction and passion. Mr. Bush is less facile with language, as we all know, less able to march out his facts to fight for him.
I don't think Mr. Bush's supporters expect that of him, or are disappointed when he doesn't give it to them. So I'm not sure he disturbed his base. I think he just failed to inspire his base. Which is serious enough--the base was looking for inspiration, and needed it--but not exactly fatal.
Mr. Bush's supporters expect him to do well in speeches, and to inspire them in speeches. And he has in the past. The recent State of the Union was a good speech but not a great one, and because of that some Bush supporters were disappointed. They put the bar high for Mr. Bush in speeches, and he clears the bar. But his supporters don't really expect to be inspired by his interviews.
The Big Russ interview will not be a big political story in terms of Bush supporters suddenly turning away from their man. But it will be a big political story in terms of the punditocracy and of news producers, who in general don't like Mr. Bush anyway. Pundits will characterize this interview, and press their characterization on history. They will compare it to Teddy Kennedy floundering around with Roger Mudd in 1980 in the interview that helped do in his presidential campaign. News producers will pick Mr. Bush's sleepiest moments to repeat, and will feed their anchors questions for tomorrow morning: "Why did Bush do badly, do you think?" So Mr. Bush will have a few bad days of bad reviews ahead of him.
But I am thinking there are two kinds of minds in politics. There are those who absorb and repeat their arguments and evidence--their talking points--with vigor, engagement and certainty. And there are those who cannot remember their talking points.
Those who cannot remember their talking points can still succeed as leaders if they give good speeches. Speeches are more important in politics than talking points, as a rule, and are better remembered.
Which gets me to Ronald Reagan. Mr. Reagan had a ready wit and lovely humor, but he didn't as a rule give good interviews when he was president. He couldn't remember his talking points. He was a non-talking-point guy. His people would sit him down and rehearse all the fine points of Mideast policy or Iran-contra and he'd say, "I know that, fine." And then he'd have a news conference and the press would challenge him, or approach a question from an unexpected angle, and he'd forget his talking points. And fumble. And the press would smack him around: "He's losing it, he's old."
Dwight Eisenhower wasn't good at talking points either.
George W. Bush is not good at talking points. You can see when he's pressed on a question. Mr. Russert asks, why don't you remove George Tenet? And Mr. Bush blinks, and I think I know what is happening in his mind. He's thinking: Go through history of intelligence failures. No, start with endorsement of George so I don't forget it and cause a big story. No, point out intelligence didn't work under Clinton. Mention that part of the Kay report that I keep waiting for people to mention.
He knows he has to hit every point smoothly, but self-consciousness keeps him from smoothness. In real life, in the office, Mr. Bush is not self-conscious. Nor was Mr. Reagan.
What we are looking at here is not quality of mind--Mr. Bush is as bright as John Kerry, just as Mr. Reagan was as bright as Walter Mondale, who was very good at talking points. They all are and were intelligent. Yet neither Mr. Bush's interviews and press conferences nor Mr. Reagan's suggested anything about what they were like in the office during a crisis: engaged, and tough. It's something else. John Kerry does good talking points. In interviews he's asked for his views on tax cuts and he has it all there in his head in blocks of language that cohere and build. It gets boring the 14th time you hear it, but he looks capable. Hillary Clinton is great at talking points--she's the best, as her husband was the best in his time.
Democrats have minds that do it through talking points, and Republicans have minds that do speeches. (Mr. Bush has given a dozen memorable speeches already; only one of his Democratic challengers has, and that was "I Have a Scream.") And the reason--perhaps--is that Democratic candidates tend to love the game of politics, and Republican candidates often don't. Democrats, because they admire government and seek to be part of it, are inclined to think the truth of life is in policy. How could they not then be engaged by policy talk, and its talking points?
Republicans think politics is something you have to do and that policy is something you have to have to move things forward in line with a philosophy. They like philosophy. But they are bored by policy and hate having to memorize talking points.
Speeches are the vehicle for philosophy. Interviews are the vehicle of policy. Mr. Kerry does talking points and can't give an interesting speech. Mr. Bush can't do talking points and gives speeches full of thought and assertion.
Philosophy takes time. If you connect your answers in an interview to philosophy, or go to philosophy first, you can look as if you're dodging the question. You can forget the question. You can look a little gaga. But policy doesn't take time. Policy is a machine gun--bip bip bip. Education policy, bip bip bip. Next.
If I worked for President Bush I'd say spend the next nine months giving speeches, and limit interviews. If I worked for Mr. Kerry I'd say give a lot of interviews, be out there all the time, and don't try to wrap your points up in a coherent philosophy, which is something a good speech demands. Anyway, that's how I see it. Am I wrong? By the way, I've never been able to stick to a talking point in a TV interview in my life.
Ms. Noonan is a contributing editor of The Wall Street Journal and author of "A Heart, a Cross, and a Flag" (Wall Street Journal Books/Simon & Schuster), which you can buy from the OpinionJournal bookstore. Her column appears Thursdays.
The president has been taking a beating for two months now--two months of the nonstop commercial for the Democratic Party that is the Democratic primaries, and then the Kay report.
President Bush has been attacked from every angle, on every issue, and by 97% of the media since the day he took office. It's truly a wonder he has a single supporter still standing after this constant barrage of criticism. Top it all off with the disrespect shown him by the White House Press Corps, Hollywood, Canada, Gore, and the rest of the usual suspects. I'm sick of the media's attacks on our President, literally sick.
Bush accomplished his mission - defuse any notion that he is aloof or isolated. He also helped himself a little bit by taking the focus off of the Democrats. Overall, a plus for him and Republicans, and a great performance for someone not yet in full campaign mode.
Exhibit A in my opinion that Noonan completely misses the mark in her appraisal of this interview.
Number one, it was not phrased in a softball way.
Number 2, the president had MUCH more to say than "It's politics". Much more.
Number 3, guess which topic from the interview Russert has declared alive and well and a problem for the president? Why, his "softball" about National Guard service. Russert is ignoring the factual state of the record, and misrepresenting what the president said in this interview.
Read that again and everybody realize Tim Russert has decided that this election is when he will cross the line and embrace pure partisan politics and propagate DNC (Kerry) talking points in order to defeat a sitting president. Russert has said the president offered to "release" his records about his service, when what was said is the president pointed out those records have been available for years and reviewed during all of his election campaigns, He said much more, but the key is Russert reporting that records will be "released". Then on Imus this morning he stated what will be needed are tax records.
BTW, Peggy's prediction of how mainstream media would receive this interview was also wrong. It's all over the map, but the Daily News, for one example of a not pro-Bush publication, had a very favorable commentary on it.
And damn straight Wizard.
Peggy and Rush and others got this one wrong. They wanted vitriol, they wanted revenge, themselves, but they got (we got) instead, a man who spoke from the heart, STATED his dedication to his POLICIES (geeez Peggy----were to set to criticize and therefore MISSED his tremendous declaration of standing by his policy REGARDLESS of opponent's wailing and ranting or poll numbers? Did you MISS that one?)
President Bush simply tramples his critics and opponents with his unique ability be himself at all times. Just by being himself, in his direct, straight 'speak' and steadfastness, he makes his opponents seem smallish and rather petty.
Regarding President Bush's interview from my perspective-
This man, this good man, made his points clearly and without that creepy clintonian wordplay that the democrats seem to need to resort to because they are unconvicted and vascillate with the wind.
What I remember clearly from the interview was our President taking a moment to speak directly to the parents of our precious troops who have sacrificed with their very lives in Iraq.
And when he spoke in defense of the National Guard and let it be known that trashing himself was ok, but trashing the importance of our National Guard was pathetic...just WOW!
And lastly, he spoke so directly to all of us with his decisive declaration that he is NOT poll driven, never will be, will NOT be changing his policies in terms of what he believes will keep our nation secure and exactly how he percieves America's role in this world and how he intends to pursue this vision, regardless.
I love him.
He elevates this nation with his refusal to bend to the whims of opponents, be it press corp or their bosses at the DNC, or foreign nations wanting to hold back America for nefarious reasons. This President will NEVER sacrifice our national wellfare for a piece of gold, a fake coalition or a false shadow of security in exchange for a slice of popularity.
Very unclintonian of this good statesman.
Rock solid, 'bring it on' type talk. No fear, no vascillation, what it is - is what it is. Is that refreshing or what? (No wonder this man drives democrats crazy by simply being himself! LOL)
What you see is what you get and what you hear you can depend upon type talk.
Embrace it or vote for someone else type of stance because this man is NOT going to vascillate with popularity polls. He takes defending this nation SERIOUSLY.
I understand this, and it gives me great hope.
And horsepatuddy to Peggy if she cannot understand CLARITY when it is right there in front of her....President Bush has LESS SMOOZE and fancy rhetoric that Ronny, LESS DRAMA and UNCONVICTED, DOUBLE EDGED, WISHYWASHY rhetoric than Billy, and, frankly, it is this quality, after his deeply held relationship with our Father, that I LOVE about this good man.
However, as to the assertion made by a fellow poster, that she's only done 'it' a couple of times, I'd like to counter and deflate that assertion with a reminder that she is the 'surly bonds' girl, after all.
I mean, what the fu heck was up with that "Why does Europe hate you" question?!? Who gives a rats patoot about how europe (he really meant France & Germany) 'feel'. Last I looked they don't vote here. And that cr@p question about Tiny Tammy Dashound and 'divisiveness'? Then as some have mentioned the 'question' about Dubya's NG service. Hell why didn't Russert just say excuse me, gotta go and let Terry McAwful do the interview? The whole thing was a blatant hit-piece right from the DNC fax machine!
That a-hole Russert BETTER ask that frickin Kerry about HIS bugging out early from both NAM & his Navy enlistment commitment AND his pro-communist activities with Jane Fonda!!!
Grrrrrr... I'm still ticked-off.