Posted on 05/27/2004 8:22:14 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob
My hot button is the need for history. The more Bush talked about that, the more he'd force the press to cover that aspect. And the more the press had to cover Japan and Germany, the less effective the press bias against this war would become.
John / Billybob
Sorry my last post had a typo. Your letter is GOOD not goof!
J.
Thank you. If Bush wanted cheerleaders and handshakes, he would have picked a different setting. The War College location shows Bush is serious about planning and strategy. I think billybob misread this one.
I don't think Bush made the claim that it would be "seminal". It is just the first step in the 5-point plan. Yes, it had nothing new. But why would that be a surprise? I would venture that to 90% of those that watching it that it was new since they are not news junkies like many of us. Bush has bet his election on his faith that the Iraqis are capable of self-government. That is a leap of faith that few politicians would ever take. So he has "stayed the course" when many that were "behind him all the way" have jumped off the train. We haven’t seen that trait in a politician in a long time. I just wonder if we ever will again.
If you are referring to Spain pulling out of the can of worms known as Iraq, it was a joke to begin with. It was only token appeasement Tex. For cripes sakes, they only had about 1500 troops in Iraq. Most high schools have more students than that.
They put their entire portion of their token coalition on two or three aircraft and were audios amigo! You need to face up Tex. It is not looking good in Iraq. The place is a freaking mess.
But none of this matters as the media deep sixed it by Wednesday anyway. What have we heard about the quite well articulated and thought out "5 points?" Any real, substantiative discussion, analysis or debate? Nothing. Nothing at all. It is quite shameful. Why is there not someone from the GOP pointing this out? Pointing out the intentional obscuration of and obstruction of the POTUS putting forth his strategy when all we have heard for two month that he needs to do just that?
I happen to agree with you that Bush's media strategy seems to be lacking. I do not know how to get around it as no matter what he tries he will have a problem. If he makes a series of speeches demanding coverage then they will just be branded as campaign speeches.
I am in my 50's and have been watching American politics since childhood (I come from a very political family and environment) and I have seen nothing like this in all my life! Ever! It is as though we are living in the Weimer Republic. Somehow he has to make the Media coverage itself and issue. I see no other way. He does not need to do it directly but he needs have it come out of the mouth of GOP leadership on the Hill, at the Cabinet level and influential Republicans like Guliani and Arnold out in CA.
A case and point would be Falluja and Narif. This has been blown way out of proportion - a few thousand fighters in a population of 23 million, and they have been devastated. It is just like Tet (we kill maybe 70,000 during Tet, BTW,) You would think that the American public in general and the GOP in particular would see through this. As a nation we should no better. No one outside of the hard left is truly proud of the Vietnam "legacy." On the other side of it and at 35 years distance the "summer of love," as it were, looks rather dishonorable and shabbily sophomoric. Perhaps it is time to revisit the results of that time - millions died over there as a result of our lack of honor (I am not talking about the troops.)
Somewhere, somehow, this "new tone" business must cease.
I am beginning to wonder if there is not some sort of religious motive behind Bush;s media approach, that somehow the American people must look the facts straight in the eye and decide for themselves, that it is some sort of call to moral self discipline and self judgment. I know that sounds loony but it is hard for me to otherwise understand why the administration has been so seemingly weak in their response to the media. They are letting the media set the agenda. If there is so truth to my notion all I can say - and as I have said elsewhere on FR - is that I for my part am somewhat less pious.
Has Bush's faith in the American people lead him to underestimate the power of the media. To put it another way: Are we up to the faith he has in us?
I sure hope we are.
That tells me nothing. I heard a great eulogy last week and you know, it didn't get interrupted by applause once. Bush set out to give a speech that was as detailed as he could get and to lay the specific goals of the US and Iraq over the next nine months. This was a speech to inform, not to generate applause lines.
I came away from that speech thinking that our President knows what he's doing and I have confidence in him seeing this through.
You want applause? Go to a pep rally.
I do not understand. Do you disagree with me or the article?
Yeah that is why I am saying that this country is on the verge of making them look heroic.
Amen Brother. Bush staked his political fortunes on doing what he thought was right, not what politically safe or expedient. When's the last time we saw a politician do anything like that?
The audience was dam near everyone who heard it...
Sorry bayourod, you are the one who is not informed on this subject:
War colleges are the top finishing schools for military minds, and the Army's comprises a variety of units, including the Advanced Strategic Art Program and the Strategic Studies Institute, which foster military research when they're not awarding degrees.
The Army handpicks most of the approximately 340 students who attend each year, but there are always some from the other armed services, too—including, usually, one from the Coast Guard. The student body also includes civilians from the Pentagon, State Department, and National Security Agency, along with about 40 senior officers from foreign countries such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, and New Zealand.
Since it was founded in 1901, the Army War College has had some notable graduates, such as President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who graduated first in his class as a captain in 1928; Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf; and Gen. Tommy Franks.
Parenthetically it was at the War College that Eisenhower became a standout officer slated for high command.
Thanks for posting the piece on FR.
I do not understand. Do you disagree with me or the article?>>
No sorry I was actually directing it towards another poster and must have clicked on you instead.
Then I agree with you. I was confused for a second.
Reagan was the only other in my lifetime.
to be honest, Bush could get more political mileage by going on Letterman.
First mention I've heard of it falling flat. And I didn't think it did either.
They put their entire portion of their token coalition on two or three aircraft and were audios amigo! You need to face up Tex. It is not looking good in Iraq. The place is a freaking mess.
Yeah that is why I am saying that this country is on the verge of making them look heroic.
I disagree. It's gone beyond this heroic thing. The focus and direction of this whole thing has become blurred. The the majority of people in Iraq were clearly not behind us. And most of them cannot even be trusted by us, let alone fight for, and lay their own lives down for what we believe is right and just.
It's going southbound in a big way, IMO.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.