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Well that has nothing to do with the content of the speech, now does it> Many more read it or took the media stream off the net. It was published in full in quite a few paper.

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.