I LOVE President Bush and appreciate the fact that he is consistent and doesn't sway with the polls. However the administration is doing a poor job of dealing with the attacks on them and with explaining what is going on in Iraq.
The main message doesn't need to change, but sometimes I feel like I am hearing a broken record. If I hear "we are making good progress" one more time, I will scream. They need to do a better job of talking about the good things that are going on and explaining how we are dealing with the bad things. I know the media isn't fair, but that is a given and something that you have to work around.
Right now I feel like the country needs some bucking up and a stronger spine. It is partially President Bush's responsibility to use his bully pulpit to do that, and I just don't think he is doing the good job of it that he should, IMO. (And I think he is capable of doing better.)
This doesn't really change my opinion of him, which is still highly positive, but I don't mind people like Frum and others pointing this out, because I hope it will affect a change, which I believe is sorely needed.
"Great article on the President's inability to enunciate a proper strategy and tactical speech. For a year I have bemoaned this fact with my friends. I was a Bush/Cheney precinct captain, and joined the Air Force AFTER we went to war against Saddam. No one believes in the mission more than I do.
"However, why is the President seemingly incapable of stating anything more than superfluous fluff? Why can he not mention, 'We have built 1,340 schools, 27 hospitals, we have captured 22 senior Al-Queda terrorists, we are shepherding democracy'?!!
"I am so frustrated with a seeming detachment from reality that the White House possesses.
"Every half-way intelligent person realizes there is a huge news vacuum in August. So the White House decides to announce a "vacation" which brings 200 bored journalists to Crawford with nothing to do other than cover Cindy?!! She has gotten more press coverage than any administration figure in the last few weeks. They need to get SPECIFIC- this is how many units we have trained, this is how many weapons dumps we have discovered and destroyed, this is how many terrorists we have taken out, this is how many police and National Guard are on patrol, this is how many toys we have handed out. It is not brain surgery here- you need to give some hope to the people that progress is being made."