George Bush is a student of History. He knows full well that American Presidents who bow to the whims of the media go down in history as weak, and ineffective presidents.
One only has to look at the press coverage of Abraham Lincoln to see how wrong the press can be. But it is not just the case of the press attacking Lincoln that proves my point.
Today it is agreed by both Republicans and Democrats that Harry Truman saved the world from Communism. While FDR gladly gave Eastern Europe to his Uncle Joe Stalin, it was Truman who stopped the Soviet Union in its tracks. Yes, FDR referred to Stalin... as Uncle Joe. Truman saw through Stalin the first time he met him. And even with Churchill defeated and off the world stage, Truman stopped much of the expansion of the Soviet Union. The press, at the time, was more biased against Truman than any president since Lincoln. I still remember H.V.Kaltenborn, the Walter Cronkite of his day, saying at 6:00Am on the day after the 1948 election, and I quote. "While Truman holds a slight lead in the popular vote, there is no doubt when the final vote tallies cities come in, Thomas Dewey will be elected president."
H.V. did not even believe the returns. Every one was aware that the big cities were Democratic strongholds and there was next to no chance at that point that Truman would lose. The media called the 1948 race wrong a lot more than they called the 2000 race wrong.
I invite you to consider the coverage of Jimmy Carter. That failed misfit got his rump covered by the media when they excused his terrible mistakes by putting out the word that the presidency was far to big a job for any one man to handle. They told us that if any one man could handle most of the job, that man was Jimmy Carter.
I would note that in retrospect there was never a doubt that Reagan could handle the entire job of President and did. I remember arguing with a liberal who was decrying that Reagan slept through cabinet meetings. I replied to his tirade by commenting... "You mean to tell me that Reagan has produced this fantastic economy and world peace while asleep? My God, what couldn't he accomplish if he were dead."
I remember the media trashing Reagan over his so called "Star Wars" policy. When Reagan refused to trade Star Wars for a reduction in nuclear missiles, the press was vicious in its attack. Yet today history shows that it was that decision that resulted in the fall of the Soviet Union.
The media today tells us how great men like Truman and Reagan were.. they never tell us how wrong they were about those men and many others. They also try to paint the history of failures like Carter and LBJ as men who could have been great if not for the opposition of Republicans.
Most of the media people I have met whose goals in life were to be media stars, have always been at heart people who wanted to be elected officials but failed to have the skills to gain elected office.
Yet those same people who failed to earn enough support to even try a political career, think they are bright enough and skilled enough to judge those that do earn the greatest office in the land.
It is my belief that the media is made up of a political meritocracy. They are want to be players who never got to play in the game. It should not surprise us that they most praise and favor those who have little more talent and skill than they do.
As we look back on the last 75 years .. the period of the rise of the media, it is easy to determine that the presidents they fostered and supported were failures and the presidents they vilified and trashed were the success stories of the last 25 years.
We need to remind everyone just how failed the media has always been.
I do not fear for President George W. Bush's place in history.
Well said.
I'd like to share an incident that JUST happened to me...
I was at the post office (they have an ATM like machine that allows you to print out your own labels, and charge your postage, etc.). Many walked into the post office dumbfounded as to why they were closed. I told them it was due to former President Ford's death. Some grumbled. I said, "Welcome to working for the government ;-)." One rather tall and muscular man ACTUALLY said, "I wish it were this President, so we wouldn't have to fight his stupid war."
THIS WAS NOT A GOOD THING TO DO IN MY PRESENCE.
I whipped my head around with the speed of Linda Blair and proudly told him how very much I disagreed. He told me he used to be in the service. I immediately said, "God Bless you and thank you so much for your service to our Country," and reached out to him to shake his hand. He looked at me like he either never expected my reaction, or he'd never been thanked before. Thinking it was the latter, I told him that my brother was in Vietnam and those Vets never were thanked properly or enough. He said, "We should have never gone to war in Vietnam." I said quite firmly, and within a split second of his last word, "We could have WON in Vietnam if it weren't for those like Mr. Kerry." He said, "We should just take care of the good 'ol U S of A." I said, "You of all people should know that freedom isn't free, and how would it be if the entire world's economy collapses because of bad guys having control over all that oil? How fast would you suppose it would involve the good 'ol US of A and change YOUR life? Those people are beheading innocent people over there and I don't want them doing that kind of weird crap over here---we're not talking about normal individuals, you know." He grumbled. I said, "Well, we're just going to have to agree to disagree, but I don't think that things like you said should ever be said about a President of the United States; Happy New Year; and thank you again for your service....and I left.
I was shaking, I was so mad!!!
see my tagline....grrrrh!!!!
NordP