Losing The (Electronic) War How The Bush Administration Refused To (Or Didn’t Know How To) Fight

Townhalll ^ | 1/18/07 | Hugh Hewitt

[TomGuy]

I also don't think that the Republicans in Congress have given anywhere near the level of vocal support to the President that they should. And I mean from the very beginning, not just recently.

That is because his leadership skills have been weak. The President who stood on the mound with the bullhorn shortly after 911 had the entire nation in the palm of his hand. He squandered it.

As for the Republicans in Congress, at their first balking, he should have taken them to the woodshed. Other leaders have, to keep their party members on board. He didn't. He let them run rampant. And that made him appear even weaker, as a leader.

[Tolik]

Nailed It!

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[GOPJ]

First, business-as-usual dictated that the White House released all the crucial details before the speech, thus draining the address of audience and drama. Ratings were in the tank as a result, as one would expect from the closest thing to a rerun the political world sees.

He's right. When the speech is leaked, Americans take the short version offered by CNN - we have lives... right?

[Reagan Man]

>>>>>You cannot win an information war unless you engage in it. And we are not engaged.

Hey Hugh!...... where you been the last six years?.... get your head outta your butt boy! Many of us have been saying the same thing since 9-11. Even the great Tony Snow seems oblivious to the power of the Presidency. Its not called the Bully Pulpit for nothing. Yet in this age of mass communication, this President has fallen down on ther job. If you can't get your message out to the people, you can't be a successful POTUS. Period!

[jnsun]

Either that, or they have intentionally done such a lousy job. It's almost to the point of saying that no one could have done so poorly without concerted, determined negligence every step of the way.

It does seem like that to me. Like this article says, the failure to take on the media and the total incompetence of delivering the conservative message, obvious right from the start (01), and with the bully pupit for 6 years seems almost too naive to be unintended. To the point of there being furtive agenda.

How tax cuts have the economy revived through private enterprise.

How unemployment is lower than it ever was under Clinton.

How oil-for-food and Saddam himself were imminent threats to civilized world commerce.

How Iraq could be the centerpiece of a free enterprise economy in the medieval middle east.

How Syria and Iran desperately do not want this to happen.

How American energy independence is encouraged through private and competitive innovation, seeded but not manipulated through government intervention.

etc. etc.

Could it be that the Bush administration is a front for the CFR?

[xzins]

When it comes to the Information War

Could they be a front for:

The Darwin Awards?

:>)

[highball]

That's exactly right! During World War II, the Roosevelt Administration, the War and Navy Departments, and all the big federal agencies involved in the war effort did a masterful job of "selling" the war to the American public, thus building patriotism, educating the homefront about the exact nature of the enemy, and keeping morale high.

Sadly, this administration has been hopelessly inept at all of this, with the end result that the American public is hopelessly confused about what we are fighting for and how we are doing in GWOT.

Unlike World War II, where you had Audie Murphy and Snuffy Smith, there are no real heroes who have been publicized for their deeds, and none of our top generals are even known to the public at large, unlike Patton, Eisenhower, Bradley, Nimitz, Halsey, etc.

In short, the Bush Administration has essentially conceded the information war to both the jihadists and the Democrats, and we shall all suffer for it in the long run.

I think the problem with the Administration runs deeper than that - even when they get the message out, it's the wrong message.

FDR would never have told Americans that their contribution to World War II was shopping.

Part of good PR is managing expectations. W prepared America for a painless war that we wouldn't feel. He essentially promised that we wouldn't have to sacrifice, wouldn't have to change our routines one bit.

He had a momentous opportunity after 9/11. He had his Pearl Harbor, his chance to unite the American people behind the war effort. He could have asked us to sacrifice, to contribute, to roll up our sleeves and pitch in. Instead he told us to go to the mall.

Given that, is it any wonder that once the going got tough the nation lost its stomach for war? The White House completely mismanaged expectations in selling the war in the first place, and it's too late to go back and do it right.

[ReleaseTheHounds]

Dittoes, dittoes and more dittoes for this piece by Hugh Hewitt and the first two comments on this thread.

Since Karen Hughes departed, this Administration has been abysmal at PR and communications, managing the message, making sure the good guys understand the details, etc. etc. And W has been pretty much of a failure in his speeches to the American people at least in the past two years.

It gives one pause to think about what the country really needs and who might be the best candidate -- on the leadership front, the communicator front, the visionary -- for 2008. It's sure not another W, I'm sorry to admit.

I know it drives the current administration (and apparently Gerry Ford) crazy, but you always have to ask "What would Reagan do (or have done)?" He sure would have gotten the communications and PR strategies right.

JMHO.

[gonzo]

"...Want to build audience? Tell no one. Don’t even give a copy to the Speaker. Make her listen and react, and all the Congresspeople as well..."

This is how the important message will go down! It'll be a half-hour heads-up notice for a 7:00 PM Important Announcement to the alphabet-networks, and probably an hour for FOX news.

"The President will be giving a Policy Briefing at 7:00 PM"! That's it! Nothing more!

The Drive-By MSM, and the politicos won't have a chance to start the spin-machines until they actually hear the message. They know what the message is gonna be, though.

"...First, business-as-usual dictated that the White House released all the crucial details before the speech, thus draining the address of audience and drama. Ratings were in the tank as a result, as one would expect from the closest thing to a rerun the political world sees. I asked Snow why the rush to gut the audience, and he explained how this allows the White House to get inside the MSM’s news cycle and thus positively affect the coverage..."

This way of releasing news is done to pre-direct the MSM and politicos as much as possible. The White House knows the probable outcome - Bash-Bush - so they don't much care. They've fulfilled their 'news' obligation, and it wasn't that important anyway.

The 7:00 PM quickey will be different. It will be a notification to America and the World that the Iranian Nuclear Facilities are being destroyed as the speech is given. President Bush will also touch on other subjects such as 'Homeland Security'(lotsa mosques in the USA to be contained), and probably North Koreas' fate.

Only a maroon would think that the USA, NATO, and the rest of the 'civilized' World would allow Ahmanutjob and Kimmy to build and keep Nuclear Weapons and missles. For all intensive purposes, diplomacy with these maniacs is finished. Politics will very soon enter the field.

Now, count the number of mosques in your neighbourhoods, note their locations(the FBI knows where they are), then stay well armed and safe. .......... FRegards

[gonzo]

Bump for you. # 29 ........... FRegards

[okie01]

Any future admin. is going to have to have a 24-7 media person who's only job is PR. Or a whole army of them.

Any future administration needs to have a President who looks the MSM in the eye...and tells them who and what they are...and defends his views.

Announcing that you're going to suspend everybody's credentials on the White House Press Corps and, instead, invite reporters from hometown newspapers to get their news direct, rather than through AP.

The press needs to be called what it is: Grotesquely biased. Most Americans recognize this and will applaud an honest attempt to redirect the Fourth Estate toward serving their Constitutional purpose and defending America. Right now, they aren't. They're mere propaganda-mongers for the left.

[raybbr]

Only a maroon would think that the USA, NATO, and the rest of the 'civilized' World would allow Ahmanutjob and Kimmy to build and keep Nuclear Weapons and missles. For all intensive purposes, diplomacy with these maniacs is finished. Politics will very soon enter the field.

We shall see. Aren't France, Germany, the Netherlands and all the other countries now suffering under the weight of cleric pontification NATO? What makes you think that the very countries that are succumbing to hordes of Islam will come to the fight?

[ThePythonicCow]

they DID NOT worry about being accurate.

They didn't have to worry about being accurate. The main stream media wasn't going to roast their backsides if they lied, changed their story or covered up.

The slightest misstatement, or even honorable statement that can be misconstrued, by the Right is a cause for an all out assault by the Left.

It saps ones energy to keep swimming upstream, especially in shark infested waters.

[La Enchiladita]

It works both ways in the ways he has treated members of Congress...

[La Enchiladita]

I guess you didn't hear that Karen Hughes came back last Spring as an ambassador of some sort. It seems she was hired to smooth over hurt Arab/muslim feelings and convince the rest of us that they are really not all terrorists... or something. She is barely recognizable in her new, eviscerated role.

[TigersEye]

Hewitt hits the nail on the head. Not only with the WHs failure to communicate but his take on why the last election went to the Dems is more plausible than anything postulated so far.

[nutmeg]

PR for this administration has come up short....

AMEN to that, FRiend...

[nutmeg]

ping!

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[TigersEye]

Oh great. The biddie-brigade will be here soon trashing this article for even suggesting Bush's admin. is weak on the information war.

You just have to expect that. Some people think and some people are just cheer leaders.