[misterrob]

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

[lawnguy]

This is the great challenge to any GOP admin that may come in the future. You have to be able to cut through and get the message out somehow

I think they have accepted that they don't have popular support, and that history will be the final judge.

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.

[raybbr]

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

[Bahbah]

They can put out a lie, and then we're asked the question is that true. And we can know we think it's not true, but we have to be honest, and we have to be accurate

Hugh makes GREAT points. Here is one of our biggest problems. When the Clintons got caught up in something (which seemed to happen every other day), they sent at least a dozen of their minions everywhere to cover their butts, and they DID NOT worry about being accurate. It makes it harder for our side, but it is not an excuse. The PR has been abysmal. Tony has certainly improved the WH press conferences, but beyond that, we don't get much of anything.

[cricket]

Who is it; on Bush's team of Advisors; that carries a white flag around. . .I don't know the recise reality here given the various translations of this decision; but seems to qualify under the 'duck' test; and it feels as if Bush just brought another one down.

I am sick of what appears to be a weakening of Will here. . .or is easily translated as weakness.

This is not the first; but Bush had better get a grip. Sick of this. . .

[kinghorse]

The Administration is 1980's IBM.
The enemy is Microsoft.

Let's hope this is not correct long term. Unfortunately it's spot on for what's happened to date.

[Steel Wolf]

If, as the president has argued, and as I believe, the war –in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Somalia and across the globe—is the central calling of our time, then the men and women in charge of winning it need to embrace the very difficult task of persuading a public bombarded every day with a contrary argument.

The biggest failure in all of this is the inability to recognize that warfare has changed. Videocameras, blogs, and spin are the weapons of the 21st century. From a PR standpoint, we send our our fantastic military like WWI generals sending horse cavalry into the mouths of enemy machine guns.

We have GOT to wrap our heads around the concept of media centric warfare, and abandon obsolete warfighting strategies. Otherwise, our enemies will stick to bleeding our willpower dry, and defeating billion dollar war efforts with thousand dollar insurgencies.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Where's the sales force?

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.

[xzins]

This is an excellent article.

Now the whole war effort is being undermined by a replay of the elite media/anti-war campaign which condemned Southeast Asia to a holocaust, and the White House is flat-footed. Even the most able press secretary in a generation cannot be everywhere. Snow needs every Administration official to be part of the effort to persuade the country, and not just to show up, but to be smart on the details and the threat. When cabinet officials make appearances, they cannot be tired of their own points. Worn down or out? Then quit. Still committed to the idea that the Administration is engaged in defending the country? Then get the details right and communicate them.

Why do nine brigades matter?

What about Sadr?

What are the consequences of retreat?

Even with Tony Snow on board these people have been totally inept at the information war.

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.

[TomGuy]

That has been a problem that has continually plagued this Administration since 01: No PR.

And with no PR, they can't even think about getting their message out. All they seem to do is play defense -- a week late.

[Tolik]

Nailed It!

This ping list is not author-specific for articles I'd like to share. Some for the perfect moral clarity, some for provocative thoughts; or simply interesting articles I'd hate to miss myself. (I don't have to agree with the author all 100% to feel the need to share an article.) I will try not to abuse the ping list and not to annoy you too much, but on some days there is more of the good stuff that is worthy of attention. You can see the list of articles I pinged to lately  on  my page.
You are welcome in or out, just freepmail me (and note which PING list you are talking about). Besides this one, I keep 2 separate PING lists for my favorite authors Victor Davis Hanson and Orson Scott Card.  

[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!

[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

[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]

ping!

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.

[Bigg Red]

And it means the entire Cabinet, and the deputies, and the White House staff. Ask yourself how many of these men and women you have seen or heard discussing the war in the days since the president's speech. Where's the sales force? And that is what it is, just as Reid-Pelosi-Clinton-Obama constitutes a sales force. Only difference: They are out-selling --out-persuading-- the Administration's team. By a lot.

***
Hewitt says -- a lot more eloquently, of course -- what I have been saying for years. The Bush WH is just too nice. They still don't know what dirty fighters they are up against; they keep thinking that if they do the right thing the public will understand and be behind them. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Maybe they should have bought 30-second spots on "American Idol".