Press Corps Quagmire

Wall Street Journal ^ | 2-19-08 | William McGurn

[smoothsailing]

Press Corps Quagmire

By WILLIAM MCGURN

February 19, 2008; Page A19

When a man hangs up his byline to write for a president, he gets more than a new job. He gets to see how the press and pundit corps look from the other side of the notepad.

And over three years in the West Wing, you see a few things. You see who's a straight shooter, and who's full of snark. You see who's smart, and whose outrageous behavior would have made its way to Drudge had it involved White House staffers instead of White House correspondents. Most of all, you see how conventional wisdom can keep otherwise talented reporters and commentators on the same stale storyline long after the facts on the ground have changed.

Let me put this in context with three contentious issues -- one economic, one cultural, and one on foreign policy. In each case, President Bush took a clear stand. In each case, he was accused of stupidity or stubbornness and sometimes both. In each case, the facts on the ground increasingly bear the president out, sometimes dramatically. Yet the beat goes on -- with no sense of the great irony that it may be our writers and pundits who are stubbornly clinging to old assumptions.

Start with taxes. In the first three years of his administration, the president signed into law a series of tax cuts....

[kitkat]

Terrific article, and in the Wall Street Journal, too.

[Southack]

Love it!

[Once-Ler]

President Bush hasn't always been right. But he's been right on the things that matter most, and he's been willing to take the heat. I, for one, admire him for it.

Me too.

[AprilfromTexas]

for later

[Cementjungle]

It still burns me that every day the Dems claim Bush’s tax cuts were only for the rich, or he “banned stem cell research”, and on and on. The facts mean so little to most people.

[IncPen]

It still burns me that every day the Dems claim Bush’s tax cuts were only for the rich, or he “banned stem cell research”, and on and on. The facts mean so little to most people.

"Bush lied, people died."

A demonstrable falsehood.

[Enchante]

MSM scumbags never admit how wrong they were/are...... they either change the subject or else go right on propounding the same loser propaganda that they spouted before, in both cases acting as though they’ve learned nothing..... maybe because they have learned nothing, or because ideological blinders will not allow them to admit the facts staring them in the face.....

[Darkwolf377]

A pro-Bush article, here? Geez, this place is turning into DU! ;)

[smoothsailing]

Trolling since November 2000! ;)

[Darkwolf377]

Trolling since November 2000! ;)

Ah ha! You've been waiting all this time to back the evil Bush! ;)

[smoothsailing]

It's been my mission here!

Shucks, what to do, I've blown my cover.

The Viking Kitties are coming, ARGHH!!!!

[Darkwolf377]

I think FR SHOULD keep a couple of us who still like and support W around, just so they can keep up with the "big tent" pose.

I never thought being a supporter of a Republican tax-cutting president wholeads us in an ongoing war AND chose two great SCOTUS judges could be so cutting-edge around here...

[Maynerd]

I agree that Bush gets beat up at times unfarily here. But I think it stems from great dissapoinment with Bush’s second term.

Alito’s great but only after Harriet Mired was puked up. The profligate spending that he proposed (Medicare drug plan) along with no vetos of the “republican” spendthrift congress laid the groundwork for the revolt over his no illegal left behind amnesty program.

Clearly Bush, has been stalwart on taxes on the WOT. But ihs inability to consistently articulate the righteouness and worthiness of his policies has damaged him and the republican party greatly.

McCain will be one of Bush’s legacies.

[smoothsailing]

Yeah, well, whatever.

[Maynerd]

LOL. Keep sailing into the sunset bro.

[Theresawithanh]

Bumping for a great article!

I have not always agreed with President Bush, but I do respect and admire him.

[Dahoser]

Clearly Bush, has been stalwart on taxes on the WOT. But ihs inability to consistently articulate the righteouness and worthiness of his policies has damaged him and the republican party greatly.

You hit on one of the two philosophical problems that the President has had during his time in office: his inability to sufficiently explain what and why he was doing what he was doing. The other is his unwillingness to be partisan which has resulted in a range of maladies from the benign—inviting Kennedy over to the White House for a movie, to the malignant—refusing to clean out the entrenched bureaucracy.

[ReleaseTheHounds]

A big bump and hurrah for W. There’s been much of the Bush Administration that has frustrated me (especially the inability to articulate the arguments and support for his policies) but we will miss him.