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Victor Davis Hanson: Bush’s Communication Problem ...it’s what he’s supposed to be communicating
NRO ^ | August 24, 2006 | Victor Davis Hanson

Posted on 08/25/2006 5:03:27 AM PDT by Tolik

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To: Tolik
This unbalance in the media reflects — or has helped cause — a public unhappiness over Iraq that has brought the president’s poll ratings to less than 40-percent approval. Yet again, for all the efforts of the Left to demonize Mr. Bush as either incompetent or diabolical — or both — the American people hardly think we have lost — or won — the war, much less that the threat posed by Iraq, or the necessity of fighting Islamists abroad, was trumped up in Crawford, Texas.

This frustration by the American public about our situation in Iraq was conceived and fueled by the leftist media. In the Vietnam war, the likes of Cronkite and Rather spewed their drivel to the folks back home that gave aid and comfort to the enemy.

In this war, the lies and treason by our own seditious press will be fought here.

21 posted on 08/25/2006 7:27:15 AM PDT by afnamvet (It is what it is.)
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To: nonliberal
"Not so for Bush."

You think Bush is just "winging it?"

22 posted on 08/25/2006 7:48:52 AM PDT by Sam Cree (Don't mix alcopops and ufo's)
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To: Tolik

What is necessary is an immediate call for an analysis of Muhammad and Islam. Is there any difference between Islam and other cults other than the sheer number of Muslims? In an attempt to deconstruct or decentralize the influence of a cult, do we care if we offend the leaders or members? This discussion must begin in earnest and in a way big enough to make Muslims sit up and take notice. We can no longer spend our lives living in a state of fear and it is time to turn the tables NOW.


23 posted on 08/25/2006 7:53:39 AM PDT by sageb1 (This is the Final Crusade. There are only 2 sides. Pick one.)
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To: Sam Cree

I just don't think he believes what he says. Not that he is "winging it," it looks as though he is just going through the motions.


24 posted on 08/25/2006 7:59:22 AM PDT by nonliberal (Graduate: Curtis E. LeMay School of International Relations)
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To: DeusExMachina05
Ive been saying this for a long while now.

Seriously, there are a good number of people on FR who can better articulate our policy in Iraq and our reasons for being there, better than Bush does.

25 posted on 08/25/2006 8:21:50 AM PDT by My2Cents (A pirate's life for me.)
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To: Tolik; JasonC

How do you win the propaganda war with a free and hostile press which regularly and happily trades accuracy of the enemy's acts for access and personal security?

Look at the unique case of FOX's Steve Centanni.


26 posted on 08/25/2006 9:13:20 AM PDT by dervish
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To: dervish
You make your own free and friendly press. Which fires all traitors, hires only patriots, calls spades spades, etc.

Why is everyone so terminally dumb about all this? It is like asking how you are supposed to win WW II against Panzer divisions without only rifles. Duh, you make your own armor divisions.

27 posted on 08/26/2006 10:33:20 AM PDT by JasonC
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To: ArGee
There is also a benefit to being the good guy, and the government of Iraq needs to use it. Right now they aren't, not seriously. They aren't on American television thanking people, they aren't calling the left names from their position of unassailable moral authority as the victims of Saddam and of the present bombers, they aren't denouncing the left as racist bigots for being indifferent to their suffering, they aren't demanding apologies and resignations, they aren't declaring leftists persona non grata and expelling them from their country, they aren't filing class action lawsuits against the American media for promoting murder in Iraq and demanding $100 billion in compensation, etc etc.

Nobody is even trying. They instead sit around and hope that the left "gets it" and "sees" that we are all "really" on the same side. We aren't on the same side. The left wants to rule the world and will destroy western civilization to do so. When a million Algerians died they said "Bien, vous sufferiez". When a million Cambodians died they said it was Nixon's fault, when he was the only one who tried to save them. When thousands of Iraqis are killed, they blame those trying to stop it. They are not on our side, stop waiting around expecting them to get it, realize they are implacable and murderous cynical enemies every bit as much as Al Qaeda, and get on the bloody field already.

28 posted on 08/26/2006 10:40:27 AM PDT by JasonC
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To: JasonC
Nobody is even trying.

Your post makes a very good point.

There is an old Doonsbury cartoon where Duke asks somebody in the NRA whether they are very busy over some proposed bill or other. The guy says, "Not really. It's pretty much a given that the NRA is unbeatable so nobody really tries anymore." Duke says, "At last, the perfect lobby!"

I think it's sort of that way with the Pubbies and the media. They don't even bother trying to get their message out anymore because the MSM will just twist it.

Maybe if more people like us wrote more letters to the editer, and the papers published them...

On the other hand, I've done a fair job of slamming my imaginary opponents in an imaginary debate during an imaginary run for office using techniques such as...

Oh, and I suppose your great idea for stopping terrorism would have been to apologize to Al Quaeda and drop the embargo against Iraq so Saddam Hussein could have even more money to build torture chambers with. You're supposed to be the party of the oppressed. What do you say to the formerly oppressed people in Iraq, the ones who used to see their wives and daughters taken away to rape rooms, the ones who used to see their loved ones fed feet-first into meat shredders, the ones who can't even visit the graves of their loved ones because their whole town was gassed and the bodies dumped into mass graves? What do you say besides, "I'm sorry we invaded your country and deposed the monster who made your daily life a horror?"

<Add a little righteous indignation here.> When I was young I was taught right from wrong. Maybe we can debate about abortion, maybe we can debate about homosexual marriage, but I sure hope you would not debate with me that using wholesale rape and torture to subjugate the innocent Iraqi people was an evil that had to be stopped. And if you would, I hope the people watching this debate right now would know better than to ever let you hold public office. Shalom.

29 posted on 08/27/2006 5:30:46 PM PDT by ArGee (The Ring must not be allowed to fall into Hillary's hands!)
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To: AmericaUnite
His analysis should always be read.

If he were more clear (and especially) succinct...it would be....

He's way to wordy to be effective.

30 posted on 08/27/2006 5:34:00 PM PDT by paulat
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To: paulat
He's way to wordy to be effective.

OHFORPETESSAKE!!!!! GOLDANGIT!!!

"TOO"

31 posted on 08/27/2006 5:35:57 PM PDT by paulat
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To: Tolik

The Iraqi liberation was absolutely the correct, and most courageous decision "W" has made.

If Saddam Hussein was still in power, Iraq no doubt would be filled with "harbored" terrorists, not to mention that we likely would have seen regional all out war due to Hussein's prediliction to send SCUDS into Israel. (Israel would have retaliated, as they should)

Lastly, the violence has begun to subside in the past few months as Iraqi and US soldiers increasingly put the squeeze on the Baghdad area.

85-percent of the Iraqi territory is relatively peaceful (the Kurds and the Bassra area) and is already prospering under their new found semi-democracy capitalism.


32 posted on 08/27/2006 5:51:08 PM PDT by Edit35
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To: Tolik

This man is brilliant.


33 posted on 08/27/2006 5:55:17 PM PDT by ladyinred (Leftists, the enemy within.)
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To: ArGee
Don't get messages out to the MSM, create your own media and destroy existing ones. Politics is famously not beanbag.

As for your example, two problems. One, relentlessly negative scary does not work, people tune it out. You can't say we are doing everything because the enemy is so incredibly evil etc. You can refer to it, you can't harp on it. Two, American republican hawks are not the spokesmen for this stuff. Don't pretend to speak for Iraqis, put actual living breathing unhypothetical Iraqis in front of microphones.

It is easy as pie for a commie-lib to slander a republican hawk. It is another thing entirely to slander an Iraqi politician working for his country's freedom who explains how his sister was murdered by their friends last week because she tried to buy bread in the market one fine summer morning. Followed up with graditude to protectors and indignation at defeatists who want to turn him over to the murderers. Point blank, in their face, 24/7, "you want to kill me, you haven't the right to say these things" etc.

34 posted on 08/27/2006 6:14:51 PM PDT by JasonC
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To: paulat

It's his historical perspective that makes reading him so important. History isn't a sound bite as I'm sure you know. I guess I like a history lesson with my analysis.


35 posted on 08/27/2006 7:21:38 PM PDT by AmericaUnite
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To: AmericaUnite
Thank you, AU!! Nice reply! :)

However, I like writers who make their points quickly. This guy is WAAAY verbose.

I think our side loses sometimes because of the verbosity.

36 posted on 08/27/2006 7:46:14 PM PDT by paulat
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