He was calm and straightforward...and he holds the aces, as Dog said.
That is this administrations way. I like it and everyone including the media knows exactly what Ari is saying. heh heh
I've watched nearly every one of Ari Fleischer's press conferences. His responses have NEVER been timid.
He's no Rummie, but he's NEVER timid.
Ari's unpreturbed but insistent tone is absolutely perfect.
As you know Dubya's adminstration is dealing with a press which is, in the main, relentlessly partisan and pro-Democrat. So what happens when the Dems are hurling controversial accusations at the adminstration, and the adminstration is responding in kind? You know well enough. The press presents the Rat accusations as warranted and reasonable (or even as sheer fact) and Republican responses or counter-accusations are presented in such a way as to suggest that Repuplicans are unreasonable, or that the Adminstration is "on the defense," or to further the stereotype that Republicans are "mean-spirited".
The Bush adminstration is undercutting these press tactics by using the "gimmick" of telling the truth, and doing so in a style which is non-confrontational, but insistent and uncompromising. The effects of this approach take time to manifest themselves, but were already apparent (IMHO) well before 9-11. Slowly stereotypes are changing, and slowly but steadily it is DEMOCRATS and LIBERALS who are comming to be seen as "mean-spirited".
Despite the fact that market forces are generating a few objective or conservative news sources, you have to realize that even under the most optimistic scenarios we are stuck with a predominantly liberal press for the forseeable future; and despite cable and the internet there are still millions of Americans for whom the broadcast networks are the primary source of news. Under these circumstances conservatives can simply not win an overt media based propaganda campaign.
Bush's approach under these unfavorable circumstances is brilliant. His goal is to consistently present a contrast in word and deed to the shrill lies, accusations and billious behavior of his critics, and to thereby let people see for themselves what the difference is. Creating the conditions were people can see that your opponent is wrong, and letting them come to that conclusion themselves, is much more effective (and more enduring in effect) than argumentatively telling them your opponent is a lying sack of you-know-what. If the Dem says "you are a hypocrite," and the Pubbie says, "no, you are a hypocrite," then all the sheeple see are two politicians engaged in a shouting match. All other things being equal, they will side with however the media tells them is on the side of truth and justice. Right now the sheeple see the Rats shouting, and the Pubbies talking about facts, enunciating consistent guiding principles, and solving problems. This is what we want.