BCT Editorial – 10/20/05

This page was last updated on October 20, 2005.

Spin cycle; Editorial; Beaver County Times; October 20, 2005.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“The shamelessness of the Bush White House dawns on more Americans

“As reflected in the most recent polls, the Bush administration is fast approaching the emperor-has-no-clothes status.”

[RWC] This is a nice talking point, but Bush’s current approval rating (39%) is higher than the lowest rating (37% and lower) registered by each of the previous seven presidents. For example, Democrat icon Harry S. Truman twice had an approval rating of only 23%.

“Put bluntly, Americans are waking up to the shamelessness of this White House.

“Two recent incidents drive this ends-justify-the-means point home.

“The first was the phony Bush-talks-to-the-troops video conference. It was bad enough for the White House spinmeisters that Bush and the troops who were involved were awkward, stilted and unconvincing.”

[RWC] I guess the author expects all soldiers to be polished speakers, especially when responding to the President of the United States in front of a worldwide audience. If the soldiers had come off as polished, the author would have claimed that too was an indication of coaching.

“Its problems were compounded when it was learned the whole thing was a set up, that the troops had been briefed on the questions Bush would ask and coached as to how they should respond.”

[RWC] Just as its allies in the rest of the media, the Times misrepresented the videoconference. It’s true the GIs knew the questions ahead of time. The reason was to allow them to formulate a coherent response and so they could practice. At no point were the soldiers told what to say.

“Then, to top it off, White House spokesman Scott McClennan [sic] tried to brazen it out by accusing the media of opposing the troops being allowed to express their own opinions. Unfortunately for him and his credibility, tapes clearly showed a high-ranking Defense Department official walking the GIs through the whole thing.”

[RWC] The author can’t even get the press secretary’s name correct. It’s Scott McClellan, not McClennan.

Regarding the rehearsal, that was to get the soldiers familiar with speaking to a camera and take the edge off a public speaking scenario in front of an international audience. That only made sense. If anything like what the editorial author wants us to believe was going on, does anyone believe the organizers would have broadcast it over satellite?

Here’s what one of the participants (Sergeant Ron Long, an Army combat medic) wrote. “I believe that it would have been totally irresponsible for us not to prepare some ideas, facts or comments that we wanted to share with the President. We practiced passing the microphone around to one another, so we wouldn’t choke someone on live TV. We had an idea as to who we thought should answer what types of questions, unless President Bush called on one of us specifically.”

“Then there is the outright hypocrisy of the president and his allies, including his lap dogs in the media, when it comes to Harriet Miers’ religious beliefs and their relevance to her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“When two U.S. senators tried to raise this topic with Chief Justice John Roberts, a Roman Catholic, during the confirmation process, the White House and its minions caused a big stink, claiming this matter had no business being brought up - and, for the most part, it wasn’t after that.

“But with Miers, whose legal background and public record are less extensive and much sketchier than Roberts’, the White House has used her born-again Christianity as a major selling point to qualm supporters on the religious right.

“So, in a matter of weeks, religion went from being unmentionable to being shouted from the rooftops.”

[RWC] I have to agree with the assessment regarding Ms. Miers’ faith.

“Some reasons for Bush’s decline in popularity are obvious - the mess in Iraq, higher gasoline prices and the federal response to Hurricane Katrina. But this administration’s hubris, its false sense of invulnerability and infallibility, is coming home to roost.”

[RWC] Mess in Iraq? Apparently the author ignores inconvenient news. We meet goal after goal and it’s a mess?

Regarding gasoline prices, there’s nothing President Bush – or any other president – could have done even if he issued a presidential order the day he took office. Our energy problems have been growing for decades. Indeed, when President Bush tried to get an energy bill passed, Congress fought him for four years.

“‘Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before the fall.’

“Unfortunately, they’re taking the nation with them.”

[RWC] Uh, yeah.