Was last night's speech a "policy speech" or a "political speech" ?

[kentuck]

I thought Bush did a pretty good job reading it. Supposedly he had three of those speech monitors - one on the left, one on the right, and an additional one in the center. Of course, he could just as well have read Alice in Wonderland.

But I watched the end of the speech on C-SPAN this AM and they did not cut away as the cable networks did last night. The camera followed him in the crowd. They were very enthusiastically cheering him as he mingled in the crowd, just like it was a political event?? He was shaking a lot of hands and , once again, he had a friendly and supportive crowd. It was political.

[SoFlaJet]

1. As I said before in a previous post

PURELY POLITICAL
more tough words that won't have the same measured actions

[LittleApple81]

2. Of courses, it is political. Policy? Which policy? n/t

[ewagner]

3. Political

but, I think, in a sense different from the way you describe.

It's political because it was classic political positioning for future claims that "We (the administration) have a clear plan and vision for a free Iraq!

The speech was far short of a plan and heavy on platitudes. The fact that the Administration did not ask that the speech be carried by major networks and was, therefore, only available to cable viewers points out that they weren't interested in substance but image.

The image to be trotted out now and forever, is that Bush has a plan and we need to "stay the course". on that plan. (Sound familiar?)

It was political in that sense, in my opinion.

[Don_G]

4. It Was Political

A "policy" speech telling us nothing new but in front of a uniformed crowd to demonstrate the "furher principle" for the masses.

Kind of "I'm the leader and I'm going to abandon Iraq when MY CONDITIONS ARE MET" sort of thing. Too bad the UN won't go for it and his ego.

[Malva Zebrina]

5. Political

riding his wave of death, maiming and destruction in order to get elected. A total misrepresentation of himself as a wonderful war president who knows what he is doing and has a plan.

[Kazak]

6. He sure is skilled...

at, er...reading...