National Review: "Another Lost Opportunity"

[brooklynite]

When even your friends and allies are willing to publicly criticize you...

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By now it should be clear that President Bush's words on the subject of Iraq have ceased connecting with the American public. His speech yesterday to the Veterans of Foreign Wars is the latest - and one of the most serious to date - manifestations of the problem. The polls tell us that the American public is losing heart. A substantial majority (56%) now say that the war is going either "very badly" or "moderately badly." More than 50% now regard the war as a mistake. One-third want an immediate and total withdrawal. Maybe most fatefully: a plurality now say that they believe that the president deliberately misled the country into war.

Supporters of the war can argue that the public is mistaken, overly influenced by biased news reporting. Yes, yes. But mistaken public opinion is just as powerful as sound public opinion.

Again, supporters of the war can do our bit to try to change minds. But the biggest megaphone in the country belongs to President Bush - and much depends on whether he uses it well or badly.

He is using it very badly indeed.

Let me single out just one single but maybe decisive problem. Again and again during the Bush presidency - and yesterday most recently - the president will agree to give what is advertised in advance as a major speech. An important venue will be chose. A crowd of thousands will be gathered. The networks will all be invited. And after these elaborate preparations, the president says ... nothing that he has not said a hundred times before.

If a president continues to do that, he is himself teaching the public and the media to ignore him - especially when the words seem (as his speech yesterday to the VFW seemed) utterly to ignore the past three months of real-world events.

http://frum.nationalreview.com/

[bryant69]

1. Well it depends on whether they think he can recover

They get to look principled and noble by slamming into him early - if he keeps sliding.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[msongs]

2. national Socialist Review - the latest fascisti news n/t

[DBoon]

7. In its earlier days, NR touted the Spanish dictator Franco.

Seriously. He was a good christian conservative.

They are quite literally fascist in that sense.

[theshadow]

3. They're not criticizing him for his policies or the war.....

....just on how he's communicating.

[Toots]

4. Now that is what I call fair and balanced reporting..

Just like Fox News. "Again, supporters of the war can do our bit to try to change minds" At least he openly admits to being a War Monger.

[MrBenchley]

8. "supporters of the war can do our bit to try to change minds"

Notice that the "bit" supporters can do, doesn't involve signing up to fight, or anything...

[goclark]

5. Still another shoe that has dropped for George

They are not protecting him anymore.

[MrBenchley]

6. That IS rich....

Frum, by the way, is the author of the "axis of e-e-e-e-e-e-evil" line....and you'll notice the best he can do is "we went to war so Iraqis could buy cars."

"Supporters of the war can argue that the public is mistaken....supporters of the war can do our bit to try to change minds."
And yet all they seem to want to do is slander those who speak out while they hide out safe at home. Go figure.

[Hubert Flottz]

10. They are tipping their hand more every day!

The truth is eating them up!

[MrBenchley]

11. It's telling that Frum doesn't even try to answer the Sheehan question

or explain what the "noble cause" is....

And even more telling that he doesn't even suggest that a Nazional Review reader "do his bit" by actually joining the fuehrer's war...

[tabasco]

9. The war profiteers are upset with their spokesman.

What they want is total control of public opinion. Reagan was the perfect faux grandfather-type for catapulting the propaganda. Bush can hardly utter a complete sentence.

The neocons don't care that the war was unjustified, or that many soldiers are getting killed. They are upset that they are unable to totally control the public perception of it.

[tanyev]

12. Of course his words ignore real-world events.

They have said over and over again that they are creating their own reality. Used to be, that was called delusional, and people suffering from it were sent for psychiatric help.