The Missing Links

The Coverage

Here's the transcript of the press conference. I had some initial thoughts about it in yesterday's column .

Michael A. Fletcher and Glenn Kessler write in The Washington Post: "Resolute and at times exasperated during a 56-minute news conference, Bush cast the war in Iraq as part of a broader struggle against Islamic extremism that holds serious implications for the security of the United States. Bush's defense of his Iraq policy touched on familiar themes, but his passionate and lengthy plea to keep fighting was striking in light of the plummeting support for the war among the public and -- more worrisome for the White House -- among Republicans."

Jim Rutenberg writes in the New York Times: "President Bush seized on Monday on Democratic calls for withdrawal from Iraq to make an election-year case that his political rivals did not properly understand the threats to the nation and would create a more dangerous world.

"It was the most direct attack on Democrats that Mr. Bush has made from a White House lectern this election year, and it effectively signaled the beginning of a more outright political season for him and his aides as they work to help Republicans maintain control of Congress."

Marc Sandalow writes in the San Francisco Chronicle that "by summoning the White House press corps during a slow week in August for a nearly hourlong give-and-take on national security, Bush appeared intent on redefining the debate that threatens to cost his party control of Congress.

"As Democrats try to frame the coming election as a referendum on the president's decision to stay the course in Iraq, Bush sought to portray it as a choice between confronting terrorists at home or abroad. . . .

"Democrats were quick to accuse Bush of being out of touch.

" 'The American psyche isn't the problem. The problem is this administration's disastrous Iraq policy,' said Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who lost to Bush in the 2004 election.

Bryan Bender writes in the Boston Globe: "White House aides said yesterday's press conference was the beginning of a more aggressive plan to help Republicans convince the public that, despite setbacks in Iraq, Democrats don't understand that success in Iraq is critical to the broader war against terrorism. . . .

" 'The Republicans are planning to make national security their issue, as they have before, and they are very brazen in how they do it,' said Julian Zelizer, a professor of history at Boston University who is writing a book on national security and politics. 'Republicans want to link Iraq to homeland security -- that is the core issue,' he said. 'Democrats want to separate the issues and argue Iraq is not a part of the homeland security strategy.' "

Mark Silva writes in the Chicago Tribune: "The president is supporting a strategy already outlined by the GOP and played out on the campaign trail by Vice President Dick Cheney and others based on the view that a hasty withdrawal from Iraq would leave Americans more vulnerable to terrorism at home."

In the Los Angeles Times, Peter Wallsten had a very interesting look at the press conference and Bush's use of the media: "Democrats are eager to score points with voters this fall by talking about President Bush's handling of the Middle East, Hurricane Katrina and gas prices. On Monday, Bush showed that he too is eager to discuss those knotty topics -- but he framed them as winners for Republican candidates in November, even if polls show voters disagreeing now. . . .