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Bush Claims Right to Open Mail
"By all accounts, in his speech to the nation next week, Bush will focus on the need to finish the mission in Iraq, including the possibility of increasing the number of American armed forces personnel stationed there. The data reviewed here, however, suggest that to the degree the president wants to address the concerns of the American people as a whole, he should first and foremost discuss the rationale for the high costs of the war in Iraq, particularly in terms of the lives of the men and women stationed there. The data suggest that Bush's second focus should be on plans for the way in which the U.S. can ultimately withdraw from Iraq."
And there's another finding in that same Gallup Poll that undermines yet another beloved White House talking point: That the media is making the situation in Iraq appear worse than it is.
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According to Gallup, 41 percent of Americans think the media is getting it right; 35 percent think it's overstating how bad things are; and 20 percent think it's understating things.
Who's Out of Touch?
According to Tony Snow, it's the media and the American people who don't get it -- not the president.
From yesterday's briefing:
"Q The only question, though, to press a little bit, is the view that the President has been determined, he's been resolved, and nobody questions that, but does he get it? I mean, is he fundamentally out of touch with what the reality is on the ground in Iraq?
" MR. SNOW: No, I think what happens is, we may be out of touch with reality because we sit around and we look at fractional pictures on the screen. This is a President who gets exhaustive briefings on a daily basis about the situation. He knows more than anybody in this room about what's going on there. And as Commander-in-Chief, he also has solemn and important obligations to deal with the situation properly, as the Commander-in-Chief, and as somebody who is committed to a way forward that's going to create the independent and free and democratic Iraq. . . .
" Q I just want to ask one thing. Are you suggesting that 'we may be out of touch with reality,' do you mean 'we' the press corps, 'we' the American people -- I mean, in other words, is the picture that's emerging out of Iraq through reporting of the press corps there, does it not represent reality?
" MR. SNOW: I'm saying it's absolutely impossible for any reporting to capture fully the complexity of the situation like that. It's humanly impossible. . . . And the President has more time and has -- gets far more information than what is going to be able to shove into even the best and most thoughtfully produced news story or television report."
It's All Political
NBC's Jim Miklaszewski opened his report yesterday morning with this bit of news: "Administration officials tell NBC News that the president's new strategy is more of a political than a military decision, because the American people have run out of patience with Iraq, and the president's running out of time to achieve some kind of success."
It's certainly no secret that Bush's aggressive defense of his position on troop strength during the recent election campaign -- that he was just doing what his fine generals wanted -- is no longer operative.
But nevertheless, for administration officials to acknowledge the political nature of the decision is sort of shocking. Were these officials part of the decision-making process -- or just opinionated outsiders?
