Fleischer Defends the Media

"Now that McClellan has broken free from what he calls the 'Washington bubble,' he can see the 'massive marketing campaign' to sell the war in Iraq for the steaming heap of dookie it was: a public relations operation characterized by an, er, 'lack of candor and honesty,' as the author so masterfully understates it. . . .

"Like no administration before it, the Bush administration has mastered what the media critic Walter Lippmann called 'the manufacture of consent' -- the use of 'psychological research, coupled with the modern means of communication,' to muster mass support for elite agendas. Staging photo-ops whose choreographed drama and camera-ready visuals ('Mission Accomplished') are intended to play to the emotions and overrule objections; reducing complicated geopolitical issues to black-or-white dualisms (Team America: World Police versus the Axis of Evil!); stonewalling the media, cherry-picking intelligence and parroting Karl Rove-approved talking points -- the Bush administration represents the apotheosis of government by spin control."

Dery writes that "the burgeoning genre of Bush administration tell-alls, of which McClellan's is only the latest, paints a portrait of a White House utterly unconcerned with facts yet fervently attentive to public opinion polls. It is a White House whose solution to every unhappy turn of events -- the Iraqi insurgency, Hurricane Katrina, a moribund economy -- is to treat it not as a real-world problem requiring a real-world solution but as a glitch in the Matrix, 'a perception problem' to be handled with the Message of the Day and the Theme of the Week."

Bush and Abramoff

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has just issued a proposed report on White House contacts with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The document concludes that Abramoff had personal contact with Bush, that top White House officials held Abramoff and his associates in high regard and solicited policy recommendations from them, that Abramoff and his associates influenced some White House actions, and that Abramoff and his associates offered White House officials expensive tickets and meals.

More on this tomorrow, obviously.

Legacy Watch

Dan Eggen writes in The Washington Post: "As the door begins to close on his tenure, Bush is increasingly drawing on selected events of the past to argue that history will vindicate him on Iraq, terrorism, trade and other controversial issues.

"Historical analogies have become a staple of Bush speeches and interviews this year, whether he is addressing regional leaders in Egypt or talking to workers at an office park in suburban St. Louis. . . .

"Unfortunately for the president, many historians have already reached a conclusion. In an informal survey of scholars this spring, just two out of 109 historians said Bush would be judged a success; a majority deemed him the 'worst president ever.'

"'It's all he has left,' said Millsaps College history professor Robert S. McElvaine, who conducted the survey for the History News Network of George Mason University. 'When your approval ratings are down around 20 to 28 percent and the candidate of your own party is trying to hide from being seen with you, history is your only hope.' . . .

"Earlier in his presidency, Bush shrugged off questions about his long-term legacy. When Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward asked him in December 2003 how history would judge the Iraq war, Bush responded: 'History. We don't know. We'll all be dead.'

"Yet the recent pattern is clear. In May alone, Bush employed broad historical references in about a dozen speeches and interviews, looking back to the middle of the 20th century and forward to the middle of the 21st. He has focused on similar topics during private GOP fundraisers, according to White House aides. . . .

"Many historians accuse Bush of cherry-picking history to bolster his arguments, in what the late author David Halberstam last year called a 'history rummage sale.'"

On a related note, over on NiemanWatchdog.org, where I'm deputy editor, I've just published the first part of a five-part series on tactics Bush officials are using to make their policies stay in effect after they leave office. Today's focus: Bush's attempts to put the Iraq on autopilot, his posturing against Iran and his purge of military leadership.

Torture Watch

Historians will certainly want to examine how the United States under Bush went from being seen as a champion of human rights to being seen as a torture regime. What's not clear is how long it will take for all the evidence to become public.

Joby Warrick writes in Sunday's Washington Post: "Nearly 60 House Democrats yesterday urged the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to examine whether top Bush administration officials may have committed crimes in authorizing the use of harsh interrogation tactics against suspected terrorists.

"In a letter to Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey, the lawmakers cited what they said is 'mounting evidence' that senior officials personally sanctioned the use of waterboarding and other aggressive tactics against detainees in U.S.-run prisons overseas. An independent investigation is needed to determine whether such actions violated U.S or international law, the letter stated.

"'This information indicates that the Bush administration may have systematically implemented, from the top down, detainee interrogation policies that constitute torture or otherwise violate the law,' it said. The letter was signed by 56 House Democrats, including House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) and House Intelligence Committee members Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y).

"The request was prompted in part by new disclosures of high-level discussions within the Bush administration that reportedly focused on specific interrogation practices. Some of the new detail was contained in a report last month by the Justice Department's inspector general, which described a series of White House meetings in which the controversial tactics were vigorously debated."

Cheney's Cheney

Michael Abramowitz writes in The Washington Post: "On a panel at last week's American Israel Political Affairs Committee convention, former State Department official Elizabeth Cheney described the Annapolis peace process as 'misguided,' said the United States had been 'fundamentally mistaken' to push for elections in Gaza and suggested that the Bush administration has not been tough enough with Syria.

"'In my view, this administration has gotten it right when we have been bold, when we have been decisive, when we have been focused, when we have used our military force when necessary,' Cheney said at the conference, according to a recording posted on the AIPAC Web site. 'Where we have been less effective and less successful is when we have been unfortunately not so bold, when we have not held [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad to account for the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, for the killing of American soldiers inside Iraq, for his support to Hezbollah.' . . .

"As for Iran, Cheney seemed pessimistic about the prospects of diplomacy to dissuade Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon. Over the years, she said, there has been 'no shortage of efforts to talk to them' -- but to no avail: 'We don't have the luxury to have the debate we have been having about should we talk, should we not talk. The time for diplomacy here is rapidly coming to an end.'"

As Abramowitz notes, Elizabeth Cheney is "close to her father, Vice President Cheney -- so much so that when she was at State, people assumed her views reflected his perspective."

Off to Europe

Deb Riechmann writes for the Associated Press: "President Bush's motorcade will speed through European capitals next week, but for many Europeans, the Bush presidency already is in their rearview mirrors.

"Trans-Atlantic relations are on the upswing as European leaders have moved beyond their anger over the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Still, anti-Bush sentiment runs high on the streets, though that is being mollified by Europeans' excitement about the race for Bush's successor.

"Like many Americans, Europeans have Bush fatigue."

James Forsyth writes in a Washington Post opinion piece that Bush "will, of course, receive a warm reception in the chancelleries and palaces of Europe. . . . But this shouldn't be seen as evidence that Europe has finally reconciled itself to the man. Nor should the absence of large-scale anti-Bush rallies be taken as a sign of approval. All this shows is that Bush-hatred, like the president himself, has become a lame duck."

David Blair writes in the Telegraph with results from a survey covering Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Russia. The poll finds "a striking level of anti-American feeling in every country. A clear majority of Russians - 56 per cent - believe the US is a 'force for evil' in the world. In Britain, only 33 per cent see America as a 'force for good'.

"Opinion towards America has become steadily more hostile throughout the presidency of George W Bush, with the Iraq war probably being the single most important factor."

Laura Bush Watch

Carlotta Gall writes in the New York Times: "Laura Bush flew by helicopter deep into central Afghanistan on Sunday on a one-day visit to highlight the United States' continued commitment to the country and to President Hamid Karzai, ahead of an international donors conference this week in Paris. . . .

"As on her two previous visits to Afghanistan, Mrs. Bush emphasized her support for women's development and educational and training projects."

Matt Spetalnick writes for Reuters about the imagery of the trip, some unexpected: "Mrs Bush was met by New Zealand troops who performed the traditional Maori haka dance, thrusting spears, and poking out tongues as U.S. bodyguards looked on slightly nervously."

Jonathan Karl reports for ABC News: "In an ABC News exclusive, First Lady Laura Bush praised former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, saying that knowing the challenges of a presidential campaign first-hand, she 'admired Hillary's grit and strength'."

Bush on Obama

Bush tells Gianni Riotta of Rai TV in Italy: "I'm for McCain, and everybody knows that. On the other hand, I thought it was a really good statement, powerful moment when a major political party nominates a African American man to be their standard bearer. And it's good for our democracy that that happened. And we also had a major contender being a woman. Obviously Hillary Clinton was a major contender. So I think it's a good sign for American democracy."

Bush's Tell-All?

Bush tells Natasa Briski a reporter for Pop TV in Slovenia: "I will probably write a book, talking about the decisions I had to make, precisely to make sure that history understands the conditions and the environment during which I had to make decisions."

Cartoon Watch

Tony Auth on Bush's graveyard.