|
nered by the press without a teleprompter. Now there is a reason Bush's handlers do not let him answer questions unscripted and why they have allowed only seven news conferences in over two years and his being caught by the press was the reason why.
Bush was accompanying someone to a swearing in ceremony when he was caught in the open by the press as he attempted to climb some granite stairs in front of the swearing in site. Surrounded by reporters and microphones and unable to charge ahead or retreat, Bush had no choice but to relent and answer a few questions. Looking like a deer staring into headlights he faced the press while his eyes darted from side to side looking like Gen. Custer expecting Major Reno and his reinforcements to arrive at any moment and extricate him from this massacre. However, Karl Rove was nowhere to be found and thus without 3x5 cards or rehearsed answers Bush had to face questions relying on nothing but his own intellect. That, of course, is his Achilles heel. The entire questioning period was only perhaps three minutes long but it must have seemed like an eternity to the tortured Bush who, despite being tossed softball questions, labored, mumbled, stumbled and mispronounced his way through a few answers before being released. His favorite word in the three minutes was "peninshula" when referencing Korea.
Shortly after the failed UN performance by Powell the nation was informed of a rise in terrorism by jumping into first an orange then a red alert. As usual, no specifics could be given out by this secretive government but we were told to go out and buy duct tape and plastic to ward off potential chemical and biological clouds of evil. That was almost as good as when we were kids in school during the cold war and were trained to duck under our desks to protect us from nuclear explosions. As usual the secret crisis was somehow once again averted by our vigilant government and the danger level was dialed down to yellow again but the silliness of the duct tape provided fodder for late night comedy for weeks.
Towards the end of February the White House was scrambling for ways to find a majority in the Security Council of the UN to support the poised invasion. France was being uncooperative to say the least. Diplomacy not being the hallmark of this tribe in the White House, suddenly White House weasels were waving a picture of the head of France posing with Saddam Hussein in front of a nuclear reactor and claiming France was secretly selling nuclear technology to Iraq and thus not supporting an invasion. Excuse me, Mr. President, but need we go to the internet to resurrect the pictures of a smiling Donald Rumsfeld in Iraq shaking hands with Saddam Hussein as he delivered chemical weapons to Iraq to use against Iran? If ever there was an American administration in need of a Dale Carnegie crash course it is this collection we are saddled with now.
No, February was not kind to the White House. The administration needs a war to divert attention from the Korean mess, unemployment, the stock market, the economy, fuel prices, uninsured families and other minor problems. Citizens are too focused on their ability to survive these economic times to pay too much attention to White House spin. That point is evidenced by a 12 point drop in the president's popularity in one month. The latest Harris Poll shows only 52% approving of the way the president is handling his job while 46% disapprove. As any poli sci student will tell you, a 46% disapproval rate is far beyond the lethal limit. Another ominous poll, unscientific as it was, showed a viewer call in poll on CNBC with 55% believing Bush could be beaten in 2004 with only 27% believing he won't get beaten. Given the fact that studies show a far greater percentage of conservative viewers respond to such polls than do liberals, this should be very troubling to Bush operatives.
No, February was not kind to the White House.
|
|
