Regarding your Dark Knight post:
We haven’t discussed this in detail, but from your writing I assume I am in agreement with you on your opinions of Bush’s policies. However, we cannot ignore the fact that he has been a terrible communicator. Has the press been a huge roadblock to his getting his message out? Yes. But I contend that is the media’s job. My complaint would be they didn’t hit Clinton as hard, but I’m all for Presidents getting asked tough questions.
After 9/11 Bush gave a few very, very good prepared speeches, but too few. The country desperately wanted leadership and guidance. He led, but he didn’t guide. How many of us remember his program to have American school children and the U.S. military send aide packages to Afghanis? That was wonderful! Beautiful. We bombed them with food and toys; literally bombed them with love. It’s what hippies had been asking for for over 3 decades. However, hardly anyone noticed. Hardly anyone remembers. This is part of why Bush is mocked for his “go out and spend money” battle cry post 9/11. Yes, it was important to bolster consumer confidence, but we wanted to so much more. I was hoping, praying he would make a “moonshot” speech at a U.S. college. Challenge our youth to lead our country away from foreign oil through ingenuity and hard work. So many of us wanted a job to do after 9/11. A trench to dig. A windmill to erect. A victory garden to plant. It never came. Why are Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, Churchill, Reagan, T.R. remembered? For their words. Their brilliant words of guidance and leadership. Yes they all did great deeds, and so did Bush and history will record those, but we also needed the words. We are a frail and imperfect populous. We need help.
Reagan talked over the press. Palin can talk over the press. Clinton could talk over the press. FDR, Churchill… It’s a rare, rare talent and the last 8 years would have gone much better if “W” had it.
Any perceived tilt of the media is no excuse for not exercising the kind of leadership you mention here, Rufus. One thing the media does not ignore is what the president says, especially in a grand setting. (Too easy of a story to file.)
Well that is the crux of the problem. Bush did not communicate well. Specifically about the war, I think he made a grand miscalculation. America lives in a time of great prosperity, even with current events, and he knew there we would be great resistance to fighting a war.
So the administration thought that instead of going out and projecting a strong image of leadership and demanding sacrifice, they would sugar coat it. Make it easier to swallow by saying go out and just live your own lives, we’ll take care of the bad guys. I don’t think they quite expected the huge up swell of people willing to fight the good fight and we were all left standing around kind of wandering aimlessly until we were told to go home.
Those who were against the action in the meantime just bided their time, gathered their forces. Made their plans, waited for the inevitable screw up, as happens in all combat operations and then at the most opportune time, pounced. Having _intentionally_ dispersed those willing to stand behind him, Bush found himself on uneven ground, unable to hit back and eventually have the tables turned on him. Having brought a knife to a gunfight, he did not have the oratory skills to recover. No matter what good he did, the forces arrayed against him were effective it making sure he’d get no credit.
Skip is on a roll this morning! What fabulous, awe-inspiring rhetoric did Bush give to us? None that I found that great — and I like the man.
You do need that push, that support, that uplifting of your spirit to coincide with my spirit, so that all of us will fight the good fight. So that all of us will come together in support — willingly and knowingly, because we want to.
Great analysis, Skip. One might even call it “mighty.” I feel the same. I think Bush et al thought they were doing America a favor, “don’t worry guys, me and the military got this one.” But we wanted to be a part of the project. That’s why I liked his aide package to Afghanis program. We sat at our kitchen table with the Little Fireflies and made a care package and we talked about where it would go, and the kids in Afghanistan who would get it.
We (Americans) wanted to do a lot more of that. We needed to do a lot more of that. We were left empty. My country went to war and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.
Heh, thanks.
It is too bad. I’m actually hoping Bush writes a memoir. I would love to know, in his own words, his thought process. What drove him to that fateful decision (not that he would describe it that way).
Obviously Rufus, Kath and I felt this way I’m sure millions more did as well.
Floyd? Confession. My instanteous reaction after 9/11 was anger at Bush for disappearing. Not a word, not a single word from him – just poof! And he was gone. I recall furious emails of mine to a friend in Australia asking ‘where the Hell was my President when I needed him’? And this was a man whom I voted for. His speech in New York took too long, though it did help. But his delay was the sign that communication was NOT this man’s forte. A REAL communicator would have sent a message, would have reached out a speech way WAY before then.
Look, I support Bush. I voted for him a second time and I’m proud of it. And I think he’s gotten a bum rap – and that the media has attacked him brutally for doing the right thing. But – Floyd is right – Bush’s worst failing is that he is not a communicator. That is crucial. Marriages collapse because a loving husband can not put his love into words, friendships as well because the necessary words aren’t spoken – thus for same reason collapsed the union between the public and our President. I am so sorry that happened. I’m not blaming Bush – but it’s a sad fact. This man’s greatest failing is that he simply did not communicate.