Please Pull A Nixon
h/t to Clarity and Resolve. (The title to this isn't my wish, but that of the MSM)
Todays' Sunday outlook in the Washington Post has an article entitled "All Over But The Pullout", by Jonathan Rauch.
Rauch equates the coming drawdown of US forces in Iraq to Nixon's earliest removals of troops from Viet Nam, and then the full withdrawl from there.
He does present both points of view on Iraq, that we either can't stick it out because of public opinion, or that we can, if we change public opinion. I don't think he looked at a third option, the one I believe Bush is willing to use until at 2007, and that is ignore public opinion and do the right thing.
Rauch's commentary is full of references to opinion polls, and interviews with media consultants and pollsters. Which leads me to believe he's stuck in the Clinton administration, when poll numbers were the driving force policy making. For some reason the MSM can't believe, or refuses to, that this administration, while mindful of them, hasn't shown that they are driven by them.
Of course, Rauch isn't the only one stuck in that mode, just about every major daily in the country, Newsweek, and Time are also thumping on the beat of "public opinion". The idea that they may be part of the problem in that department with their one sided reporting doesn't seem to phase any of them.
He doesn't get one thing kind of right though, the President can use this to pull the rug out from under the Democrats; however, not by capitulating to public opinion. Instead, he needs to beat them over their heads with their own words, as he's started to do, and use the State of the Union Address to point out the good things that are happening in Iraq, including elections, schools for both sexes, etc. He needs to acknowledge the problems, but frame the debate over continued progress, or another Iran/Syria in the region, which puts us back to square one. It's been his stance all along, but it needs to get out much more forcefully.
That would force folks like Hillary Clinton to chose an actual side of the fight, since she's been riding the fence for the last few months, being for the removal of Saddam, but kind of sort of against the way it was accomplished.
If you are looking for the "political science" point of view, this is a good article. If you are looking for any insight into the president and how he actually makes decisions, it's pretty much a waste of time.
Technorati Tags: politics and opinion
Todays' Sunday outlook in the Washington Post has an article entitled "All Over But The Pullout", by Jonathan Rauch.
Rauch equates the coming drawdown of US forces in Iraq to Nixon's earliest removals of troops from Viet Nam, and then the full withdrawl from there.
He does present both points of view on Iraq, that we either can't stick it out because of public opinion, or that we can, if we change public opinion. I don't think he looked at a third option, the one I believe Bush is willing to use until at 2007, and that is ignore public opinion and do the right thing.
Rauch's commentary is full of references to opinion polls, and interviews with media consultants and pollsters. Which leads me to believe he's stuck in the Clinton administration, when poll numbers were the driving force policy making. For some reason the MSM can't believe, or refuses to, that this administration, while mindful of them, hasn't shown that they are driven by them.
Of course, Rauch isn't the only one stuck in that mode, just about every major daily in the country, Newsweek, and Time are also thumping on the beat of "public opinion". The idea that they may be part of the problem in that department with their one sided reporting doesn't seem to phase any of them.
He doesn't get one thing kind of right though, the President can use this to pull the rug out from under the Democrats; however, not by capitulating to public opinion. Instead, he needs to beat them over their heads with their own words, as he's started to do, and use the State of the Union Address to point out the good things that are happening in Iraq, including elections, schools for both sexes, etc. He needs to acknowledge the problems, but frame the debate over continued progress, or another Iran/Syria in the region, which puts us back to square one. It's been his stance all along, but it needs to get out much more forcefully.
That would force folks like Hillary Clinton to chose an actual side of the fight, since she's been riding the fence for the last few months, being for the removal of Saddam, but kind of sort of against the way it was accomplished.
If you are looking for the "political science" point of view, this is a good article. If you are looking for any insight into the president and how he actually makes decisions, it's pretty much a waste of time.
Technorati Tags: politics and opinion
posted by Crazy Politico at 4:45 PM
4Comments:
Yup Yup. Hillary knows better than to choose actual sides...just yet. HA
Bush needs to start putting out there all the good things that are happening in Iraq...counter act what the MSM is doing. That would start the process of changing public opinion because your average American is too lazy to educate themselves on what is ACTUALLY happening over there and are just going to go w/ whatever the MSM tells them.
Bush HAS GOT to start getting the good stories out there!
I agree Corie, the media has the administration with a double edged sword. Anytime someone in the admin admits there are issues, that is the only part the media talks about. When they don't, and just talk about what's good that is going on, they are flailed for "ignoring the issues".
I agree with you guys, but the political reality puts the Bush Administration in a tough spot. The Dems are determined to sabotage US efforts in Iraq.
If the Bush administration paints too rosy of a picture of Iraq it give the Dems an opportunity to criticize the administration of "being out of touch with reality".
More importantly the Bush administration needs a united home front. This is why they only criticize the Dems when they have to. Only the Dems benefit from divisive politics.
It is interesting to note that the Dems feel that they are being attacked whenever someone says anything good about Iraq (see the comments sections of our blogs...) The future of the Democratic Party is tied to a US defeat in Iraq and they are determined to see it through.
The reconstruction is not as sexy as suicide bombings and will never be able to compete with violence in the media. The last Iraqi elections was second page news because there was no violence. Its up to bloggers to sound off the good news.
Post a Comment
<< Home