Mood:
coolI saw something in George W. Bush's demeanor at his photo-op with Jerry Bremer the other day that reminded me of why I didn't vote for him. It was this clumsy, but studied, kind of superciliousness that couldn't conceal a very real impatience with the press. It's just the kind of attitude that can piss off a friend at a hundred feet (and infuriate an enemy at a thousand).
The reason why this matters is that it's emblematic of a much larger failure for this Administration. They have absolutely lost the PR war in a dozen different ways. Yes, the imbedded reporter was a stroke of genius, but that was to keep our minds on the danger and our hearts strong for victory. Now we need ("now" being the past several months) a clear and coherent message to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqis and, just as importantly, to make it clear to those against the war here how it's paying dividends. But the Administration has dropped that ball repeatedly. They've wasted a lot of time and energy on trying to redefine the terms of post-victory insurgency when what really mattered all along is that they kept their word and acknowledged the truth of the situation.
Rumsfeld's memo was honest, at least.
Just getting steamed up.
Need to fucking level Tikrit, though.