Giving No Ground
Media Notes - Howard Kurtz
Thursday, Apr 15, 2004; 8:37 AM
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The press wanted George Bush to apologize. He didn't.
The press wanted George Bush to admit mistakes. He didn't.
But it would be a mistake to conclude that the president's third prime-time news conference was a flop.
Lots of people watching probably thought the reporters were overbearing showoffs.
Here inside the Beltway bubble, Bush was seen as hesitant, even fumbling (why on earth couldn't he come up with an example of a mistake?). Worse, he seemed to run out of rhetorical gas early on, repeating the same bromides about fighting terror and defending freedom while offering few specifics about resolving the mess in Iraq or even why he and Cheney need to testify together before the 9/11 commission.
But imagine that you're a casual viewer in Kansas City or Orlando or Phoenix. You hear the president talk about Sept. 11, how Saddam was a threat, how battling terrorism is a tough task, how he will do whatever it takes for America to prevail, how he doesn't like seeing dead bodies on television either but his responsibility is to remain resolute. You haven't heard him say this 20 times, like the journalists have. You see a plain-talking president sticking to his guns. You don't think it's reasonable to blame a guy who'd been in office for eight months for 9/11.
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And you wonder whether the press is unfairly trying to
trap him.
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Check out some of these regional headlines, helpfully compiled by The Note:
Philadelphia Inquirer: "Bush Says Iraq Is Testing America's Will."
Pittsburgh Post Gazette: "Bush: U.S. won't waver on Iraq"
Kansas City Star: "Bush Speech Relieves, Frustrates Iraqis" and "Bush Says Iraq Is Testing America's Will"
Detroit Free Press: "QUESTIONS ON THE WAR: More troops, resources will be sent if requested"
Orlando Sentinel: "Bush must clear up exit strategy"
Miami Herald: "Bush: 'Iraq is testing America's will' "
St. Petersburg Times: "Bush promises to finish job in Iraq"
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Bush: 'We must not waver' on terror or Iraq"
Arizona Republic: "Bush gives no ground to his critics in speech"
Manchester Union-Leader: Bush: "U.S. will finish job in Iraq"
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Not exactly the portrait of a stumbling president.
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Obviously, it would help Bush if he could muster the eloquence to win the applause of the elites (not to mention coming up with concrete plans to reduce the carnage in Iraq). But glibness is not his strength, and is one reason he remains at the tipping point of a 50-50 country. |
