With Bush, Less Is More
George W. Bush has been masterful during the last three months. A big part of his success has come from knowing when to step back.
by Fred Barnes
The Weekley Standard
12/19/2001 12:01:00 AM
HERE'S AN INTERESTING FACT that explains a lot: President Bush has actually gotten less coverage on the network TV evening news shows since September 11 than before. That's right, 38 percent less coverage. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell have taken up much of the slack. One more fact: Bush has had a higher percentage (64 percent) of positive stories on TV over the past three months than President Clinton did during the Kosovo conflict (62 percent) and President Bush the elder during the Gulf War (56 percent).
What these facts explain is how a president without a large ego works and why he is so effective (and thus popular). One of the great strengths of the Bush administration is the cast of characters the president has assembled on his national security team. Not only Rumsfeld and Powell, but also Vice President Dick Cheney, adviser Condoleezza Rice, deputy secretaries Paul Wolfowitz at Defense and Richard Armitage at State, stars in their own right, are members of the team. And rather than smother them out of fear someone, somewhere might think he's not in charge, Bush gives them a huge public role.
Can you imagine a narcissist like Bill Clinton doing this? Quite the contrary. He would be hogging most all the sessions with the media, keeping his underlings out of public view. Remember his defense secretary during the fight over Kosovo? Or his national security adviser? (Answer: Bill Cohen and Sandy Berger.) By not making every war announcement himself, Bush plays up his reliance on an impressive team of advisers. Each of them has credibility. Nearly every Sunday two or three of his national security advisers appear on network Q-and-A shows. Last Sunday it was Powell and Rice, the week before Cheney and Rumsfeld. The point is that someone of stature is always appearing in public and making the Bush case for the war on terrorism. Rumsfeld, for example, has become a media star as a result, parodied affectionately on "Saturday Night Live."
Another reason for Bush's effectiveness is his skill at delegating. In wartime, this might be frowned upon by the Washington press corps and the public. You know, a president who isn't doing his job or maybe isn't up to it in the first place. But the officials to whom Bush delegates are not unknown quantities. They are household names and highly respected. So when Bush gives Rumsfeld a long leash at the Pentagon, there are few complaints. Meanwhile, Bush has time for other matters besides the war, such as the economy, education, and energy.
Finally, Bush has imbibed a lesson that every recent president has been taught but none has followed: Less is more. Americans don't need to see their president constantly. By showing up on TV more often than Chris Matthews, a president wears out his welcome with the public. The mystery and majesty of the office dissipate when a president drones on. True, Bush isn't exactly in hiding these days. He meets with reporters at photo opportunities and press briefings after visits by foreign leaders. But these are quickie sessions where he answers only two or three questions. Bush also confers over breakfast with congressional leaders weekly. Afterwards they speak to reporters, but he doesn't. He saves his major pronouncements, and even some minor ones, for a few speeches. People pay attention. They aren't tired of Bush. His popularity was supposed to drop as we got further away from September 11. But with the war going well, it remains as high as ever.
Fred Barnes is executive editor of The Weekly Standard.
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