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Politics : Impeach George W. Bush -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Skywatcher who wrote (23587)	11/30/2003 2:14:54 PM
From: Ron	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 93284

Top secret photo-op By BARRY SAUNDERS, Staff Writer Years ago, when Charlie O. Finley named a mule after himself, there were two different schools of thought on the matter. Some figured the controversial owner of the Oakland A's baseball team must be extremely self-secure to risk the ridicule that comes from naming a jackass after yourself. Others concluded it was a cruel thing to do to an animal. Post-Thanksgiving newspaper and television images of President Bush in Iraq called to mind Finley's magnanimous -- or, depending upon how you viewed the man, confounding -- gesture. Images of the president beaming for the cameras while holding a cooked turkey will evoke disparate responses: Bush must be a truly selfless public servant to leave his secure Texas ranch for the dangers of Iraq -- or, the dude must be really confident to risk the invariable comparisons to a stuffed gobbler. Bush must've known the moment he snatched up a bird-bearing platter that somewhere some smart-mouthed cynic would snort, "Geez, look at that dumb cluck. And the turkey probably wasn't too smart, either." On the other hand, those for whom Bush can do no wrong will see the presidential turkey photos as a liberal conspiracy designed to heap scorn upon the leader of the free world. Regardless, it's obvious that Bush has mastered the art of the "photo-op presidency." The unexpectedly difficult turn that the postwar war in Iraq has taken -- more soldiers have died in fighting since the major combat "ended" than during it -- means we probably won't be pummeled during the coming election campaign with scenes of Bush landing on that aircraft carrier and strutting in his tailor-made flight suit before the "Mission Accomplished" banner. Yet Bush still cuts a dashing figure in those bomber jackets he dons like a security blanket whenever his popularity rating dips. That's a nightmare for Democratic challengers and strategists. You can bet that the scene of Bush emerging from behind that curtain on Thanksgiving Day, to applause and "hoo-ah" cheers from assembled soldiers, will be a part of his re-election campaign next year. His backers will try mightily to spin the cheers into unbridled enthusiasm for the administration's policies in Iraq. It's hard to tell at a distance, but they probably meant nothing of the sort. If anything, the cheers punctuated the fact that the 600 soldiers knew they were secure as long as they shared a tent with the commander-in-chief: his "secret" mission would never have been undertaken had there been real danger. Indeed, the White House threatened to turn Air Force One around in flight if word leaked out. Too bad the soldiers over there aren't afforded the same security measures, including being able to zoom in and out under cover of darkness for a three-hour tour. A partisan benefit of Bush's visit is that it knocked off the front-page a cheer-spreading, fact-finding Thanksgiving Day visit to Afghanistan by New York Sen. Hillary Clinton. Clinton and Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, both Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized Bush's policies in Afghanistan -- where his neglect, they said, has allowed Islamic militants to regain a foothold -- and will now travel to Iraq. You don't think our president would travel thousands of miles just to steal Hil's thunder and, more importantly, her photo op, do you? newsobserver.com