President Bush on the Spin Trail: If It Ain’t Fixed, Fake It

This is what President Bush does. He goes out and talks an issue to death, hoping to move the polls, even as he talks about how the polls don’t matter. He also frames the issue in his terms. We must keep our resolve in Iraq, as if we all started out excited about this war and are fading while he shows us an example of real leadership by staying the course. The truth is large numbers of Americans thought this war was a bad idea from the beginning. Wait, that’s not strong enough. Many of us knew this was a bad idea. "I knew this was a bad idea." I’m sure President Bush heard that beer slogan when he was partying his way into his 40s, before he realized he was the one godly guy with the smarts to solve the Middle East. What about the level of self-delusion it took to get him all the way there? The only moral highground he was on was a barstool, and the only calling he heard was “Last Call.” Yet, suddenly this 40-something-year-old teenager sensed God wanted him to run the world. And not just as a President but as a leader with unlimited powers. It really is a stunning leap across the mental abyss in his mind.
So for this Cheerleader-In-Chief to lecture us about anything is irritating. To hear about our resolve, from a guy who bailed out of the National Guard, is a little grating. Even more grating is hearing him drag the troops out to hide behind. He says we have to continue so the troops will not have died in vain.
I don’t see it that way. These troops have died to reinforce our belief in democracy, and the horrible things that can happen when a president, thinks he’s a king.
To be fair, there has been progress. When President Bush gives a speech now, the spin just flows. Compared to when he first took power, he’s much better at talking.