Today’s Must ReadDespite its incompetence and failures, there was one thing that the administration was always good at: the staged event. But, in a sign of how far their fortunes have sunk, they can’t even do that right any more.
From The Washington Post:
There are few places the president could go for an unreservedly enthusiastic reception the day after unveiling his decision to order 21,500 more troops to Iraq. A military base has usually been a reliable backdrop for the White House, and so Bush aides chose this venerable Army installation in western Georgia to promote his revised strategy to the nation while his Cabinet secretaries tried to sell it on Capitol Hill.
The president’s handlers did all they could to make it go well. Soldiers were prevented from speaking to reporters in order “to ensure that there would be no discordant notes,” as the Post puts it. Bush even made an effort to appear low-key, a tactic, according to his aides, designed “to reflect the serious situation.” But, still, it didn’t go well.
Soldiers being soldiers, those who met the commander in chief Thursday saluted smartly and applauded politely. But it was hardly the boisterous, rock-star reception Bush typically gets at military bases. During his lunchtime speech, the soldiers were attentive but quiet. Not counting the introduction of dignitaries, Bush was interrupted by applause just three times in 30 minutes — once when he talked about a previous Medal of Honor winner from Fort Benning, again when he pledged to win in Iraq and finally when he repeated his intention to expand the Army.
Note: Despite the fact that The New York Times and LA Times observed the same restrained reaction, the AP went with the headline: “Bush cheered at Fort Benning.”