Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Missionary Position
Now that I've choked down the bile from last night and earlier this morning and have been able to do a bit of reading, I've found that Daily Kos has some interesting analysis of the press conference: on Bush the missionary and on Bush the evader of responsibility.
Tom Shales, the Washington Post TV critic, reviews Bush's performance here. People who deserve marks as low as Bush (apart from the entire press corps on the scene) include Dan Rather, who called Bush "steady, competent, and forceful." Thus the Great Dan, who made his reputation jousting with Nixon in similar forums, is reduced to a part in the chorus. And Chris Matthews thought it was "powerfully candid" when Bush said he wouldn't like being occupied any more than the Iraqis do. How about "powerfully grasping the obvious"?
Recommended reading: At Orcinus, David Neiwart reprints an L.A. Times column by Jean Rosenfeld, an expert on extremist religious movements and how they inspire violence. It's about applying the lessons of the Branch Davidian siege at Waco to the current standoff in Najaf. Rosenfeld notes that the violent end to the Waco siege came about when tactical officers who were on the ground overruled the team negotiating with David Koresh and his followers and launched a heavy assault. Those tactical officers are now among the leading planners of the military components of the war on terror.
Now that I've choked down the bile from last night and earlier this morning and have been able to do a bit of reading, I've found that Daily Kos has some interesting analysis of the press conference: on Bush the missionary and on Bush the evader of responsibility.
Tom Shales, the Washington Post TV critic, reviews Bush's performance here. People who deserve marks as low as Bush (apart from the entire press corps on the scene) include Dan Rather, who called Bush "steady, competent, and forceful." Thus the Great Dan, who made his reputation jousting with Nixon in similar forums, is reduced to a part in the chorus. And Chris Matthews thought it was "powerfully candid" when Bush said he wouldn't like being occupied any more than the Iraqis do. How about "powerfully grasping the obvious"?
Recommended reading: At Orcinus, David Neiwart reprints an L.A. Times column by Jean Rosenfeld, an expert on extremist religious movements and how they inspire violence. It's about applying the lessons of the Branch Davidian siege at Waco to the current standoff in Najaf. Rosenfeld notes that the violent end to the Waco siege came about when tactical officers who were on the ground overruled the team negotiating with David Koresh and his followers and launched a heavy assault. Those tactical officers are now among the leading planners of the military components of the war on terror.
