America's Newest Talk Show Host
After only six years in office, the handlers of George W Bush have gained sufficient confidence in his rhetoricality skills to let him take unscripted questions from his audiences. A certain Nedra Pickler, of the Associated Press, is utterly delighted at the thought, from her opening "Move over, Oprah", right through the "revelations - both personal and political" in which this strategy has resultified, to the final casual note about the Homeland Wiretapping Programme.
"President Bush," continues Nedra Pickler of the Associated Press, "is making himself into television's newest talk show host by featuring audience participation in his appearances." Democracy with audience participation - honestly now, can human freedom get any freer?
Apparently not. The White House says that audiences have not been pre-screened "even though the sessions are limited to invited groups". Doubtless the White House ensures that a representative number of dissidents and sceptics are invited to these affairs. It knows where they live, after all. However that may be, it is clear that the requisite quota of vegetables is being faithfully maintained: "'It's always good to have a plant in every audience,' Bush joked last week in Sterling, Va., after a woman rose and said she was proud of him."
Still, "he has gotten some tough questions, too". A woman in Philadelphia asked about the administration's claim that the Iraq adventure had some connection to the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, in which America was attacked by terrorists. "Bush said Saddam Hussein was a threat and at the time was widely believed to have weapons of mass destruction", which, like many non-answers, only goes to show what a tough question that really was.
Someone else in Philadelphia prompted Bush to "publicly put a number on the high toll Iraqis have paid for freedom", in the words of Nedra Pickler and the Associated Press. With journalism this objective, it's a wonder the White House still has to send out invitations; surely a few National Guardsmen incentivising random citizens on the street with cattle prods and free bumper stickers would do just as well.
On the personal side, Bush has spoken about "exposing his daughters to public scrutiny", which is "one of the worst things about being president". Perhaps they make him look bad. In the same riveting vein, Bush has spoken about one of the best things about being president, which is "impressing his childhood friends with dinner at the White House". According to Bush, this is "a great honor, pretty awe-inspiring deal". Gosh.
In keeping with his policy of civil rights rollback, Bush "ruled out any future run for office by his wife". He also revealed that the First Lady designed the rug in the Oval Office according to his own specifications. He wanted the rug to say "optimistic person comes here to work every day", except those days when he's on holiday or sheltering from Cindy Sheehan. That was the strategic thought for the rug. Mrs Bush figured out the colours for the rug. The rug looks like a sun, with nice open colours that Mrs Bush figured out for the rug.
All of which, in the opinion of Nedra Pickler and the Associated Press, is much more important than the Homeland Wiretapping Programme. The most recent invited-but-unscripted audience participation event has eventuated in Manhattan, Kansas, home to some of Philip Marlowe's less appealing acquaintances (see The Little Sister for details). Bush was talking about the war on the abstract noun and "making a point of defending his secret domestic eavesdropping program".
Nevertheless, despite Bush's newly-unfettered rhetoricality, presidential adviser Dan Bartlett has been precautionarily wheeled out to insist that the Homeland Wiretapping Programme does not bypass the law. "In fact, we're interpreting the law correctly". The administration has nothing to hide, hence "It would be our choice not to have to talk about this at all," Bartlett said on Good Morning America. The optimistic person whose wife designed the rug is "resigned to congressional hearings" on the matter "as long as they don't aid the enemy", a very sensible qualification, which Congress may well find it not entirely inadvisable to consider taking on board.
"President Bush," continues Nedra Pickler of the Associated Press, "is making himself into television's newest talk show host by featuring audience participation in his appearances." Democracy with audience participation - honestly now, can human freedom get any freer?
Apparently not. The White House says that audiences have not been pre-screened "even though the sessions are limited to invited groups". Doubtless the White House ensures that a representative number of dissidents and sceptics are invited to these affairs. It knows where they live, after all. However that may be, it is clear that the requisite quota of vegetables is being faithfully maintained: "'It's always good to have a plant in every audience,' Bush joked last week in Sterling, Va., after a woman rose and said she was proud of him."
Still, "he has gotten some tough questions, too". A woman in Philadelphia asked about the administration's claim that the Iraq adventure had some connection to the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, in which America was attacked by terrorists. "Bush said Saddam Hussein was a threat and at the time was widely believed to have weapons of mass destruction", which, like many non-answers, only goes to show what a tough question that really was.
Someone else in Philadelphia prompted Bush to "publicly put a number on the high toll Iraqis have paid for freedom", in the words of Nedra Pickler and the Associated Press. With journalism this objective, it's a wonder the White House still has to send out invitations; surely a few National Guardsmen incentivising random citizens on the street with cattle prods and free bumper stickers would do just as well.
On the personal side, Bush has spoken about "exposing his daughters to public scrutiny", which is "one of the worst things about being president". Perhaps they make him look bad. In the same riveting vein, Bush has spoken about one of the best things about being president, which is "impressing his childhood friends with dinner at the White House". According to Bush, this is "a great honor, pretty awe-inspiring deal". Gosh.
In keeping with his policy of civil rights rollback, Bush "ruled out any future run for office by his wife". He also revealed that the First Lady designed the rug in the Oval Office according to his own specifications. He wanted the rug to say "optimistic person comes here to work every day", except those days when he's on holiday or sheltering from Cindy Sheehan. That was the strategic thought for the rug. Mrs Bush figured out the colours for the rug. The rug looks like a sun, with nice open colours that Mrs Bush figured out for the rug.
All of which, in the opinion of Nedra Pickler and the Associated Press, is much more important than the Homeland Wiretapping Programme. The most recent invited-but-unscripted audience participation event has eventuated in Manhattan, Kansas, home to some of Philip Marlowe's less appealing acquaintances (see The Little Sister for details). Bush was talking about the war on the abstract noun and "making a point of defending his secret domestic eavesdropping program".
Nevertheless, despite Bush's newly-unfettered rhetoricality, presidential adviser Dan Bartlett has been precautionarily wheeled out to insist that the Homeland Wiretapping Programme does not bypass the law. "In fact, we're interpreting the law correctly". The administration has nothing to hide, hence "It would be our choice not to have to talk about this at all," Bartlett said on Good Morning America. The optimistic person whose wife designed the rug is "resigned to congressional hearings" on the matter "as long as they don't aid the enemy", a very sensible qualification, which Congress may well find it not entirely inadvisable to consider taking on board.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home