Bush Finally Proposes a Shift on Iraq: Better PR!

[Quixote1818]

Bush Finally Proposes a Shift on Iraq: Better PR!
Arianna Huffington

After 28 months of mounting U.S. losses in Iraq, after polls that say six in 10 Americans want the U.S. to withdraw some or all of the nearly 140,000 troops there, after lawmakers from both parties have introduced resolutions in both houses demanding the President come up with some kind -- any kind -- of exit strategy, after yet another deadly day… the President has finally admitted that some changes are needed.

And that’s why he’s decided to take the bold step of...changing rhetoric. So the self-proclaimed “war president” plans to “dedicate several speeches to the war.”

That’s right, after 28 months of this disastrous war (June now ranks as the fourth deadliest month for American soldiers) the president has come to the tough conclusion that what the public needs is more lies, more spin, more rationalizations of failed policies and dishonest leadership. In short, better PR.

Well, I’m sure that will help quell the insurgency, bring Sunnis to the political table, train Iraqi troops faster, and convince other countries to take some of the deadly burden off American troops.

Note to the White House: giving bad policy a new coat of paint doesn’t change the policy. Only changing policy changes the policy. Seems obvious, right? Not to team Bush.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/arianna-huffington/bush-finally-proposes-a-s_2769.html

[liberal N proud]

1. Better PR = More Propaganda

[BlueEyedSon]

2. "The perception is more important than the reality" -- BushCo Mantra

[RalphReedsWreckedEm]

3. More Creative Lies

I can hear him now:

I've always said that we went into Iraq to protect the priceless antiquities of biblical Babylon. Saddam Hussein was destroying these artifacts, and we had to act."

Works as well as any other lie he ever told. The right-wing talk radio frothers will eat it up and start accusing liberals of being "anti-history."

[Plaid Adder]

4. Better PR is this administration's solution to EVERYTHING.

It's the Rove disease: reality doesn't matter, perception is all you have to care about. Somehow they haven't really twigged it yet that if reality gets bad enough, it becomes impossible to manage perception.

That drove me nuts about the Abu Ghraib scandal. Rumsfeld's whole testimony boiled down to, "Boy, if I had known there were PHOTOS of this torture out there on the web, I'd have come down on these people like a ton of bricks!" It was just so fucking obvious that in his mind the ONLY mistake he had made was failing to prevent the release of the photos. No doubt right now they all still believe that the only reason Iraq is a mess is that there are still some people out there willing to tell us that Iraq is a mess.

Same thing with Social Security. "Gee, George, 62% of the country hates this plan." "Let's have some town meetings!" "Well, George, the results are in, and it seems the town meetings are making Americans hate your plan MORE." "Then let's scrap the town meetings and just give some press conferences." "OK, George, you've had your press conference...people still hate it. Maybe we should consider a different plan." "NO! MAKE THEM LIKE IT! I WANT IT I WANT IT I WANT IT! WAAAAAAAH!!! KARL!!! CONGRESS SAYS I CAN'T HAVE MY PRIVATE ACCOUNTS! MAKE AMERICA GIVE THEM TO ME!"

I suppose this is what happens when the ruling cabal is composed entirely of people who were born rich and have only gotten richer. WIth enough money you can insulate yourself from reality pretty well. Sadly, the rest of us are stuck soaking in it.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[AndyTiedye]

5. Maybe He Will Do a 60-day Tour to Tout The War

Perhaps it will work as well as it did for his proposals to gut Social Security.