A B grade, I’d say. He’s still awful at these stand-ups in front of the camera. The phrases were a little wooden; and no president should start talking about how federal agencies interact. On the bright side, Bush didn’t seem defensive or political (although he’s being both those things, of course); the plan seems a no-brainer to your average guy; he’s still likable and real. But this is the last Karen Hughes guided speech. If Andy Card’s deranged mutterings to Esquire are any guide to his political skills, it’s all downhill from here.
IS SHE KIDDING US? Sorry, but I found this ABC News interview mind-blowing. Mohammed Atta might as well have worn a sandwich board saying “I AM A TERRORIST WITH WILD STARING EYES AND WANT TO RENT AN AIRPLANE!!!” I guess hindsight is easy – but sometimes it’s also obvious.
RAVELSTEIN AS SEEN BY THE FRENCH: Look at this cover-jacket to Saul Bellow’s recent little gem. And, president Chirac assures us, there is no anti-Semitism in France.
ROONEY BACKS BERNIE: The first CBS major figure to confirm the obvious truth that Bernie Goldberg may be impolitic but he’s right:
LARRY KING: A couple of other things. What did you make of Bernard Goldberg’s book, critical of television liberal bias, and especially harsh on some of your folks at CBS.
ROONEY: I thought he made some very good points. There is just no question that I, among others, have a liberal bias. I mean, I’m consistently liberal in my opinions. And I think some of the — I think Dan is transparently liberal. Now, he may not like to hear me say that. I always agree with him, too. But I think he should be more careful.
Did you know Andy Rooney was a liberal?
THE WASHINGTON POST’S LIGHT TOUCH: Another sign that this paper is now a must-read – this wonderfully tart description of a certain Palestininan leader, in a news story lede no less:
Yasser Arafat, fresh from a morning nap, surveyed the wreckage of the presidential apartment in his ruined West Bank headquarters with a well-practiced look of concern.
When bias is conveyed with that deftness, you almost want more of it.
THREE CHEERS FOR LOU: More truth blurted out on CNN. I loved this comment from Lou Dobbs, who seems to have been reading the burly beer buddy, Jonah:
“The government and media for the past nine months have called this a war against terror. So have we here. But terror is not the enemy. It is what the enemy wants to achieve. So on this broadcast, we are making a change… in the interests of clarity and honesty. The enemies in this war are radical Islamists who argue all non-believers in their faith must be killed. They are called Islamists. That’s why we are abandoning the phrase, “War Against Terror”. Let us be clear. This is not a war against Muslims or Islam. It is a war against Islamists and all who support them. If ever there were a time for clarity, it is now. We hope our new policy is a step in that direction.”
Perfectly put. If we cannot name the enemy, how can we properly fight it?
OFF TO PTOWN: Headed up today with beagle to join the boyfriend on the Cape. andrewsullivan.com corporate headquarters will be relocating there for the summer as well.
The Dish 