Bush Urges Public To Be Upbeat on Iraq

Bush Urges Public To Be Upbeat on Iraq
Situation Termed Better Than Perceived
By Dana Milbank
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 10, 2003; Page A22

MANCHESTER, N.H., Oct. 9 -- President Bush, launching a new bid to halt the long slide in support for the occupation of Iraq, urged Americans Thursday to be optimistic and assured the public that the U.S. efforts there are proceeding better than it appears.

Addressing reservists and National Guardsmen at a time when more are expected to be sent to Iraq to quell violence and disorder, the president marked the sixth month of the fall of Baghdad by bidding Saddam Hussein "good riddance" and noting that the seemingly chaotic situation in Iraq is "a lot better than you probably think."

Bush's twin speeches here in New Hampshire, to service members and business leaders, were meant to be the keynote of the administration's reply to critics urging a reduced U.S. commitment in Iraq. "Americans," the president said, "are not the running kind." Bush's speech, however, was delivered on one of the more violent days in postwar Iraq: An attack on a police station killed eight, a Spanish diplomat was slain and another U.S. soldier was killed in an attack on a convoy.

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ummm What schedule?
How do you assess the progress of U.S.-led efforts in Iraq?
About what I expected 38% 51359 votes
Behind schedule 54% 73114 votes
Ahead of schedule 7% 9920 votes
Total: 134393 votes

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October 9 transcript

snippets ---- But here at CROSSFIRE, we got a couple guys to take our questions about the presidential race and all things political. They are two of the best minds in the political business, Republican strategist Alex Castellanos and Democratic strategist Peter Fenn.

BEGALA: No.

I watched the coverage of our president's speech. And it seemed to me to be a bit of a P.R. mistake, a political mistake, honestly, that if a guy like you were advising him, I think you probably would tell him, don't go out and say, all is well, everything is perfect. Why not tell the truth, say, look, we got problems? They're very tough. I have got some new plans to try to solve them.

Why not acknowledge that the thing is messed up instead of going out and governor us this happy horse manure, like he did today in New Hampshire?

CASTELLANOS: First of all, I think there's a lot to be proud of and there's a lot that's gone well that's not being reported. And I think one the reasons the numbers are down, I think, for the president -- which, by the way, comparable to the numbers that Reagan and Bush had at this time. And I think, last I checked, they did OK.

But the numbers are down. It's because of the negative news media. There's been a barrage of negative news coverage that focuses not on the reality of Iraq, not on the reality of the economy.

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ARRRRRRGGGHHHHH! It's the damn media's fault!!!! Don't you love it how repugs take responsibility and are holding people accountable? :evilgrin:

With the kick-off of this NEW PR campaign I suddenly have this image -- a GOP Chorus line in tails and top hats tap dancing and singing



" Grab your coat and get your hat
Leave your worries on the doorstep
Life can be so sweet
On the sunny side of the street"

Un Patriot Act go for John Ashcrofft? That may
tell us where this latest PR effort is going...

Anybody know?

... it almost sounds like they dug up Busby Berkeley and put him to work... all they need now are the Rockettes and a young Ronald Reagan and Sonja Henie and Esther Williams....

I never cease to be amazed at this adminstration's faith in image-making and propaganda.

President Bush served up a hamburger on Thursday at a brief stop at a pizzeria in Manchester, N.H. Mr. Bush also chatted for a while with the restaurant's diners and employees and then bought a slice to go.

Bush, in New Hampshire, Vows to Stay Course
By RICHARD W. STEVENSON
Published: October 10, 2003

MANCHESTER, N.H., Oct. 9 — Returning to a state where he lost the last primary but went on to eke out a victory in the general election, President Bush on Thursday engaged in his most overt campaigning yet for a second term and said he would stick to the course he had set despite mounting criticism of his foreign and economic policies.

---snip---

The trip here, to the state that will hold the first presidential primary next year, on Jan. 27, was officially nonpartisan. But the visit, Mr. Bush's first here in almost a year and the first since the 2004 campaign unofficially began, was suffused with political overtones.

Mr. Bush even swooped down from the commanding presidential heights usually staked out by incumbents to engage in some of the one-on-one campaigning that is all but mandatory in New Hampshire. As his motorcade roared into downtown Manchester around lunchtime, he stopped at a pizza place.

Campaigning like one of the nine Democrats who are seeking his job — all of whom were in Arizona on Thursday for a debate — he ran inside to chat with diners and employees, help serve a hamburger with fries and order a slice to go.

2 more soldiers dead... HUZZAH!
police station bombing - SOUNDS GREAT!
dead Spanish guy - GIMME MORE!

BRING EM ON!

WE'RE MAKIN' GOOD PROGRESS!

SMOKE EM OUT!

DEAD OR ALIVE!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Let's all be SUPER SUPER UPBEAT!



dead civilians - WHAT A GAS!

quagmire - SOUNDS FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABULOUS!

maybe a draft - SURE, WHY NOT?

87 billion - WHY NOT DOUBLE, TRIPLE, QUADRUPLE IT!

SUPER UPBEAT!

I loooooooooooove Paul Bremer!
Chalabi is cuddly, eminently trustworthy.

(coughs, explodes)

kick their ass and take their gas!! Woo-hoo!!

Oy!

Julie

They deserve it because they are the only ones in the country who really don't mind getting off their butts and working for a living. We're just jealous.

More power to them:



By the way, Alex Castellanos is the Cuban-American media consultant who created the "DemocRATS" commercial during the Bush campaign 2000.
He's a hired spinning specialist, and a real shifty fella, a little slower witted, like a lot of Republicans.



On edit: To TheBigIdea:

Your image would seem so extreme if it weren't absolutely more than justified. It's satisfying seeing someone can nail the _Bushes' inhuman, profane policies.

yeah - pre-Bush, my arty endeavors consisted of campy 1950s-style films with nary an extreme image in sight... post-Bush... PHEW.

Castellanos is a real pile of slime, always sickening to watch in action on the pundit shows...

TREASON?

...as long as the lives in question are those of America's working class and foreigners (class unimportant). To this White House and Congress, these people are merely props - un-persons, disposable, every one.

Is this it? Is this our nadir? Sure seems like it...

I don't get upbeat in a war until we've hit 1,000 casualities. Wait 'til we hit 10,000... then I get really upbeat.

So, Bush's basic message is: "Cheer the fuck up! Everything's hunky-dory!"

we people actually have souls and feelings and we cant applaud people dieing every day fror no reason better than halliburton's pocketbook growing larger.

I mean when you have to go out and tell people that things are going well they aren't going well. Hoover and his daddy did this kind of thing alot - didn't work then, won't work now - Dead bodies and people out of work trump happy talk.

Bring the Boys home now.

...just for this year, of course, and not counting probably another $10 or $20 billion in hidden costs. That's a lotta upbeat.

"Always look on the bright side of life...."

Lets just be upbeat about everything else too while we're at it.
Life is so much simpler that way.

I remember comments like that during the Vietnam War too.--- until say ...1967.

Since W declared Mission Accomplished, we are suppose to ignore reality and look on the sunny side?

How could W even start to imagine what it's like there? He's never been to Iraq and he doesn't read or follow the news? Maybe someone needs to buy poor little w a clue.

BTW: Two more US soldiers were killed in Iraq today but that's negative news, we're not suppose to bring that stuff up any more.

The most unbelievable moment was when Bremer yesterday went to the site where Saddam's statue was overturned to celebrate his overthrow. Bremer, however, was basically alone, surrounded by about a hundred bodyguards.