The White House is pretending that Bush is out among the people...learning and stuff. But Froomkin knows better:
I've written a fair amount about the Bush Bubble over the past nearly three years. And it seems to me that, with a tiny handful of exceptions, the bubble is still fully operational.Brilliant analysis of the situation. Every member of the press corps who covers Bush must know this to be true. Yet, they dutifully report that Bush is reaching out....or that he is engaged...or some other talking point foisted on them by the White House staff. They live in their own bubble.
When it comes to Iraq in particular, Bush has no interest in engaging in genuine dialogue with people who disagree with him -- even though polls suggest those people now represent a large majority of the American public.
He has no interest in actually arguing the merits of his approach, or substantively defending against the increasingly focused critique by congressional Democrats.
Rather, he describes his approach in platitudes, and uses inflated rhetoric to mock the made-up arguments of imaginary opponents. He counts on the skillful use of imagery and human backdrops to deliver his very simple core message -- "I am protecting you" -- without actually making his case.
He hides behind the presidency.
Bush is a disaster. He has no concept of reality. And, a lot of people have died -- and will die -- because of his failed presidency.
