Perhaps the biggest problem I have with the Bush administration is that it is absolutely horrible at defending its ideas. That weakness is, I believe, the biggest reason that the American people have soured so badly on the War in Iraq. Objectively, our military is performing better in Iraq – taking fewer casualties, inflicting greater enemy casualties, and causing far fewer civilian deaths and collateral damage – than any military we have ever had while at the same time helping Iraq build a competent military and police force at a dizzying rate. Objectively, we have helped the Iraqis to form a government of the sort it took us eleven years to perform. Objectively, we are fighting a war not only against outside terrorists and folks who desperately want back the power they used to have, but also against the governments of Iran and Syria.
Yet, the polls go downward and the talk is about just throwing up our hands and walking away, at least to some degree. That, folks, is a rock-stupid idea. Still, it wouldn’t be much of an issue at all if the President were even the least bit aggressive about knocking down some of the rampant stupidity that his opponents are peddling all gussied up as cogent arguments.
Mario Loyola has noticed the same thing and has perhaps the best post I’ve seen on the matter in a very long time. Here’s his summation.
Really, the opposition to Bush is ensnared in so many ridiculous contradictions, that the President would do well, rather than proclaiming that he “understands them” to admit that it is impossible to understand them at all. He should repeat back to them, in succinct form, what they are saying, and encourage them to be a little more thoughtful and consistent. In a reasoned dialogue, people agree on lots of things. But to have that, the President needs to go beyond the articulation of his position, and learn to articulate and criticize the positions of his opposition. It might feel less presidential to duke it out with the talking heads, to engage in a long back-and-forth with other public figures, but that is how you communicate politics in America.
He’s right. Politics is as much about demolishing your opponents’ position as it is advancing yours. The President has done a fair job of getting his opinion out there. He hasn’t even attempted to take a run at his opponents’ positions lately and he should. He doesn’t have to be rude or confrontational, but he certainly should let America know just how silly the arguments are coming out of the Howard Dean/John Murtha/Russ Feingold “get ‘em out now” camp.
Well you know what they say, Tony Blair is better at explaining the Bush adminstration’s policies than Bush is. We should hire Tony to write Bush’s speeches. Karl comes up with em, Tony explains em to the laymen.