Playing Softball
Hold Many Pitfalls,
Lawrence of Arabia’s Counsel
Koppel puts down the Journal. “Not a lot of encouragement in this,” he says.
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As they chat, Bush’s knowledge of the Middle East astonishes us, though it’s long been a point of honor among American presidents to steep themselves in the history of every region to which they think of sending U.S. troops. Koppel is holding up the media’s end, which is to probe for any point of weakness in the president’s position (much as Congress does). No president will ever get everyone to agree with him that a given war is necessary, but if war begins, the public will at least have a clear idea why he thinks it necessary to fight and the confidence that he’s done more than simply blow on his dice and toss them.
A biting New York Press column by Matt Taibbi circulated among war resisters a few days before the war began. Taibbi’s subject was Bush’s half-hour March 6 news conference, the closest he got to Blair’s grilling in parliament. Taibbi wrote that it was “like a mini-Alamo for American journalism, a final announcement that the press no longer performs anything akin to a real function. Particularly revolting was the spectacle of the cream of the national press corps submitting politely to the indignity of obviously pre-approved questions.”
I know Chicago’s supposed to be cynical and satirical, but I lapped it up as a celebration of our city. Rich said it’s a big hit because it caught a wave. He might have a point; it might be celebrating a lot more than just Chicago.
