March 07, 2003

LILEKS (James) The Bleat

I think the best way to characterize the President's press conference was "on message." You could have asked him about the merits of Coke vs. Pepsi, and you would have been informed that the issue is not cola preference, it is disarmament. I heard nothing new but I didn't expect anything new; this was the obligatory have-at-me, lads press conference before the solo performance of the equally obligatory Oval Office speech. He didn't seem to want to be there at all, and if I had to face some of these idiots I'd be hard-pressed to gin up enthusiasm for the event, either. Imagine that you're in your office looking at satellite photos of oil wells Saddam has already set on fire, as well some chatter about sleeper-cells planning retaliatory embassy bombings in European capitals, and as you put the papers down to go face the press you know someone's going to ask for a comment on Sen. Kennedy's assertion that this is animated by a personal grudge against Saddam.

Thanks again, James--much better than the "wiped" impression Andrew Sullivan and I had as our first take this morning and in point of fact, Andrew had Lilek's version linked.
I"m thinking that President Bush could just make it through with that Brat Pack from the press because Ari promised him that Helen Thomas (or "American journalism's crazy old aunt in the attic"as James Taranto called her in BOTW today) would be muzzled...!