Bush's Transparency

Posted By MJ

I wonder if Bush considers his joint appearance with Putin during the meeting in Bratislava as his 21st press conference. I don’t see why not. Most of the people in attendance were hand selected by both Putin and Bush and most couldn’t understand a single word either were saying, how is that any different than his previous 20?

Even in America Bush is shielded from the press. Since winning re-election, Bush has held one press conference and, astonishingly, a federally paid commentator by the Bush administration was able to receive a pressroom pass while using an alias. That’s preferred protection at the highest levels. Bush has already keenly stated that he will not negotiate with himself in public, which is political talk in Texas for “I’m not going to answer your question.” And while doubly proclaiming democratic development with Putin, Bush suggested that he finds America’s transparency encouraging. If that’s not a 21st press conference, I don’t know what is.

If Bush stays on course, by the time he finishes his second term, he will have completed 40 press conferences. The first Bush had that many and then some by the end of his first term, and so did Clinton.

So how does Bush measure transparency? Is it with USA Next, which is the political muscle of the Republican Party that has been attacking AARP and Social Security with ads and television appearances while covering as a non-partisan group that represents seniors? Does Bush measure transparency by paying commentators to promote failed presidential policy in which the commentators do not disclose their federal funding? Is it granting special privileges to certain media organizations that encourage conservative agendas and openly support his administration?

Yeah, I can see right through all that too. Bush is right it is transparent.

After returning from a journey across the Atlantic to mend fences with a continent so out of touch with reality and America, a press conference to the American people in which the president stands and answers questions about future relations with our Allies as well as the war in Iraq- which was the basis for such a trip anyway- is due. This time there shouldn’t be any paid commentators, any cross-dressing, alias using, fake journalists with loaded questions in attendance. And yes, there should be an open negotiation with the people by the president. A press conference is not a momentary podium for the president to give a 15-minute speech and then answer questions for 5 minutes either. Why is there nothing this administration is held accountable to?

The media, for one, should be furious with Bush’s insistence that he answers to no one, and that no one questions his actions. Yet the media quietly lets Bush off the hook with no apparent responsibility to anything that his administration does.

Since Bush took office by the slimmest of margins in January 2001, America has withdrawn from two major international treaties, been attacked by a multi-national terrorist organization resulting in the deaths of over 3,000 innocent people, invaded, occupied and taken over two sovereign countries, threatened war with numerous others and not to mention no WMD, Abu Ghraib, Ahmed Chalabi, numerous entanglements within NATO, a foreign policy that has yet to be defined and a Social Security phase out scare. All of that, and so much more, and only 20 press conferences? That’s a joke.

The media is just as negligent as Bush. One can’t really expect the president to act responsible when the media doesn’t either.