Something useful from a blunder

WASHINGTON TIMES ^ | February 28, 2006 | WESLEY PRUDEN

[afz400]

Something useful from a blunder
February 28, 2006

It's an ill wind that blows nobody good, and that hot wind out of Dubai is useful, too. It reveals the fault lines of the modern Republican Party while there may be time for someone to do something about it. Or maybe not.

John McCain, the senator from Arizona with a gift for saying things other people won't, decries the uproar over the Dubai ports deal as "hysteria." A lot of the noise sure sounds like it.

Some of the president's friends quickly turned their ire away from the president's partisan critics and aimed it at the loyalists of his base, dismissing the concerns of red-state conservatives as merely ignorant resentments and lowbrow vexations of hicks in the sticks. Some of his friends took their cue from the president's professed puzzlement that he didn't understand how anyone could see any difference between the British, a constant American ally in war and peace for 200 years, and a clutch of Arab emirates who were helpful pals of our most dedicated enemies only five years ago. Soon anyone who expressed skepticism of the deal was a racist, a yahoo, a redneck, a xenophobe, a know-nothing or at least an overwrought Jew or Bible-thumping Christian. One of the president's loudest apologists, a sometime lobbyist for Islamic causes and the imam of the no-tax movement, caught the sour tone of the hysteria, quoted in the Los Angeles Times: "The only whiners left by next week will be the registered bigots."

[afz400]

Just waiting for someone on FR to say that Wesley Pruden is a closet liberal, old media dinosaur, racist, Bush hater for writing this (excellent) piece.

[OldFriend]

Maybe it's just me but I get the sense that the Washington Times is lining up behind John McCain.

[meandog]

Maybe it's just me but I get the sense that the Washington Times is lining up behind John McCain...

Yes, and God help us, perhaps Rush can straighten it out with some needed vitriol about that traitorous McCain this afternoon < /sarc>

[Tolik]

I don't like McCain and don't see him ever winning primaries. I don't follow WT enough to know their stance. But in this case it is irrelevant.

This whole deal highlights the weakest link in the Bush administration (besides borders and spendings): its their communications problems, and how they ignore info-wars. Even if the deal was 100% clear cut, they handled it abysmally. But its not clear cut, and the opponents (I am not talking about the Bush-haters who opposed to anything Bush on principal) have a legitimate point.

It is agonizing (agonizing because I am Bush supporter, just wanted to make it clear) to see how they can't explain their position clearly and educate neutrals and supporters, or maybe even win over some honest opponents.

[Dane]

But now Bush has proved their case--and proved in a very graphic and memorable way. Protection of the ports is perhaps Bush's most important responsibility, yet here he has shown himself willing to compromise that in exchange for Emirate cash. Bush is toast. I no longer view him as a loyal American; more of a corporatist freeloader who has a phony pro-American pose.

Where was your "outrage" when P&O was running a container operation or when the Clintons gave ports on the west coast to the Iranians newest buddies, the Chinese.

But nice try of spinning from hillary's basement.

[OldFriend]

I agree with all your comments..ALL of them.

My response was peripheral and best left unsaid.

There seems to be no one in the Bush administration able to come out and explain over and over and over again why we are doing the right thing.

I have yet to disagree with the President's position on any issue.

[Dane]

There seems to be no one in the Bush administration able to come out and explain over and over and over again why we are doing the right thing

They do, but it is getting spun by not only the old media, but ego driven people such as hannity and weiner(savage).

Facts be damned to them.

[roses of sharon]

We on the right, ALL of us, including our media, are all nothing but puppets on a string of the left-wing media, being told to how and when to dance.

We come thru everytime.

And have for 30 years.

[OldFriend]

We gave Hannity his power and we can take it away.

I hope the groupies and the sycophantic celebrity lovers will wise up.

[Tolik]

No, they don't do enough. And its being an info-war, there is an enemy there (different enemies). You can't count on enemy to do your bidding, you need to counteract, and be constantly on offense.

And there are allies, like Hannity, Rush, Prager and many others. One thing that these talk show hosts get is a constant feedback. They have millions listening them for a reason. If they start getting it too wrong, egos or no egos - they will be corrected, or will be forced to change their audience or vanish.

What administration gets now is also feedback. Any successful organization is successful because it used the feedback from the customers the right way. If you ignore your customers, you will get bankrupt really fast.

Note, that I am talking about normal feedback, negative or positive alike, but not that shrill squeaks produced by The Left.

So, the Administration got some really clear feedback on Harriet Myers, and gets it now from the well divided supporters. Difference of opinions is good. It is healthy, and it is how it should be. A good debate clarifies things. Lets have it more often.

[ClaireSolt]

Hannity is not really very smart. He just has his fes points and repeats them. If he were just observing in a vaccuum, he would have nothing to say. Rush, on the other hand, is thinking and his analysis is based, I think, on a thorough and realistic knowledge of how the government really works, beginning with being the son of a lawyer.

[ClaireSolt]

True, but also, Bush is a leader and he has unequivocally led the nation away from anti-Arab or anti-Moslem bigotry since 9/11. You might consider it war strategery. Divide and Conquer is the only way a nation of 300 million could defeat 1 billion.

[generally]

Same with Rush. I have heard several of the "conservative" talk shows supporting the port deal. I have listened very carefully and have tried very hard to be open-minded, but I have failed to hear anything that convinces me that this is a good deal for the US. None of the arguments ring true. I am left wondering how big a payoff Rush or Hannity got for taking the pro-port side of the argument. Please note, I'm not accusing them of being bribed. I'm just saying that that is the feeling I'm left with after hearing them talk. They don't sound like they, themselves are convinced that what they are saying is true.

[EQAndyBuzz]

"Just waiting for someone on FR to say that Wesley Pruden is a closet liberal, old media dinosaur, racist, Bush hater for writing this (excellent) piece."

Wesley Pruden is a closet liberal, old media dinosaur, racist, Bush hater for writing this (excellent) piece.

/kidding

[Bob Buchholz]

I think Rush has made a cogent argument and actually supports the port deal.

Unless Hannity has made a radical change since Friday afternoon, he has been 100% opposed.

[MNJohnnie]

It is an ignornat piece written by an idiot who did NOT get one fact straight. Amazing how utterly ARROGANT the Port Deal Hysterics are. Fact after Fact is presented to them and they just TUNE it all out because they want to have a hysteric hissy fit. The FACTS prove the Port Deal Hysterics a bunch of idiots yet they STILL agressively spew their utter ignornace rathen then grow up and admit they got stampeded by a Chuck Schumer Democrat Election year PR stunt. The ONLY blunder here was the Knee Jerks, like Puden, going into Hysteric Mental Meltdown mode BEFORE they got fact one. NOW they compound their error by arrogantly refusing to admit how Chucky Schumer suckered them

[MNJohnnie]

have tried very hard to be open-minded

Well that is an obvious falsehood. ALL the facts are on the Deal side. NONE of the arguements against it are any more their smear jobs and accusations. The proof that the real "Open Minded" are turning TO the Deal is the Freeper poll. The first poll was 55% against-30% for- 15% unsure. NOW the Freeper poll shows 55% FOR. IF you really had an open mind and actually read all the factual threads, you would know the Port Deal critics are hysteric full of nothing but bigotry. I suggest it is faily obvious you just tuned out ANY of the facts FOR the deal because your mind was prejudiced at the start.