Somewhere, there's an ice floe with her name on it...
Posted on 05/22/2003 9:50:09 AM PDT by Lance Romance
From President George W. Bush's standpoint he served his master very well, hewing to the White House party line and loyally delivering the spin of the day.
But great press secretaries also wear another hat, which requires them to challenge White House insiders to provide more information for the public.
There was enough horror about the now-deposed Iraqi leader to discredit him in the eyes of the world without the administration's strained efforts to tie him to terrorism.
In the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, Fleischer, obviously under orders, kept changing the reasons for going to war. One day it was "regime change."
The next day it was to eliminate Saddam's "weapons of mass destruction," which he insisted were a "direct and imminent threat" to the United States. And then there was the feeble effort to connect Saddam with al-Qaida.
Well, U.S. inspectors still haven't found any of those weapons. When I once asked Fleischer if "oil" could possibly play a role in our desire to take on Hussein, he gave me a horrified look for even asking such a question.
I've always admired Fleischer's self-discipline. He delivered the message of the day and focused on the administration line, no matter what the question.
Fleischer said he wanted to leave the post in July before Bush begins his grueling 2004 reelection campaign.
Since he moved into the White House, Fleischer, 42, has had the same full agenda that the president has coped with: terrorism, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and a crummy economy.
His job is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Now, he says with a big smile, "I just want to relax."
On the whole, Fleischer was fairly unflappable as he went about his task of defending the president, explaining away administration goofs and striving to put a positive spin on every news development.
His style in the White House briefing rooms reminded me of a patient school teacher who always tried to stay in full control of the classroom of unruly correspondents.
He has mastered televised briefings by keeping his cool and directing his remarks to the public, avoiding as much as he can locking horns with the reporters.
Fleischer's gaffes still linger in the memory of the White House press corps. There was the time when he chastised Bill Maher, host of a late night show "Politically Correct," for Maher's observations that the 9-11 hijackers were not cowards.
"They're reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say; watch what they do." Fleischer said -- a chilling remark that appeared designed to challenge free speech.
He also raised eyebrows when he was asked for estimates of the cost of war in Iraq and ways to oust Saddam Hussein. "The cost of one bullet, if the Iraqi people take it on themselves, is substantially less than that," he replied.
Reminded that former President Bill Clinton had attempted to reach a peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, he said: "Actually, I think if you go back to when the violence began, you can make the case that an attempt to shoot the moon and get nothing, more violence resulted."
Fleischer's comments boomeranged for those who remembered Clinton's last-ditch attempts to achieve peace in the Middle East in his final days in office.
Fleischer also got caught when the Bush image-makers wanted to stage a dramatic setting to announce the end of combat hostilities in Iraq.
Fleischer first told reporters that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln would be too far out at sea for the president to travel by helicopter and that he would be flying on a Viking jet which would be much more dangerous. It turned out the carrier was easily within helicopter range off the coast of San Diego.
In life after the White House, Fleischer said, he hopes to lecture, make more money, perhaps write a book and spend more time with his bride, Becki.
Don't expect him to write "kiss and tell" memoirs about the Oval Office. But he may have a lot to say about his encounters with the Washington press corps.
(Helen Thomas can be reached at the e-mail address helent@hearstdc.com).
Huh? There were meeting between the Al Quaeda and Saddam's regime, not to mention the terrorist training camps in Iraq.
"They're reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say; watch what they do." Fleischer said -- a chilling remark that appeared designed to challenge free speech.
Bill Maher is still a jerk and to make such comments days after the attack was rightly chastised. Not an assault on free speech, but a call for empathy and common sense.
I think it's time for the "Logan's Run" treatment for this old bat.
But Helen, Fleisher has a brain in his head. Why would he endorse stupidity? He supported the Presidents policies. He's not leaving under duress.
I would think any press secretary that went off the reservation would get canned no matter who is President.
Somewhere, there's an ice floe with her name on it...
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