The Spokespeople need Spokespeople?
Yes, enough already on the Administration's comments regarding whether the Guantanamo suicides were a PR stunt, a perfect asymmetrical campaign against America. But, it may take a little while to actually absorb this fact: the worst comments, the ones that needed to be disavowed, came from Karen Hughes' office. So much for pubilc diplomacy.
In fixing the damage, the Voice of America story (above) notes that the Administration hopes that its officials would talk about Gitmo with greater sensitivity. To what? It is hard to be sensitive to Gitmo. Nonetheless, the notion that the "PR" comment was simply "unfortunate" ought to be challenged.
This is, afterall, the office of public diplomacy, trying to put good spin on not so good policies, with a director, Hughes, who has close ties to the President.
Indeed, the term "unfortunate" is actually a good term. It does not say she is wrong, per se. Only that it was an unfortunate disclosure, to the BBC no less. It seems, however, that the notion that the suicides were PR, or asymmetrical warfare, has got to have some resonance in circles within the Administration. Two comments in two days can not be mere coincidence. It suggests that, when alone, this is how Gitmo is still thought of: as a place of bad people, who would give their own lives to make America look bad. It is about them, not about us. Its that notion, and not the comments, that are quite unfortunate.
In any event, what do we do when our public diplomacy office needs public diplomacy?
It's pretty hard to do anything when our public diplomacy office is made up of cretins.
June 14, 2006 8:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
When your REAL public spokesperson is Ann Coulter, of course you say stuff like that.
I think Coulter says the stuff she does because she wants to be Bush's next PR person - and maybe next affair.
'Cause sooner or later Condi's going to go against Bush's policies and be history.
Laura will just love the change.
June 14, 2006 10:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
What we, as voters do, if the majority of us have as much common sense as a dead turnip, is elect a Democrat for President in 2008, after having elected a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress in 2006. Of course we, as voters, have already convincingly demonstrated that we don't qualify as such.
So, I suppose the only alternative is to get very, very interested in American Idol, and idly watch that in between professional wrestling matches.
Hoppy in Sacramento
June 14, 2006 12:08 PM | Reply | Permalink