PressEthic

Doesn't Bush seem to be holding alot of press conferences these days? Aren't we awfully close to a major election? Do these two things have any relationship? I'm betting that they do, and to support my argument, lets briefly look at the substance of these press conferences.

if you want to read a transcript of a press conference where absolutely nothing new was imparted, click here.

Bush held two press conferences in October. This would not be unusual if he had substantive messages to deliver. As a quick read of the transcript shows, he did not. The closest he got to uttering something news worthy was in changing his rhetoric about "staying the course" in Iraq for assurances of flexibility.

The bottom line is that Americans are increasingly against the war in Iraq. This is a decisive moment. The Bush administration sees the very real danger of losing control on the horizon. So what do they do? They use the media to help rally support. When the president holds a press conference, reporters have to cover it. In this situation, the media has little choice but to convey the president's advertisment for the Republican party to the people.