Demagogue

Yesterday, the prez was in Chicago telling an audience that things in Iraq are going much better than they might think. But, as Newsweek reports:

... the most striking thing about [President Bush's] latest PR offensive is not his message. It's his staging.

After months of appearing mostly before military audiences or groups perceived as friendly to the president, Bush has stepped out of the box, taking questions from unscreened audiences.

... Some GOP officials privately question whether Bush's media push is helping or hurting.

Just as troops are forced to adapt to changing war tactics, Republicans say the White House needs to adjust its communications strategy to adapt to public sentiment. Yet one senior GOP leadership aide tells Newsweek that administration officials have rejected the advice.

"Every time the White House puts out a story that the president will be talking about the war and the new strategy behind it, it's the same speech," says the GOP aide, who declined to be named while criticizing the White House. "This is like their eighth time they've rolled out this process, and it's had no impact beyond lower poll numbers."