This was on the Yahoo Home Page the other day. Written by Mike Allen, from POLITICO:Former President George W. Bush is preparing for one final struggle against the odds: raising $300 million for a presidential library, museum and policy institute at a time when dollars are tight and skepticism about his presidency runs high. (Z: Don't look now, but at least half of this country views Mr. Obama's presidency with skepticism, too....not just Bush's, TRUST me)
The former president and first lady have already begun holding small private dinners to persuade wealthy friends to invest in a monument and incubator based on the values and events of his presidency. By this fall, he’ll be armed with architect’s renderings and will hold travel around the country to meet with groups and build support for the complex on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. (Z: See the inference? Doesn't Clinton have wealthy friends? Obama? It's a small think for me to gripe about, but no one could think that is innocently written. Who's going to hit up POOR friends?)
Some of his new neighbors are less than thrilled with the plan, with a handful of history and political science professors lined up to criticize it.. But SMU fought hard to win the library, as one of eight original bidders and then four semi-finalists for the honor.(Z: STOP THE PRESSES...History and political science profs feel the need to criticize GEORGE BUSHS' library? I'm stunned...stunned, I say!)
“We’ve certainly had to defend our decision, but absolutely feel like it was the right one,” SMU’s president, R. Gerald Turner, told POLITICO. “The overall sentiment on the faculty is that whether they agreed with the president personally or not, it’s great to have these papers and this resource on campus.”
Bush has often gotten out of jams by dint of personal charm, and he’s trying that once again. Two weeks ago, to show he wants to get involved in the SMU community, Bush made a surprise visit to political science professor Harold Stanley’s 9:30 a.m. “Intro to American Government and Politics” class. (Z: "personal charm"...so, this is a media which disdains Bush's charms ...even if they ever mentioned them....but Obama's Greek columns and the hysteria over his 'charisma' and glistening abs is okay?)
Turner accompanied him and asked the 29 sleepy students, “Do you recognize the 43rd president of the United States?”
Bush talked for 10 minutes and took questions for another 50, on everything from the stimulus to banking to whether he had seen the Oliver Stone movie “W” (no) to whether diversity was a goal when he was picking his Cabinet (he said he went for the best person).(Z: what a novel concept; too bad that didn't continue, huh?....how's about a comment on how outstanding that was?)
One woman advised him to use lots of anecdotes when he’s writing his upcoming book about the big decisions he made during his presidency.
The personal touch worked – the kids lapped it up and hung around him afterward.(Z; must be that 'charm', couldn't be they actually got to understand him and like him, right?)
More....The president’s advisers are still chewing over what topics to emphasize. Iraq is unlikely to be one of them. Advisers say they have made a specific decision to leave that verdict to history and not try to defend it at a time when Iraq could still wind up as either a democracy or a disaster. (Z: Maybe, some day, the new wing of his library will be dedicated totally to the free Iraq he had helped develop; except obama will take the credit for this...scratch that)
Evans said an umbrella topic will be the role of government in a capitalist democracy. But even that may seem a little dated, given the rising role of government in all parts of business – a trend that began on Bush’s watch. (Z: right)
There's more here............
Bias or not? You be the judge. Yes, I sound a little too biased but, considering I've not liked a LOT of what Bush did (amnesty, TARP, etc.), this kind of reporting still makes me grit my teeth. And this is from Mike Allen! Please, just BE HONEST, do NOT lead readers with slurs and inferences. TRY, media, please TRY!?
z
19 comments:
when i was going to school to learn about journalism and photo-journalism, we were taught to leaver our opinions on the op ed page. period. well, unless you were writing an advice column.
anyhow, this type of "journalism" just burns my butt! they have to present it as bush is evil so as to make people think more of obama.
I don't understand why Presidents need to have a library...of course I can't understand why Clinton has a library.
Being in the TV business for the last 10 years I can personally say that most Journalism students are told that they can "change the world". They should be taught tonreport the truth.
They'll never get tired of trashing Bush's legacy.
Z,
No wonder we have sites like "I Hate The Media" that are going great guns!
This is tabloid America, you're expecting grown-up reporting?
I've pretty much given up on that. I'm surprised there wasn't an uprising of all uprisings at SMU.
But, not worry. Wait'll Obama builds his library. It'll probably look like the Taj Mahal!
No doubt with a special spot for his favorite crutch..er..uhhh..teleprompter.
Just want to add, we have received requests for donations to the Bush library. We are not wealthy. So, the fact that he's seeking money from the wealthy is not the whole story. Is it ever?
Pris
Heidianne,
As a former student of political science, history, and journalism myself, I've gotta say the art of journalism in America died around the same time universities started cranking out Marxists, circa 1890.
As a student of history presidential libraries are a great storehouse for history. I don't begrudge any president this honor. I have visited many of them and enjoyed opportunity to read about their presidency in their own words.
Having said that, I hope Bush is successful. There is a lot of history to read.
As for the the MSM, P-U. Enough said.
How's that saying go? ... If you don't read the paper you're uninformed. If you do read the paper you're misinformed. Wasn't it Mark Twain who said that? Some things never change.
The media used to be called the fourth branch of government. Can you imagine? If it got by all the politicians, it could be exposed to the American public by the media and our reaction actually mattered!
On a side note please send Bush money for his library, even if it's just one dollar. I know he has taste where Clinton certainly does not, but I can't stand the thought of the Bush Library looking like the Clinton library. Have you see this monstrosity? It looks like a double wide about to fall off a cliff.
There will come a day when people with brains will look back to the Bush years and think, see that's how you deal with scumbags on the international stage. When that happens, no one will remember the handful or the crowd of history and political science professors waffling about this and that.
Having said that, who actually remembers them now?
The media may
Be as great as they say
But it wouldn't be missed
If it didn't exist.
~ FT
I've called it MEDIA by ASS for many years.
Seems an adequate enough description, n'est-ce-pas?
All this anger at the media. Well, it is deserved but you folks don't seem to be keying on the reasons.
What are the two big stories of the last decade? My picks:
1. The economic depression
2. The Iraq War.
Now you all wring your hands and cry about the liberal media as if you're a bunch of children but if you can calm down and think straight it's pretty easy to see that the run-up to the Iraq fiasco and the melt down were both journalistic failures in support of Bush.
Non of you were upset when he gave a ring to the New York Times steno pool and got Jailhouse Judith Miller to write a bunch of puff pieces she was fed by Ahmed Chalibi.
False intelligence data and the press perpetuates the myth. The nature of intelligence failures is to fail to realize an enemy has a capability. It is almost unknown to credit a enemy with a capability it doesn't have but the news media convinced the peeps that the entire world intell9gence network did that in Iraq?
Liberal media? I think not.
Now when the economic and business press gets called out you come to Jim Cramer's , a cheap shill, defense. Was the touting of the bubble a "liberal" problem?
Media bias? The media was Bush's prime enabler.
Ya, Ducky, the media was a cheerleader for bush..sort of like Olbermann and Maddow.
Thanks.
And ,please..remember, snideness doesn't make you right.
The rest of you...it IS tough to see the hypocrisy, isn't it.
Imagine if Bush had dissed the Gridiron Dinner? !!! For his kids' school break, when the break's a full week and the dinner's Sat night?
OR treated Gordon Brown like this?
Or had a bumbling press sec like Gibbs?
Or treated Brazil's Pres like he did?
Or said Canada has a President?
or...or................or
ya, I know.
That's interesting, z, you bring up a couple of liberal (well at least in Rachel Maddow's case) and seem to think you have proven some kind of point.
Yes, there are distinct points of view in the broadcast media. It has become almost entirely editorial with the bulk of the commentators being conservatives.
Now if you can point out in what way my post was snide I'd like to read it. I mentioned to failings of the so-called MSM that were distinctly in Bush's favor. In fact the two biggest events of the decade. Now can you respond to that and just what it says about your contention that we have an overwhelmingly "liberal" media?
Ducky, to hold my feet to your fire "ANSWER me YOU DIDN"T ADDRESS MY POINTS" made me laugh out loud (you should try that, I think you might soften a little).. Just cracked me up.
you have NEVER answered anybody's challenges here, not ONCE. Unless it's with nastiness and belittlement, do you know that?
How can we discuss the media if you honestly think it's Conservative?
Even the leftist media believed Iraq had nukes BECAUSE Clinton and the rest of the Left did...
And, if the media hadn't taken Obama's THE SKY IS FALLING quite so to heart, MAYBE we'd have dodged the socialism bullet because more good Americans would have seen the stimulus package for what it is and not for the messianic balm he presented it to be.
The liberal bias is palpable. For every semi-kind thing they say about Bush, they feel the need to include three critical ones.
If they were equally critical to everyone I wouldn't mind, but I know they're not.
Edge: Clinton has a liebrary.
Cube..LIEbrary...excellent.
"False intelligence data and the press perpetuates the myth. The nature of intelligence failures is to fail to realize an enemy has a capability. It is almost unknown to credit a enemy with a capability it doesn't have but the news media convinced the peeps that the entire world intell9gence network did that in Iraq?"
Ducky, you must be a fiction script writer.
Mr. Pris worked in intelligence for forty five years. All he can say is, you would've had to have been there.
You are wrong, and you are cluless.
Bush acted on the intelligence provided to him, by not only our intel community, but, intelligence from the Brits, Russians,......
and I guess Israel had earlier bombed the Iraqi nuclear facilities for the fun of it, huh?
The fact is Ducky, conjuring up your scenario about intelligence, is a fanciful endeavor that might make a good script, but that's all it is. Not to mention, if you can google it, it's not classified.
This is above your paygrade, and mine.
One more thing, psssst, its 2009.
Pris
Pris...facts don't matter to some!
Mr. Pris was IN THE BUSINESS. I WISH you could tell his specialty because it knocks me OUT (I know..nanna nanna nannaaa! I know, I know!)
BUT...to heck with FACTS. The left FEELS differently, so STAND BACK (such rubbish!)
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