"Some say" whatever you want them to say
A few days ago, the Associated Press published the article "Bush Using Straw-Man Arguments in Speeches," which provides some of the best analysis I've read of the Bush administration's rhetorical approach. [AP]
"When the president starts a sentence with 'some say' or offers up what 'some in Washington' believe, as he is doing more often these days, a rhetorical retort almost assuredly follows. The device usually is code for Democrats or other White House opponents. In describing what they advocate, Bush often omits an important nuance or substitutes an extreme stance that bears little resemblance to their actual position. He typically then says he 'strongly disagrees' - conveniently knocking down a straw man of his own making." [AP]
Today, the Vice President continued the administration's trend of attributing vague comments to a shadowy "some"-one. In a speech to American troops, VP Cheney complained that the media had underreported evidence of improvement in Iraq. Then, in the same speech in which he claimed the situation in Iraq was improving, Cheney said that "some in Washington" are "yielding to the temptation to downplay the threat" from al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. [AP]
In other news, the President was asked to respond to a real quote in his press conference today - former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's statement that Iraq had already fallen into civil war. Bush claimed that Iraqis had already decided not to engage in civil war: "Listen, we all recognize that there is violence, that there's sectarian violence. But the way I look at the situation is that the Iraqis took a look and decided not to go to civil war." [WhiteHouse.gov]
During the same press conference, another reporter asked Bush why he really wanted to go to war, noting that "[e]very reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true." The President responded that "I didn't want to go to war. To assume I wanted to go to war is just flat wrong." [WhiteHouse.gov] Think Progress has compiled a list of documents and other evidence, including Stephen Cambone's 9/11 notes, which contradict Bush's statement. [Think Progress]
"When the president starts a sentence with 'some say' or offers up what 'some in Washington' believe, as he is doing more often these days, a rhetorical retort almost assuredly follows. The device usually is code for Democrats or other White House opponents. In describing what they advocate, Bush often omits an important nuance or substitutes an extreme stance that bears little resemblance to their actual position. He typically then says he 'strongly disagrees' - conveniently knocking down a straw man of his own making." [AP]
Today, the Vice President continued the administration's trend of attributing vague comments to a shadowy "some"-one. In a speech to American troops, VP Cheney complained that the media had underreported evidence of improvement in Iraq. Then, in the same speech in which he claimed the situation in Iraq was improving, Cheney said that "some in Washington" are "yielding to the temptation to downplay the threat" from al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. [AP]
In other news, the President was asked to respond to a real quote in his press conference today - former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's statement that Iraq had already fallen into civil war. Bush claimed that Iraqis had already decided not to engage in civil war: "Listen, we all recognize that there is violence, that there's sectarian violence. But the way I look at the situation is that the Iraqis took a look and decided not to go to civil war." [WhiteHouse.gov]
During the same press conference, another reporter asked Bush why he really wanted to go to war, noting that "[e]very reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true." The President responded that "I didn't want to go to war. To assume I wanted to go to war is just flat wrong." [WhiteHouse.gov] Think Progress has compiled a list of documents and other evidence, including Stephen Cambone's 9/11 notes, which contradict Bush's statement. [Think Progress]
posted at 4:54:00 PM | permalink
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