Made for TV
Gandalf Grey
Bush needs more than a made-for-TV 'crisis' to impress
GENE LYONS
Graded on a simple "pass-fail" basis, America's first affirmative action
president got through his initial made-for-TV crisis with a pass.
Fortunately for George W. Bush, the Chinese spy plane affair wasn't half
so dramatic or dangerous as media hype made it seem. As New York Times
columnist Frank Rich put it, Bush II's first big test was more like a "pop
quiz."
Once it became clear that the U.S. EP-3 airplane had made an emergency
landing in Chinese territory due to an accidental collision rather than
hostile fire, and that the crew was safe and being treated humanely,
resolving the issue became more an exercise in semantics than high-stakes
diplomacy.
Since the airplane was too damaged to fly, the Chinese couldn't return
it if they'd wanted to. Once the Chinese figured they'd made their point,
they had no reason to keep the American crew captive.
It follows that here at Unsolicited Opinions Inc., we're not paying much
attention to fanciful interpretations of who "won" or "lost." It was a draw,
period. Two big dogs met on a path. They bluffed, growled and postured. Then
each went its way. For each side, the trickiest part was handling its own
domestic politics.
It doesn't take a China scholar to understand the Beijing government's
fix. Imagine a Chinese plane crash-landing in California after colliding
with a U.S. fighter jet whose pilot was lost at sea. Would any American
president blame the incident on his own pilot's recklessness, affirm China's
right to fly espionage missions along the U.S. coast, and return the crew
and airplane with apologies? Not a chance.
For similar reasons, Bush's initially testy "demands," as the media
excitedly described them, couldn't have been met by any imaginable Chinese
government. It's hard to say whether Bush understood that before Secretary
of State Colin Powell explained it to him. Since he's quit giving press
conferences, we may never know.
Press accounts of Bush's initial televised statement described him as
looking "tense," but we'd have said "apprehensive." Not fearful of China, it
appeared, but of blowing his lines and saying something transcendently dumb.
It was interesting to watch the Chinese media turn the doomed pilot's
pretty, young wife into an instant celebrity, then solicit her favorable
opinion of the American crew's release--exactly as would have happened in
the U.S.A.
One thing that's said to have goaded China's authoritarian leaders into
brutalizing pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in 1989 was a
student-made model of the Statue of Liberty. We can't help but wonder if, in
adopting the conventions of American TV journalism, with its focus on
individual expression and emotional immediacy, the Chinese haven't given
themselves a much more potent adversary than a papier-m?chZ statue. "
A whole box of Pandoras," in the immortal words attributed to former
Gov. Frank White.
As Frank Rich also pointed out, the same big corporations that drive
Bush II's domestic policies also drove the administration's quick turn to
pragmatism in the spy plane affair.
Does the United States really seek a hostile, confrontational
relationship with the world's single largest developing market? Not if
big-time GOP contributors like General Motors, Microsoft, Boeing and United
Parcel Service get their way. GM alone has more than $2 billion invested in
a new auto factory in Shanghai. Given that Bush Chief of Staff Andrew Card's
last job was as a lobbyist for GM, its investment looks to be in good hands.
UPS, which got what it wanted when Bush II abolished new ergonomics rules
for American workers, staged a gala opening of its new cargo delivery
service to China just last week. (We doubt the Communist bosses will give
UPS a hard time about repetitive stress syndrome, either.) Boeing, of
course, hopes to sell airplanes to Chinese domestic airlines, Microsoft to
corner the Asian software market, etc.
On the right, the only serious criticism of Bush's China caper has come
from Rupert Murdoch's magazine, The Weekly Standard, which called it "a
national humiliation." But since the Australian media tycoon has for years
been prostrating himself before the Chinese regime in the interest of
winning that country's TV satellite business--removing BBC programming after
China objected to its news broadcasts and taking a soft line on Chinese
religious repression--it's unclear how long he'll tolerate such editorial
cheekiness.
Elsewhere, the near-idolatrous early coverage of Bush II by the
Washington press clique has pretty much ended. Moreover, there are growing
signs that the public isn't buying.
A Harris Poll published April 14 showed the president's favorable rating
of only 49 percent "the worst rating . . . at this point in his presidency
than any other president has had" since they began polling the question in
1964. (Bill Clinton was at 55 percent in April 1993.) In a Christian Science
Monitor survey taken April 6-10 and published April 16, "Bush earned an
overall mark of only C-plus. . . . [T]he president's grades had declined in
seven of nine issues on which he made campaign promises during the 2000
election. The poll determined that his public support dipped in every region
of the country and among all age groups. Even fellow Republicans gave him
lower marks."
Probably Bush II's numbers will rebound in the wake of the Chinese spy
plane incident.
After all, faced with a conflict between ideology and reality, the
president did opt for the visible world. That's at least a minimally
encouraging sign.
Even so, it's mostly the economy and the environment that worry
Americans at the moment. Republicans can try to blame Clinton all they want,
but Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney came in talking down the economy to
sell their tax cut, and down it went.
In terms of sheer political symbolism, moreover, arsenic in the drinking
water may be the single dumbest move by an American president in a very long
time.
--
"If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so
long as I'm the dictator." George W. Bush, Televised Newsconference
December 18, 2000
Steven D. Litvintchouk
>
> The Arkansas Democrat Gazette
>
> Bush needs more than a made-for-TV 'crisis' to impress
>
> GENE LYONS
>
> Graded on a simple "pass-fail" basis, America's first affirmative action
> president got through his initial made-for-TV crisis with a pass.
>
> Fortunately for George W. Bush, the Chinese spy plane affair wasn't half
> so dramatic or dangerous as media hype made it seem. As New York Times
> columnist Frank Rich put it, Bush II's first big test was more like a "pop
> quiz."
>
> Once it became clear that the U.S. EP-3 airplane had made an emergency
> landing in Chinese territory due to an accidental collision rather than
> hostile fire, and that the crew was safe and being treated humanely,
> resolving the issue became more an exercise in semantics than high-stakes
> diplomacy.
>
> Since the airplane was too damaged to fly, the Chinese couldn't return
> it if they'd wanted to.
Today, the U.S. formally asked China to return the plane, and China told
the UNITED STATES (*NOT* Bush alone) to go to hell.
So be it.
China should be made to pay dearly for their arrogance.
> Once the Chinese figured they'd made their point,
> they had no reason to keep the American crew captive.
The Chinese had no right to have ever kept the American crew captive.
And they are going to learn that lesson.
> It follows that here at Unsolicited Opinions Inc., we're not paying much
> attention to fanciful interpretations of who "won" or "lost." It was a draw,
> period. Two big dogs met on a path. They bluffed, growled and postured. Then
> each went its way. For each side, the trickiest part was handling its own
> domestic politics.
If Lyons can make that statement, he doesn't understand a damn thing
about China. China is a DICTATORSHIP, and the people do as they are
told. The last time the Chinese people tried to think for themselves
was in 1989 at Tienanmen Square.
> It doesn't take a China scholar to understand the Beijing government's
> fix. Imagine a Chinese plane crash-landing in California after colliding
> with a U.S. fighter jet whose pilot was lost at sea. Would any American
> president blame the incident on his own pilot's recklessness, affirm China's
> right to fly espionage missions along the U.S. coast, and return the crew
> and airplane with apologies? Not a chance.
This paragraph confirms that it really does take a China scholar to
understand the Beijing government--and that Lyons is certainly no
scholar.
What Lyons doesn't understand is that Zemin is no more than a puppet of
the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The PLA ha absolute veto power over
anything the civilian Beijing government says or does.
The near-takeover of a nuclear superpower by the military is a problem
the U.S. NEVER had to face in the former Soviet Union, where the
civilian government remained firmly in control over the military.
> On the right, the only serious criticism of Bush's China caper has come
> from Rupert Murdoch's magazine, The Weekly Standard, which called it "a
> national humiliation."
No, quite a few conservatives (myself included) have made known their
displeasure with the outcome.
And that's far better than what has emanated from the left-wing, which
tended to cheer Beijing as it forced a confrontation with their own
country.
> Probably Bush II's numbers will rebound in the wake of the Chinese spy
> plane incident.
>
> After all, faced with a conflict between ideology and reality, the
> president did opt for the visible world. That's at least a minimally
> encouraging sign.
>
> Even so, it's mostly the economy and the environment that worry
> Americans at the moment. Republicans can try to blame Clinton all they want,
> but Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney came in talking down the economy to
> sell their tax cut, and down it went.
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc.
> In terms of sheer political symbolism, moreover, arsenic in the drinking
> water may be the single dumbest move by an American president in a very long
> time.
>
> --
> "If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so
> long as I'm the dictator." George W. Bush, Televised Newsconference
> December 18, 2000
Reading the crap you put out gives the First Amendment a bad name.
--
Steven D. Litvintchouk
Email: s...@mitre.org
Disclaimer: As far as I am aware, the opinions expressed
herein
are not those of my employer.
john q public
"Steven D. Litvintchouk" <s...@mitre.org> wrote in message
news:3ADE5D01...@mitre.org...
> Gandalf Grey wrote:
> >
> > The Arkansas Democrat Gazette
> >
> > Bush needs more than a made-for-TV 'crisis' to impress
> >
> > GENE LYONS
> >
> > Graded on a simple "pass-fail" basis, America's first affirmative action
> > president got through his initial made-for-TV crisis with a pass.
> >
> > Fortunately for George W. Bush, the Chinese spy plane affair wasn't
half
> > so dramatic or dangerous as media hype made it seem. As New York Times
> > columnist Frank Rich put it, Bush II's first big test was more like a
"pop
> > quiz."
> >
> > Once it became clear that the U.S. EP-3 airplane had made an
emergency
> > landing in Chinese territory due to an accidental collision rather than
> > hostile fire, and that the crew was safe and being treated humanely,
> > resolving the issue became more an exercise in semantics than
high-stakes
> > diplomacy.
> >
> > Since the airplane was too damaged to fly, the Chinese couldn't
return
> > it if they'd wanted to.
>
> Today, the U.S. formally asked China to return the plane, and China told
> the UNITED STATES (*NOT* Bush alone) to go to hell.
No they told D"W"LIE to go to hell, I didn't ask for the spy plane back!
>
> So be it.
> China should be made to pay dearly for their arrogance.
Arrogance? Why they didn't have their brothers whore steal an election
>
> > Once the Chinese figured they'd made their point,
> > they had no reason to keep the American crew captive.
>
> The Chinese had no right to have ever kept the American crew captive.
> And they are going to learn that lesson.
Actually they had every right to detain the federal employees !
You expect blind sheep like on the right, sorry!
> >
> > After all, faced with a conflict between ideology and reality, the
> > president did opt for the visible world. That's at least a minimally
> > encouraging sign.
> >
> > Even so, it's mostly the economy and the environment that worry
> > Americans at the moment. Republicans can try to blame Clinton all they
want,
> > but Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney came in talking down the economy
to
> > sell their tax cut, and down it went.
>
> Post hoc, ergo propter hoc.
More formally, the fallacy involves concluding that A causes or caused B
because A occurs before B and there is not sufficient evidence to actually
warrant such a claim.
Your claim of Post hoc, ergo propter hoc. when offered without any support
is a fine example of,
Ad Ignorantiam, Burden of Proof!
But of course that is just my opinion!
--
Don't blame Me, I voted with the majority.(borrowed from J&P)
--
Bush Lied To "The Dallas Morning News", 1998
"Just after the governor's reelection in 1998, [Dallas Morning News reporter
Wayne] Slater pressed Bush about whether he had ever been arrested. 'He
said, 'After 1968? No.'" Dallas Morning News, 11/03/2000 [Before 1968, Bush
was arrested for theft and vandalism in college.]
D"W"LIE was ARRESTED IN 1976 for a OUI.
Gandalf Grey
> >
> > The Arkansas Democrat Gazette
> >
> > Bush needs more than a made-for-TV 'crisis' to impress
> >
> > GENE LYONS
> >
> > Graded on a simple "pass-fail" basis, America's first affirmative action
> > president got through his initial made-for-TV crisis with a pass.
> >
> > Fortunately for George W. Bush, the Chinese spy plane affair wasn't
half
> > so dramatic or dangerous as media hype made it seem. As New York Times
> > columnist Frank Rich put it, Bush II's first big test was more like a
"pop
> > quiz."
> >
> > Once it became clear that the U.S. EP-3 airplane had made an
emergency
> > landing in Chinese territory due to an accidental collision rather than
> > hostile fire, and that the crew was safe and being treated humanely,
> > resolving the issue became more an exercise in semantics than
high-stakes
> > diplomacy.
> >
> > Since the airplane was too damaged to fly, the Chinese couldn't
return
> > it if they'd wanted to.
>
> Today, the U.S. formally asked China to return the plane, and China told
> the UNITED STATES (*NOT* Bush alone) to go to hell.
Glad you were particularistic here. The latter would have been
understandable.
>
> So be it.
> China should be made to pay dearly for their arrogance.
[steven rattles sabre]
>
> > Once the Chinese figured they'd made their point,
> > they had no reason to keep the American crew captive.
>
> The Chinese had no right to have ever kept the American crew captive.
> And they are going to learn that lesson.
[more sounds of steel rattling]
>
> > It follows that here at Unsolicited Opinions Inc., we're not paying
much
> > attention to fanciful interpretations of who "won" or "lost." It was a
draw,
> > period. Two big dogs met on a path. They bluffed, growled and postured.
Then
> > each went its way. For each side, the trickiest part was handling its
own
> > domestic politics.
>
> If Lyons can make that statement, he doesn't understand a damn thing
> about China. China is a DICTATORSHIP, and the people do as they are
> told. The last time the Chinese people tried to think for themselves
> was in 1989 at Tienanmen Square.
Lyons is probably aware of the fact that the industrial complex in America
[of which George Bush and the GOP are a wholly owned subsidiary] has no
intention of breaking off trade relations with China.
>
> > On the right, the only serious criticism of Bush's China caper has
come
> > from Rupert Murdoch's magazine, The Weekly Standard, which called it "a
> > national humiliation."
>
> No, quite a few conservatives (myself included) have made known their
> displeasure with the outcome.
Oh well, If YOU'VE gotten to Bush, I imagine we'll be seeing some changes
soon.
> > --
> > "If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just
so
> > long as I'm the dictator." George W. Bush, Televised Newsconference
> > December 18, 2000
>
> Reading the crap you put out gives the First Amendment a bad name.
And you were doing such a good job all by yourself!