Bolten's 5-Point Plan, 75 Days Later

by emptywheel

It's a testament to how messy my desk is that I just came across Mike Allen's article, from a week after Josh Bolten ascended to the Chief of Staff role, describing Bolten's plan to right the sinking ship of the Bush Administration. But the benefit of rediscovering it now is that what once appeared as an earnest plan now reads like humor.

So how has Bolten's five-point plan fared?

1 DEPLOY GUNS AND BADGES. This is an unabashed play to members of the conservative base who are worried about illegal immigration. Under the banner of homeland security, the White House plans to seek more funding for an extremely visible enforcement crackdown at the Mexican border, including a beefed-up force of agents patrolling on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).

A great idea, Bolten, if only the National Guard weren't already so taxed as a result of long deployments in Iraq. As of last week, Bush was far short of his goal to have 2500 Guardsmen and women deployed by now (though Fox News says they're not). It seems a bunch of Governors saw the devastation of Katrina last year, and want to make sure their Guard is available for any summertime disasters in their own states.

Some state officials have argued that they cannot free up Guardsmen because of flooding in the East, wildfires in the West or the prospect of hurricanes in the South.

"It's not a combat priority. It is a volunteer mission," said Kristine Munn, spokeswoman for the National Guard Bureau, an arm of the Pentagon, "so it's a question of balancing the needs of the Border Patrol with the needs of 54 states and territories, and all those balls roll in different directions." 

But you got photo-op that only made Bush look kind of like a ten year old kid in a go-cart.

2 MAKE WALL STREET HAPPY. In an effort to curry favor with dispirited Bush backers in the investment world, the Administration will focus on two tax measures already in the legislative pipeline--extensions of the rate cuts for stock dividends and capital gain.

A tax cut for the rich and famous!! Now where did you get that idea?

Well, Congress has been trying to give Paris Hilton and Dick DeVos a huge tax cut, though with the estate tax, not the capital gains tax. So far, it hasn't worked out. But they'll try a little more of that Republican shell game. Maybe you'd have more luck if your Senate Majority Leader either a) wasn't such an idiot or b) didn't stand to benefit so much personally from this?

This next one's a three-parter:

3 BRAG MORE. White House officials who track coverage of Bush in media markets around the country said he garnered his best publicity in months from a tour to promote enrollment in Medicare's new prescription-drug plan. So they are planning a more focused and consistent effort to talk about the program's successes after months of press reports on start-up difficulties.

Brilliant idea, Bolten, brag about Bush's responsibility for the prescription drug plan just as the first 3 million seniors approach the dreaded doughnut hole. Be my guest.

Bolten's plan also calls for more happy talk about the economy. With gas prices a heavy drain on Bush's popularity, his aides want to trumpet the lofty stock market and stable inflation and interest rates.

Kind of a mixed deal here. Fed Chairman Bernanke helped you fulfill bullet point 2, making Wall Street happy, by backing off future rate increases. But, um, the reason he's backing off rate increases is because the economy sucks. And stable interest rates? Tell that to all the people entering foreclosure because their ARMs have gotten the best of them. Or the students who will now have to pay more for their college education.

They also plan to highlight any glimmer of success in Iraq, especially the formation of a new government, in an effort to balance the negative impression voters get from continued signs of an incubating civil war.

What constitutes a "glimmer" of success in Iraq? Does the fact that your Ambassador is so pessimistic that he's leaking cables describing civil war conditions to the press count as a glimmer of success? How about the news that the Sunnis are boycotting parliament until one of their colleagues, who was kidnapped, is returned? Is that a glimmer?

 4 RECLAIM SECURITY CREDIBILITY. This is the riskiest, and potentially most consequential, element of the plan, keyed to the vow by Iran to continue its nuclear program despite the opposition of several major world powers. Presidential advisers believe that by putting pressure on Iran, Bush may be able to rehabilitate himself on national security, a core strength that has been compromised by a discouraging outlook in Iraq.

I see, scare them with Iran so they might forget Iraq? Sadly, this idea might work. Though if Sy Hersh is right, then your attempts to reclaim security credibility are going to have to go through a bunch of pissed off Generals who are tired of playing bit parts in your scaremongering attempts to hold power.

A retired four-star general, who ran a major command, said, “The system is starting to sense the end of the road, and they don’t want to be condemned by history. They want to be able to say, ‘We stood up.’ ”

Well, so far, Bolten, your 5-part plan doesn't seem to be faring so well. But that's before we get to bullet number 5, the pièce de résistance, where you have far surpassed your goals.

5 COURT THE PRESS. Bolten is extremely guarded around reporters, but he knows them and, unlike some of his colleagues, is not scared of them. Administration officials said he believes the White House can work more astutely with journalists to make its case to the public, and he recognizes that the President has paid a price for the inclination of some on his staff to treat them dismissively or high-handedly.

I get it, I get it!! Your great idea, to work more astutely with journalists? To end the practice of treating the press, "dismissively or high-handedly"? Your plan is to threaten them with incarceration!! Pure genius! That'll be sure to win them over.

Only, it's not just Dana Priest who has had it with your bullshit. Even conservative William Safire is fighting back, challenging you to pry his First Amendment from his cold, dead fingers. Now given the dominance of our media by Fox News and their imitators, it's still possible that your attempts to woo the press by threatening them will work. But it's beginning to look like this brilliant little plan will backfire.

Or did Mike Allen and I just misunderstand you, and you really meant "bring the Press to Court"?

Comments

[windje]

To: emptywheel

FYI

http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/0703nj1.htm

[emptywheel]

windje

Thanks

[Meteor Blades]

Humorous, indeed.

I so loved Dana Priest's Meet the Press snarling yesterday. If only all the other reporters who remember what it means to be a reporter would adopt the same screw-you-you-malodorous-baboon attitude when facing not just leftovers like Bill Bennett, but also the guys who still hold public office.

[EnTrust]

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