Recommends the editorial page of WaPo:
PRESIDENT BUSH should hold more news conferences. In his hour-long exchange with reporters at the White House yesterday, he was considerably more effective in explaining and defending his commitment to the war in Iraq than in the three carefully worded speeches he has delivered in the past week. In his sometimes blunt, sometimes joking and sometimes unpolished way
I did not see the press conference live, but have seen and heard numerous sound bites. As such, I think that this is a fair assessment. I have long thought that Bush would be better served by learning to deal with unscripted, freer public interchanges. His propensity to wish to communicate via very controlled events has been a detriment, in my opinion, in his ability to communicate effectively with the public, and for him, as President, to receive feedback.
More to the point, it is easy to dismiss controlled events, and therefore they are ineffective means for a President to communicate with the public and to use as a means of shaping public opinion. Sure, talking to the base can be of use, but only sometimes. Even formal speeches can be stilted. The ability to speak with authority and passion (or, to be unable to do so) is an important factor in the assessment of Presidents by the public.
Elsewhere, James Joyner comments on the President and public communication on Iraq, including a round of bloggers’ comments on this topic.
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