Frazier Moore, the AP's television columnist, turns in a
scathing critique of how Bush's blatant attempts to sell his canned message is just like the fakery of "reality tv". It's a brilliant synthesis of pop culture and politics, and he nails Bush on his transparent stunt on the Today Show with Matt Lauer as well as his "open"ly-scripted Q&A with the troops:
Coaching the soldiers beamed onto a TV screen from Tikrit, Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Allison Barber stood in for Bush: "I'm interested in how your pre-election operations are going. Can you give me a quick update on what you've been doing for the last couple of weeks?"
At the same lectern a few minutes later, Bush asked the same thing: "One of the, you know, questions I have is about the pre-election operations, about what you've been doing, and what are - what's your strategy, and how do you think it's going for - to make sure the people have a chance to vote?"
Maybe that's his strategy for making something scripted come off sounding unscripted.
To sweeten the pot, he even throws in some Rob Corddry-Jon Stewart banter:
Rob Corddry wouldn't. As senior political analyst on Comedy Central's phony newscast, "The Daily Show," he doesn't trifle with distinctions that no longer may apply.
"For all the hype about `Desperate Housewives' and 'Lost,' I still say the White House is one of the best scripted dramas out there," he declared on a recent edition, adding, "That new one, `Commander in Chief' - total rip-off!"
Then host Jon Stewart, playing straight man, broached a bigger issue: Why should presidential appearances be so scripted, anyway?
"Do you foresee a presidency where they're NOT scripted?" he asked, a proposition that stopped Corddry cold.
Say what? Let the White House - or any reality TV - unfold without all the stage managing and story editors? Isn't there a risk of leaving too much to chance? Wouldn't that be dangerous? Duhhhhh.
This piece is both animal and mineral.