Shiny Happy People

Shiny Happy People

March 21, 2006

Continuing his public relations onslaught, President Bush held a press conference this morning where he attempted to paint a rosy picture of the situation in Iraq as well as the economic situation at home. While no one denies that there has been some progress in Iraq (the elections) and the economy (low unemployment), his rhetoric does not match the reality of both situations. The President clearly needs a reality check.

• The U.S. economy is not as strong as the administration says. President Bush said today that the economy appears to be going strong and getting stronger. And his way of promoting that “growth” is to continue to fight to make his tax cuts permanent. However, economic indicators show that the economy is not as strong as the President would like us to believe. Wage growth after inflation has been flat, family incomes have not increased over the past five years, and since President Bush took office, 3.7 million more people live in poverty
  
  
• The President’s claim that the media isn’t reporting on successes in Iraq is false. The media does report on the good news that is happening in Iraq. The elections and constitutional referendum were all reported on as a success for the administration and the Iraqi people. But the media is also obliged to report on the realities on the ground, including the fact that a full day’s electricity is a rarity for the average Iraqi and the fact that the U.S. has dropped the ball on reconstruction in Iraq.
  
  
• The President has yet to lay forth a plan for success in Iraq. In the press conference, President Bush said he had a plan for success in Iraq and that he would pull out the troops if he didn’t think we could win. The American people are still waiting to see what that plan is. The President hasn’t been willing to change course in Iraq, and his admitted plan has been to ensure that Iraq doesn’t become a safe haven for terrorists. That is not a plan — that’s an objective. Progressives have put forth plans to move forward in Iraq, including American Progress’s plan, Strategic Redeployment.