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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Monday, May 15, 2006

Odd doings around the Presidential speech

A friend of mine works in TV, and he told me that the manner in which this TV time was obtained on Friday for the President's speech tonight was unusual. The usual process on something like this, going back an administration or two, is that the White House tells the networks that the President will be speaking and then they pick it up of their own accord.

This time around, my friend made a very distinct point about this, the White House told the networks, "we're going to require 30 minutes of airtime on Monday night.(paraphrase, but it catches the tone.)"

A slight difference, probably the result of the disaster that is Tony Snow and new Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, but interesting nonetheless.

UPDATE: Predelivery excerpts of Bush's speech here. It doesn't overwhelm me. Maybe it's the delivery.

8 Comments:

  • He's let this immigration thing blow around in the wind without any leadership. Then they cook up the "iron fist" of a National Guard deployment. I think their reaction time is sitting at 6 weeks now... in the information age.

    Hurrican season kicks off real soon. We still have FEMA.

    By Blogger Bravo 2-1, at 4:59 PM  

  • As a resident of the gulf coast, I am in blithe denial of hurricane season and Fema. Besides, it's an election year. If a hurricane happens, the victims will be swimming in money.

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 5:15 PM  

  • For every area hard hit by a hurricane this summer, I guarantee you preznit bush himself will arrive with cash in hand and throw it around the way he throws around capital gains and dividend tax cuts for the investor class.

    By Blogger Reality-Based Educator, at 5:54 PM  

  • Exactly. And don't forget the suspension of labor laws.

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 6:00 PM  

  • Mike, let's not forget that it's the federal government who OWNS the airwaves, and the networks who obtain licenses to use them. Why, if I were the mainstream media, I'd thank my lucky Dan Rather doll that the feds allow them to broadcast at all!

    (I'm looking at you, CBS!)

    By Blogger Rex Kramer, Danger Seeker, at 6:10 PM  

  • How can the feds send anyone to guard the border? Aren't the national guard troops spread horribly thin due to deployment in Iraq? Who's left to send down there?

    By Blogger Unknown, at 7:11 PM  

  • Rex, I'm not saying they shouldn't pick it up, just that it was a very unusual demand.

    And, Dusty, fair comment. I don't know the details enough to give you a good analysis. But, it's certainly not a weekend a month and two weeks a year anymore.

    Mike

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 7:38 PM  

  • By Blogger chenmeinv0, at 3:34 AM  

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