How many formers does it take to fix an Iraq policy? Posted by Derek Chollet

Last week President Bush hosted an unusual dog and pony show at the White House, convening nearly all of the living former Secretaries of State and Defense to talk about Iraq (the only ones missing by my count were Henry Kissinger and Warren Christopher). 

The purpose of this pow-wow was to show that the President is indeed consulting and reaching out for a bipartisan solution in Iraq.  But as was widely reported, this “discussion” was really more of a lecture – most of the time was taken up by briefings from General Casey and Ambassador Khalilzad, and beyond that, as Maureen Dowd calculated, each person had about half-minute to say anything.  The President apparently went out of his way to call on the oldest timers in the room, and just as the discussion got going (notably after Madeleine Albright raised the concern that Iraq was sucking all the juice out of our diplomacy while problems like Iran and North Korea festered – a comment that got the President’s back up) he ended the meeting for a “family picture” in the Oval Office.  The photo is what most people saw and will remember – which is, of course, exactly what the White House wanted.

That the motives behind this meeting were so transparent has led some to wonder why the heck the five former Democratic Administration officials (Albright, Harold Brown, William Perry, Robert McNamara – and William Cohen, a Republican who served in the Clinton Administration) even bothered to show up.  They have come under some withering criticism – see this especially angry screed last week on Daily Kos.

But I think this was the right thing to do – importantly, for reasons of both public service as well as politics.

Call me old-fashioned, but I still believe that regardless of what you think of the war, if the President calls you for a meeting you go to hear him out.  Obviously you go in with no illusions – you’re not going to change his mind, and he’s not going to change yours.

I also think that, to the extent anyone noticed, this little episode actually worked against the White House politically.  Watching Albright on several of the TV shows last week, she used it pretty well: not trying to dress up the conversation as anything more than it was, saying she was disappointed that it had taken so long for the President to reach out in this way, and stressing that she hoped this would not be the last such conversation (thus establishing the bar a bit…because it will likely be the last and therefore will give her reason to be critical down the road).  She also made the point that she told the President things he didn’t really want to hear (and that he took some umbrage) saying that she had to tell him to his face what she’s been saying elsewhere. 

This allows the war critics in the room to say that “I’ve heard from the Generals and have met with the President, Cheney and the gang face to face on this issue, and things are really screwed up and I told them so.”  It might not be much for those who have already made up their minds on Iraq, but for those who still look to such former officials for guidance, I think attending the meeting and calling it straight lends an air of credibility.

And, as far as I can tell, no one in the press reported this as though it was a genuine exchange of ideas or that he actually wanted their advice.

So, on balance, I think it was fine – not really much of a big deal but good to do.  I don’t think it will help move the debate at all or solve any of the Administration’s problems – insider types get off on this, but let’s face it, average folks won’t give a squat about him meeting with a bunch of formers, most of whom they’ve forgotten already!

Comments

[degustibus]

Mixed message, a "dog and pony show", but "good to do".

A dog and pony show usually means a trivial event, going through the motions. Why is this good to do? It just gives the WhiteHouse another opportunity to spin their version of the war.

[Cal]

as far as I can tell, no one in the press reported this as though it was a genuine exchange of ideas or that he actually wanted their advice. So, on balance, I think it was fine – not really much of a big deal but good to do.

No no no no! This is a typical liberal mistake. For the majority of Americans, it's the pictures that matter, not what is reported. (Rove once said that politics is television with the sound turned off.)

Professor Jay Rosen on a famous example in the Reagan years:

Dick Darman clued in Lesley Stahl — it’s all about the pictures. During the 1984 presidential campaign, Stahl aired a lengthy report on the CBS Evening News; it was broadly critical of President Reagan. In her recent book, Reporting Live, Stahl described her thoughts as the piece went to air:

STAHL (page 210): I knew the piece would have an impact, if only because it was so long: five minutes and 40 seconds, practically a documentary in Evening News terms. I worried that my sources at the White House would be angry enough to freeze me out.

But that isn’t what happened, she says. When the piece aired, Darman called from the White House. “Way to go, kiddo,” he said to Stahl. “What a great piece. We loved it.” Stahl replied, “Didn’t you hear what I said [in the broadcast]?” Darman’s answer has been frequently quoted:

STAHL: [Darman replied,] “Nobody heard what you said.”

Did I hear him right? “Come again?”

“You guys in Televisionland haven’t figured it out, have you? When the pictures are powerful and emotional, they override if not completely drown out the sound. I mean it, Lesley. Nobody heard you.”

Stahl’s critical report about President Reagan had been accompanied by generally upbeat visuals. According to Darman’s theory, the pictures registered more with viewers than anything Stahl had said.

[Dan Kervick]

I heard Albright on Diane Ream on Monday. She spoke about how she was able to get in a few critical comments at the end of the meeting, particularly related to the damage Iraq has done to our reputation abroad. What struck me is that she described the President as taken aback by these comments - as though he had never really heard these concerns or criticisms before, or at least not from anyone with experience in a position of high responsibility.

It confirmed for me the widespread perception that Bush is isolated inside a protective communications bubble. Whether that bubble is of his own making or the work of his handlers is an interesting question.

[J]

I thought Cap Weinberger was also not in attendence. I heard that Kissinger was in the hospital with a knee issue or something. I tend to agree with Cal, this was a photo op intended to show the world that Bush was listening to former defense/state experts. In fact, he was using them right along Rove's plans.

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