The Silence of Bush

Hat tip to Anglican for this Slate discussion of the recently released video that shows our President receiving his briefing on Katrina. He doesn't ask questions--not a one. But Dickerson points out how Bush is portrayed by his supporters. We are supposed to overlook his inability to speak by understanding that he is not an intellectual, but a pragmatic Cowboy who cuts through the chase. We are supposed to not be troubled by the fact that he doesn't read the papers (though one suspects that had he read the papers, he would have learned about NO much, much earlier!) because, as Dickerson notes, he is supposed to be the master of delegating.

The Silence of Bush - The president didn't ask a single question during the leaked Katrina briefing. Should that worry us? By John Dickerson: "We see the president all the time in public settings, giving speeches, shaking hands, looking concerned. But this footage is fascinating because it is the first video I can recall of the president at work in private. It's our chance to see how the image of the president painted by his allies compares with the actual man. And the result is somewhat alarming. Based on what I'd been told by White House aides over the years, I expected to see the president asking piercing questions that punctured the fog of the moment and inspired bold action. Bush's question-asking talents are a central tenet of the president's hagiography. He may not be much for details, say aides, but he can zero in on a weak spot in a briefing and ask out-of-the-box questions. I have been repeatedly told over the years that he once interrupted a briefing on national defense to pose a 30,000-foot stumper: What is the function of the Department of Defense?"

And yet, not one question. Piercing or otherwise. Another interesting note coming out of this recent debacle. The White House immediately leaked transcripts of other briefings where Brownie says that the President is engaged. As Dickerson here notes, they don't have any of Bush actually being engaged, just Brown's second hand account. The same Brownie who defended the administration until he figured out that he was going to be sacrificed for the Bush legacy.