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Tuesday, November 29, 2005
You're fired.
Dan
Bartlett, Scott McClellan, and Nicolle Devenish
THE LIST. George W. Bush doesn't like to fire people. It's his greatest weakness. If he wants to prevail in his most important policies, however, it's time he overcame that weakness. Pictured above are the first three heads that must fall: Dan Bartlett, Strategic Communications Planning; Scott McClellan, White House Press Secretary; and Nicolle Devenish, White House Communications Director.
These people assumed their current posts in the wake of the President's highly successful campaign for reelection. Since then, they have presided over one public relations debacle after another -- the needless Schiavo brouhaha, the incompetently presented Social Security reform initiative, the appalling failure to take credit for successes in Iraq or to counter the MSM's "Vietnam quagmire" fantasy, the Cindy Sheehan farce, the self-destructive Miers nomination, the Valerie Plame fiction, the cone of silence enforced while the Democrats screamed and shouted their "Bush lied" lie into every network microphone for months, and the feeble counterattack that led to the ridiculous playacting of John Murtha.
By any possible standard of competence in communications, these people are miserably and irredeemably inept. If they were merely obedient soldiers executing the instructions of the big boss, they should have resigned en masse long ere this in protest at being deprived of the opportunity to exercise their good judgment. If they actually concocted the communication plans that responded to the crises listed above, as seems more likely in the court of the Great Delegator, they should be drummed out of the profession -- hollow square, buttons ripped off, swords broken -- the works.
The one thing I can't understand is why more Republicans haven't demanded exactly this step. It may be difficult to see into the workings of Bartlett's and Devenish's jobs, but we see McClellan every day. The picture shown here is typical -- hands up in surrender. He is continually at a loss, defensive, borderline oafish, argumentative when he should be cool, placating when he should be predatory. His performance alone is enough to indict his communication superiors. He's minor league and even his surname is unpleasantly evocative of the blowhard general who was always piling up more resources for a battle he could never bring himself to fight. Get rid of him. NOW.
Dan Bartlett is, according to his official bio, "Counselor to the President.... responsible for all aspects of President Bush’s strategic communications planning and the formulation of policy and implementation of the President’s agenda. He also oversees the White House Press Office and the Offices of Communications, Media Affairs, and Speechwriting." Which means he can offer up the excuse that he's too busy and important to get involved in the disastrous day-to-day bumbling of White House communications. But it's not a good excuse. There's no value in architecting the big plans for tomorrow when today is a fire burning out of control. His bio says he's from Austin, Texas. Another old friend in over his head in the big time. Get rid of him. NOW.
Nicolle Devenish. Has anybody even heard of this babe? She's 33. She's a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley. [!] She's also the White House Communications Director. Her sole responsibility is to advance the president's agenda in the press and protect him from partisan assaults. Is it possible that her schooling so accustomed her to the treasonous and hateful rhetoric of the left that it doesn't even raise her blood pressure? "Never you mind, Mr. President. When you meet them for wine and cheese in the faculty lounge, they're really pussycats. Just let them talk." Or is she too busy preening in the mirror of her corner office -- sexy power player already and only 33!! Actually, it doesn't matter what the story is with Nicolle. She's a bimbo, and she needs to be fired. With prejudice. NOW.
You can whine if you want about the sin of shooting the messenger. But in this case it's a misnomer. Delivering bad news to the President isn't their primary job. Going to war in the communications arena on his behalf is. And their performance in this respect has branded them as fools, cowards, and stooges.
Now tell me why the blogosphere isn't seething and bubbling with exactly these sentiments? Are you all asleep?
Then wake the hell up.
