For This W, It's 1776 All Over Again
The original W is making a comeback as President George W. Bush and his top brass scramble to rekindle public support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's W as in Gen. George Washington . To encourage public resolve, the president and top officials will suggest that, as in the American Revolution, war can be slow and gritty and that people shouldn't react only to the death toll or negative media coverage. The strategy was inspired by a simple comment made by 1776 author David McCullough in an interview with Tim Russert on CNBC, insiders say. "If [the Revolution] had been covered by the media, and the country had seen how horrible the conditions were, how badly things were being run by the officers, and what a very serious soup we were in," said this historian, "I think that would have been it."
Both Bush and Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld have picked up on that theme and are urging the nation to stay tough, just as the nation's first patriots did.
And there's more to the sales pitch: Top generals are planning to get back into the press-briefing game to sell the war, reversing a harebrained idea to let the Iraqis do it. Leading that charge will be Gen. George Casey and Lt. Gen. John Vines . "The Iraqis were too silent," says a top Pentagon official. Worse, he says, they didn't talk about Americans enough for TV viewers back home. "Now, we're trying to get the generals out in front."
Anchors Ahead for Henry and Bash?
Pay attention to CNN's brat pack: Dana Bash and Ed Henry. Insiders say they're emerging as top candidates for anchor roles. Both have been doing double duty as reporters and fill-in anchors. "They're great," says one insider. And Henry won kudos for his on-air roughing up of fellow CNN-er Robert Novak on his refusal to dish about his involvement in the Valerie Plame outing case. Their profiles couldn't be rising soon enough. Inside Politics' Judy Woodruff is gone, and Wolf Blitzer is overexposed. And now we hear--and CNN execs deny--that NewsNight 's Aaron Brown is on the outs. His latest faux pas: He didn't come in on a day off to anchor coverage of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor 's resignation. Some say he actually refused a request to come to work; a spokeswoman denied that. But CNN made a point of bragging on Blitzer, Paula Zahn, and others for interrupting vacations to anchor London bombing broadcasts.
Once a Dealer, Always a Dealer
It would seem that Bill Richardson can't stay away from negotiating on the world stage. The former United Nations rep and current New Mexico guv was recently seen enjoying a cool refreshment at Berlin's Checkpoint Charlie, where West and East nearly came to blows over 40 years ago at the Berlin Wall. The reason for his visit? "Trying to hustle business," he said while relaxing at Cafe Adler, near the site of the wall, destroyed 16 years ago. Actually, while there he won Germany's promise to continue to have its pilots trained at New Mexico's Holloman Air Force Base, a nice deal that could boost his possible presidential credentials.
Preacher to Dean: You Can't Fake It
As if mouthy Howard Dean didn't have enough troubles, now comes a left-leaning evangelical, much in demand by the Democratic Party, telling the party boss to shut up about religion. "Dean doesn't understand religion very much," says Jim Wallis, who has advised many Democratic leaders. He meets with Dean this week as part of the chairman's effort to woo the churchgoing crowd. Now promoting his book God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, Wallis says he'll tell Dean not to fake it on religion. "The worst thing people could do is be inauthentic," he says.
Getting on the Same Page
Wanna read the books the White House reads? It's simple--pick up the smartly conservative Claremont Review of Books . Insiders say the White House orders over two dozen of each issue of the quarterly journal, and for good reason. The Review focuses on conservative politics, news, and ideas familiar to the White House. The new issue features books President Bush would love: one on Ronald Reagan, another on Richard Nixon, and two about Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a top candidate for chief justice.
Arming a Huge Retail Battleship
Wal-Mart has been dinged for years by activists claiming the giant retailer kills small towns and underpays its employees, but only now is the company preparing to go on the offense after years of playing D. The firm's Washington operation is expanding to lobby Congress on key issues, but that's not all. The company is considering a "war room" in Bentonville, Ark., its hometown, and hired outside PR firm Edelman to take on critics like Walmartwatch.com.
Hill Evacuations: Enough Already
Congressional lawmakers are fast growing weary of officials emptying out the Capitol every time a small aircraft gets within 8 miles of the building. Now they want the clueless pilots punished. "Let's make an example out of the next one," says a top GOP aide. One suggestion: A civil lawsuit assessing pilots for the high costs of scrambling F-16s. Leaders fear that the Code Reds are so frequent that lawmakers and aides--especially those who arrived after 9/11--aren't taking the warnings seriously.
Goofy As A Bipartisan Favorite
Disneyland turns 50 this week, so it's a good time to check on what people love about the legendary California theme park. And in our case, that means politicos. Thanks to a Disney poll provided to Whispers, we can reveal that both parties identify most with Goofy and can sing "It's a Small World." But the unity ends there. Asked who they would like to visit the park with, Republicans pick Clint Eastwood, Democrats Oprah Winfrey. And which side wears those funny Mickey Mouse ears the most? The Donkeys.
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With Julian E. Barnes, Kent Allen and Dan Gilgoff
This story appears in the July 18, 2005 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.