Buffalo, N.Y.: Hi Howard, I am surprised that GWB's statement on ABC yesterday that "well, hey, listen, we've never been "stay the course, George." hasn't gotten more play, since it seems like such an obvious contradiction to so many statements by the Pres. and his minions. What am I missing?What a fucking whore for the White House.
Howard Kurtz: It's a semantic argument. Critics of the war say Bush wants the country to stay the course, that is, keep American troops there fighting the war until the end of his presidency. Bush, not liking the phrase, says he's not staying the course because the military is constantly adjusting based on enemy tactics. But the bottom line is he wants to keep a large contingent of American forces there indefinitely, or at least until that magical day when the Iraqis stand up so we can stand down.
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Washington, D.C.: Wow! You are wrong. It's not an argument about semantics. Bush himself has said he wants to "stay the course" in Iraq. It's not the critics saying it, he's saying it.
Seriously, it's this type of mistake that makes people distrust mainstream media.
Howard Kurtz: Bush used the phrase in the past, critics seized on it and now he's trying to change the language by changing his emphasis. My point is, his basic position hasn't changed. If you want to argue that he's walking away from rhetoric that he himself used, you're right.
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