May 2005 #1

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Laura Bush made a speech at the weekend. It was at a White House Correspondents dinner attended by about 2,500 media flunkies, their bosses and various celebrities. The gathered guests were to be treated to a homily by George the Shrub but half way though Laura decided to butt in. Literally. If we examine what she said and match it to what we know about Shrub and his family, we find, as we do in all good comedy, a kernel of truth and a reflection of the reality it sends up. 

 

Laura has been a rising media star since George the Lessor began his Presidential run. Carefully media managed, her role in the second of the Bush White Houses, was to be seen as a model wife. Not like that Hillary Clinton bitch who every American knew wore the pants in the Clinton household and who could drink, smoke and cuss with the best of them. No, Laura Bush was to be the quintessential, all American mum. Not steely brittle like her Mother in Law, Barbara, whose hair was said to scare small animals and US Senators but more like the nice aunt who always sends a hanky for your birthday wrapped inside a card with a picture of a fluffy kitten on it. 

 

And so it was that last Saturday night we got an insight into how the ruling class, and not only in America, view their role. They see it as a joke. A joke that only arrogant powerbrokers could allow to go on public display. Instead of talking to the press about their role as the ‘fourth estate’ and how they had better stop their arse licking, to quote Mark Latham, and toadying to the powerbrokers on the Hill, George and Laura took it upon themselves to descend into mockery of what had been, up until then, the most revered office in universe. 

 

Take for instance her reference to how Shrub is in bed by 9:00pm every evening. She makes light of George’s promise to rid the world of terror and tyranny by telling the crowd that she admonishes him, regularly, that he has to stay up later if he wants to win the war on terror. However, during the run up to last years US election she told a Grand Old Party rally that, “I am so proud of the way George has led our country with strength and conviction.” Yet, according to her and many others, George is safely tucked up in bed by nine. I suppose the irony was really lost on her as she made that observation.

 

In her speech to the Grand Old Party convention last year she spoke about how she watched the private agony of her husband as he “wrestled” with the decision to go to war with Iraq. In the same speech she said that, “He (George) has boundless energy and enthusiasm for his job, and for life itself. He treats every person he meets with dignity and respect; the same dignity and respect he has for the office he holds.” Laura also told the GOP that “These are times that require an especially strong and determined leader. And I'm proud that my husband is that kind of leader.” Is this the same guy she just took the piss out of? I guess George hasn’t meet too many Iraqi’s he respects and whose dignity he upholds. 

 

In her Saturday night press club speech Laura also told us about George the Simpleton’s attitude to farming. She told the assembled media practitioners that, “George’s answer to any problem at the ranch is to cut it down with a chainsaw”. Obviously she was making reference to the White House attitude to the rest of the world. That is, if you bother us, we’ll cut you off at the knees. 

 

We know from a range of sources that George the Second is neither bright nor inspired. We also know that he can’t say nuclear. What we witnessed last Saturday night was a display of arrogance that cannot go uncommented on. It was a show that needs reviewing and critiquing. We cannot afford to let it go unanswered. 

 

Back in August last year, Lady Bush (or should that be Consort like all good Emperors wives?) appeared on the ultra-right wing Fox network program, The O’Reilly Factor. On that program the host asked her why it was that Bush got such a bad rap in the international press. She replied, “I think part of it is envy. I think it's also partly because we are the only superpower left. You know, it's no longer the Russians and us. You know, we have such a preeminent role in the world. And you know, we're affluent. I think they look at that — no, Europe isn't.”

 

Laura’s comments on O’Reilly and her speech at the weekend show an arrogance that reflects the attitude of those who know they hold the guns. She demonstrates an understanding of the world in which, according to the ruling class mindset, there are the haves and the envious. Not the have nots, because that would be impossible under the world view held by these people. They believe that if someone is ‘down and out’ it’s because that’s what they choose and if that’s what they choose then they should not complain.

 

Where were the cries of anguish and outrage from the assembled media last Saturday evening? Where were the reports from those defenders of the public and the ones who stand in our stead and media-te on our behalf? They were, of course, struck mute as they have been for years. They will not bite the hand that feeds them. The corporate media will only rarely hold up to scrutiny the trash that is what we call ‘modern politics’. It is a brave media flak indeed, who will write the truth these days. The White House Correspondents Association is the collective that, like our own Parliamentary press corp, makes sure that every member toes the line and doesn’t rock the boat. The members of these organisations know that if they step out of line and successfully publish something damaging to the institution, they will all suffer. In short an effective system of peer pressure is entrenched and working well to keep trouble makers out and those on the inside in line.

 

These media flacks live in a symbiotic relationship which means they have to leech off their host but not too much otherwise they will kill off the organism that feeds them. Their hosts understand that if they kill off the parasites that feed off them, their health will suffer. So, like all good symbiotic relationships, a compromise is achieved via evolutionary processes. An agreement is struck. In the case of the press corps or the association it goes something like this. The ruling class tell the media bosses, ‘we’ll allow you to berate us, ridicule us and even oppose us in print so long as you remember who make the rules’. The press barons respond by saying, ‘we’ll print your drivel, make sure our reporters get out the message you want as long as you don’t hinder our ability to make a buck’.

 

In order to make sure this relationship is maintained in some form of equilibrium, the front line reporters in this war for truth and clarity, must be trained to not ask bothersome questions. Part of this training involves great pomp and ceremony. We all like to be made to feel we’re important and being invited to a major function at which pop and movie stars and rich people will be may be enough of an enticement for some to abandon their ethics and dig in. That’s how come Laura Bush was able to make a joke of the most powerful office in the world.

 

Emperor Bush doesn’t need a court jester. He has his wife. What we need to do is ask ourselves why we allow the joke to continue for even a day longer. Enough. The Americans will have to deal with their system. Here in Australia we need to embark on some action of our own. The joke is on us and the longer we allow it to continue the worse off our society will be. While there is a time to laugh, just as there is a time to cry. It’s time we woke up and realised that the joke is at our expense.