Good Riddance, Dubya

This column was written by MarketWatch's Jon Friedman.

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Good riddance, Dubya.

The most telling aspect of President George W. Bush's treatment of the media is that his incoming successor, Barack Obama, has already eclipsed the nation's 43rd chief executive in relations with journalists.

Obama has (smartly) reached across the media divide to listen to conservative journalists and show them some measure of respect. It's hard to imagine that Obama would truly embrace the views of Bill Kristol, the journalist who was an early champion of Sarah Palin and has espoused classic right-wing views. But Obama is, at least, giving an audience to his critics, much as President John Kennedy once did.

At the very least, Obama has a shot at schmoozing his traditional foes among reporters, columnists, editors and bloggers. With less noise from the opposition, Obama could have the comfort of taking office in more media-friendly confines.

Sure, most journalists are naturally lefties who gravitate more to the views of Obama than Bush. But as Bill and Hillary Clinton rudely found out, your critics relish taking shots at the president.

Perhaps it's Obama's twist on the vintage management advice mentioned in "The Godfather" film series: "Keep your friends close -- and your enemies closer."

Unfortunately, Bush never grasped that idea.

Farewell tour

Last week, Bush continued to make stops on his well-scripted media farewell tour. While news networks doggedly trumpeted each interview with Bush as some sort of an "exclusive," as if Bush was inclined to dish any dirt or offer shocking disclosures about his eight years in the White House.

But really, the conversations proved to be the same mindless chatter in which Bush and the media have engaged. Reporters are as much to blame for the feeble interviews and press conferences -- however few -- that Bush presided over.

Some journalists were too intimidated or star-struck by the all-powerful Bush-Rove-Cheney axis to probe deeply in appearances with the president. Maybe they were finally too disgusted with Bush's smirks and lame one-liners to come back at the sitting president with tough questions, ranging from Iraq to Hurricane Katrina to Afghanistan to Osama bin Laden to the economy.

George W. Bush has embarked on a media-driven farewell tour worthy of a rock star. He is appearing on television everywhere and cloaking his appearances in a kind of wistful, nostalgic look at his eight years in the White House.

My question: Why is Bush saying hello to the media when it's time to say good-bye?

Obama's strides

As the media has noted, Obama is already as much of a "rock star" -- even a pop culture icon -- as the leader of the Free World in the eyes of journalists.

Obama has managed to maintain the public's high degree of fascination that propelled him past both Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. John McCain to the White House. For better or worse, the cooperation of a rabid media corps helped him considerably.

How long can Obama hope to have reporters in his pocket? As I've glumly noted in this space before, what goes up, must come down -- including, inevitably, the Obama press-relations balloon.

Obama has a tendency to bristle at questions that he regards as intrusive or unfair or ill-informed. He must try hard to temper this destructive instinct or else he risks winding up cast as the enemy, much as reporters came to do with Bush.

Well wishers

Let's all wish the incoming president more success than his predecessor at rallying the United States. In this case, it doesn't matter if you are a liberal or a conservative, someone who religiously watches the left-leaning MSNBC, or the right-tilting Fox News Channel (which, like MarketWatch, the publisher of this column, is owned by News Corp.

It doesn't matter if you're a skeptical, if not cynical, media columnist. It matters that the American media should give Obama the benefit of the doubt -- for now.

MEDIA WEB QUESTION OF THE DAY: Who will prove to be a more media-friendly president, George W. Bush or Barack Obama?

Join the online community of Media Web readers by commenting directly on the MarketWatch site.


By Jon Friedman

[keebler751]

Production of goods is easier than ever, yet we pay twice and three times as much for those products. We allow manufactures to raise prices and don%u2019t bat an eye until, oh my, the president is causing us to pay more. Get real America; we have done this to ourselves. To lay blame on a single entity is seeking an escape goat.

As for the hurricane, you%u2019re kidding right? You actually hold a Natural Disaster in higher regards than terrorist attacks. You actually think the government of a nation should act before its state elected officials. For too long we have put an emphasis on the presidency when we should be holding our state elected officials to a higher standard. You truly think %u201Cany%u201D president really cares about a worker in two-bit town?

All I can say is, stand up for your own actions, take responsibility, and get off your high demon-cratic horse and look at the facts. Hell, anyone can take all the negatives and list them, why not look for positives, they are usually harder to find because you don%u2019t want to see them.
I%u2019ve listened to how we should have a unified government, but look at all of you. Demon-crats #1, Republicans boo, give me a flippin%u2019 break. Where%u2019s the unity now? How can you expect a government to unify when you can%u2019t? I could give two poops about demon this and republican that. I want action, I want integrity. Neither will ever happen so I do what I can. Vote.

[keebler751]

It''s better to have had a man in office that stands up against terrorist attacks than a man who stood by did nothing after they happened. I worked the a/c that transported the embassy bodies, Cole bodies and many others. I waited and hoped for retaliation. Nothing happened but under the desk antics. Who do you think allowed the attacks on the US to transpire in the first place? No action is a sign of weakness. One office left the other to hold the bag. Who do you think put the country in economic turmoil? Could it have been your very own state elected officials or us, the Americans who have to have the next best thing and not only are we dumb enough to pay top dollar for it, we beg to pay top dollar for it because it gives us status. I%u2019m sad that an escalade or shoes gives you satisfaction. Cause when you%u2019re walking barefoot, I doubt you%u2019ll care about status.

[pepperwood2]

This is what I have gleaned about Geithner so far.
1. Geithner failed to pay self-employment taxes from 2001 through 2004.
2. When audited for 2003 and 2004, Geithner paid those years, but failed to pay 2001 and 2002.
6. Geithner hired an illegal immigrant to clean his house.
Posted by one4gipper at 06:19 PM : Jan 21, 2009

Thanks for posting the Rest of the Story. I know HONEST mistakes can be unintentionally made by HONEST People. This appears to be more than a case of fuzzy math. More CHANGE we can count on ehhhhhh I''m beginning to get the picture.

[clestes-2009]

pizzanick,

Told you, Reagan brand republican was rejected by the voters in 2006 and in 2008. It will be again in 2010. You can say what you want and believe what you want, but facts are facts. This country has moved beyond Reagan republican values. We are more diverse, more open minded than ever before in our history. The narrow minded social agenda and unworkable economic policies of Reagan as implmented by shrub have been rejected.

And yes, I have been volunteering service for many years now. I have no need for our prez to ask it of me.

[khanghi-2009]

"Yes - by all means. Good riddance to the man who prevented more terrorist attacks after 9/11."
Posted by jedi_4jc at 07:27 AM : Jan 21, 2009

Tell me, after reading your ridiculous post, does the "jc" in your ID stand for "Jack^ss Clown"?
(surely it couldn''t have anything to do with the Prince of Peace)

By the way, Bush and Rice were warned IN WRITING long before 9/11 that it was coming. They did NOTHING to prevent it. They ignored it. What a hapless hillbillie.

[khanghi-2009]

"Have you put in your day of service yet? Have you signed up?

We''''re all in this together. Obama is now our leader. Follow his example and we''''ll get out of this mess a lot sooner."
Posted by freckster at 02:20 PM : Jan 21, 2009

HOLY S#IT MAN! Are you actually going to bring common sense into this!?

Look everybody, the whole "Dumbocrat/Repukelicon" thing is so very pre-2009.

This is OUR country! If you''ve nothing positive to contribute, MOVE!

[bear-2009]

pizzanick at 03:46 PM

Repiglicons = corruption, Abramoff, Ney, Cunningham, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz (fired from the World Bank for corruption). Ahhh, and idiocy Sarah Palin. Reagon-omics was a total disaster, creating a high deficit, which Clinton balanced and surplused. Then another moron Repig Bush creadit a historical deficit...

Let''s not forget Katrina, and Bush trying to sell US ports to an "arab" country (Dubai), twice!!!

The neocons are loosers!

[pizzanick]

I have a feeling many of you OBAMINATION Liberals who are so eager to write off Republicans and the legacy of Ronald Reagan weren''t born before the 80s. Reagan cut the top tax bracket from 70% to 35%. That is a major accomplishment that has fueled our economic growth for over 20 years. The financial mess we''re in is because of irresponsible people that bought more house than they could afford. Wall Street greed only compounded the problem. Reagonomics worked so don''t rewrite history. It''s the Liberal desire to take care of everyone with social programs and to help everybody buy a home that killed us.

[pizzanick]

I have a feeling many of you OBAMINATION Liberals who are so eager to write off Republicans and the legacy of Ronald Reagan weren''t born before the 80s. Reagan cut the top tax bracket from 70% to 35%. That is a major accomplishment that has fueled our economic growth for over 20 years. The financial mess we''re in is because of irresponsible people that bought more house than they could afford. Wall Street greed only compounded the problem. Reagonomics worked so don''t rewrite history. It''s the Liberal desire to take care of everyone with social programs and to help everybody buy a home that killed us.

[noloyalisti]

Did you all hear the crowd of 2 million people booing Bushoccio the sub-human disgrace? And singing to him goodbye? Awesome!

Oh and they emptied out the jails, *********** and mental institutions to greet Butch back in TX.