Daily Howler discusses the Bush-Webb story. An excerpt:
What did Bush say to Webb? The truth is, we don’t really know. And what was his tone of voice—did he—”snap?” Sorry, we don’t know that either.
No, we don’t really know what Bush said to Webb. And we don’t know his tone of voice when he said it. But so what! As we first noted years ago, “novelization of news” has long been the specialty of the cohort we still call a “press corps.” It’s the way they prefer to transform the real news. Here’s how the practice works:
First, they form a Standard Group Judgment about some politician’s character. Then, they come up with a pleasing Group Story—a story which helps persuade the world that their judgment is wonderfully accurate. In 1999 and 2000, this was endlessly done to Candidate Gore—and it sent Candidate Bush to the White House. But the “press corps” has finally come to see that Bush has been a cosmic failure. So they’ve started peddling pleasing novels which display hisfailed character too.
…Let’s offer a slightly larger perspective. The “press corps” is now writing novels which cut against Bush because they’ve finally agreed to disown him. For years, though, their silly tales have cut against Dems—and because they’re largely an upper-class institution, that’s the way their tales will tend to cut in the future. In our view, liberals and progressives would do better to reject this silly version of “news” altogether. The press corps does this sort of thing to Republicans when they manage to ruin the world. But in the long run, they will do this to Dems for no earthly reason. In our view, liberals and progressives would be much wiser to reject this whole practice. Flat, cold.
NewMexiKen didn’t mention the Webb story for this very reason. Who knows what was really said and its tone?
Oh, and regarding my title for this post, there is absolutely nothing wrong with People. It’s when all public discourse becomes celebrity-driven that we have a problem.