Nice!
Bush Recommends Blogs
Jason Lee Miller
2006-03-23
Dropping in on Wheeling, West Virginia yesterday to rally support for the Iraqi War, President Bush also dropped a word that maybe even surprised himself: blogs. The armchair warriors at home whispered among themselves, "did he just say ‘blogs?'"
Yes. Yes, he did.
NBC's Today Show reports that it's the first time the President has used the word in a speech. Blaming the media for lopsided coverage of the ongoing struggle in Iraq, Bush brought up the blogosphere as an alternative to the mainstream.
"Our major media don't want to portray the good," said a woman in the audience. "If the American people could see it, there would never be another negative word about this conflict."
"One of the things that we have to value is that we do have a media," answered the President. "There's blogs, there's Internet, there's all kinds of way to communicate which is literally changing the way people get their information.
"So if you're concerned I would suggest that you reach out to some of the groups that are supporting the troops, that got Internet sites and just keep the word moving."
Aside from seeming to imply the mainstream media is not supporting the troops, the President's use of the word "blog" is as surprising to some as his sudden awareness of them.
Until yesterday, the President seemed disdainful of all media - acknowledging that he didn't watch the news, read newspapers, or follow polls. The Today Show also reported that, along with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, the President doesn't even use email.
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