For
speechwriters drafting a presidential address for a patriotic holiday
such as Independence Day, Memorial Day, or Veterans Day, there are
three rules: Don't be wordy; don't be wonky; and, most important, don't
be partisan. In his Veterans Day remarks today at the Tobyhanna Army
Depot near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, [George W.] Bush and his staff
broke all three rules, producing a strident speech that went on for
almost 50 minutes, included a lengthy comparison of “Islamic
radicalism” and “the ideology of communism,” and concluded by attacking
“some Democrats,” while taking an implicit shot at “my opponent during
the last election.” It may have been [Bush's worst speech ever].



At a
time when Bush would benefit from sounding cheerful, forward looking,
and above partisan politics, just as Ronald Reagan did during his
second term even in the midst of the Iran-Contra scandal, Bush instead
sounded like Richard Nixon or Lyndon Johnson during the worst days of
the Vietnam War, although neither is remembered for flubbing a speech
on a national holiday. It's as if Bush was reading from a cue-card that
proclaimed, “Message: I'm embattled and embittered.”