Never has there been a US Presidency so obsessed with managing the
news, managing the president's image and creating a false impression of what
is really happing in Washington and around the world. Within minutes of the
President's return from Europe, the presidential news spinners were churning
out copy insisting that the visit had been a smashing SUCCESS.

But what really happened in Europe ? Efforts to enlist stronger EU
support in Iraq came to nothing. Oops. Sorry. France has agreed to supply
one (1) officer to help train Iraqi police. Germany insisted that the EU
will no longer play the role of junior partner in Nato. In future
dealings with the US , the EU will be an equal partner with it's own
military resources distinct from Nato. Bush efforts to block such a
development came to nothing. Bush efforts to block European countries from
trading with China came to nothing. Bush efforts to block Russia from
supplying nuclear technology to Iran came to nothing.

The highlight of Bush's visit to Mainz was to have been a town hall
meeting with a cross section of Germans from every walk of life. When the
Germans discovered that the meeting was to be carefully rigged to select
questions submitted in advance and keep unsafe students out, the Germans
cancelled the meeting. There was to be no repeat of the carefully rigged
news conference arranged for Condoleeza Rice, where safe questions ONLY were
allowed.

If this is a success, What would it have looked like if the visit to
Europe had failed ? And what do the media whores who hid the facts about
Bush's trip believe their job is ?