Lewis Gould: Bush Is Learning that the Presidency Is More than Photo-Ops

Lewis Gould, in the Wash Post (April 18, 2004):

There comes a moment in almost every presidency when an unpleasant bit of reality intrudes upon the happy routine of striking media poses, harvesting reelection money and rubbing the egos of political allies. It's a moment when the unique burdens of the Oval Office begin to weigh upon its occupant more heavily than before, when a sense of impending tragedy threatens to overwhelm any countervailing assumption of divine, or even just plain political, purpose.

President Bush appeared to be having one of those moments during his news conference last Tuesday night. With the situation in Iraq in seeming chaos and the roots of the nation's vulnerability to terrorism under a microscope on Capitol Hill before the 9/11 commission, the president's third televised prime-time news conference offered a rare chance for reporters to ask about the substantive policy choices that the nation faces. Bush provided exhortation and a reiteration of his goals rather than a roadmap for how he intends to deal with the present crisis. The holder of the bully pulpit delivered a familiar sermon when a diagnosis of a national malady and prescription for a cure was needed.

The fault for this outcome did not lie entirely with the president. Rather, the nature of the office itself and what it has become are partly the problem. Over the past 50 years, the institution of the presidency has evolved into a mixture of celebrity and continuous campaigning. Substantive policy has receded in significance; presidents are judged on how they perform before the media, whether they win a second term and what their approval ratings are. In this context, mastery of staged events and the capacity to please the public are what matter most.

During their first three years in the White House, Bush and his advisers proved to be superb practitioners of these arts and experts at staging moments that conveyed an aura of decisive leadership. Whether standing atop the World Trade Center wreckage with a bullhorn or landing on an aircraft carrier in a flight suit, Bush fulfilled the symbolic expectations of the office with practiced skill. He has been equally adept at continuous campaigning, as his record fundraising totals and success in boosting Republicans in the 2002 congressional elections attest. As long as the presidency operated within this context, Bush enjoyed high ratings and widespread popularity.

But, of course, the presidency is not just about glitz and the trappings of show business. At bottom, it is about policy, substantive issues and demanding choices. Eventually the rigors of the White House expose a president's areas of vulnerability. Early on, Bush had proclaimed with pride that he did not do nuance. He and his aides cultivated his reputation as a big-picture man who left it to subordinates to handle details and the nitty-gritty of policies. Now he faces a public that wants to know not simply that he wants to stay the course, but the nitty-gritty as well: how he plans to do it, how long it will take, how he defines a less-than-perfect success....