Poking the cocoon

I saw President Bush’s speech tonight. It was a good speech well delivered. I’d like to think that a reasonable viewer would find it difficult to accept the mainstream media gospel that (a) Bush has no plan, (b) the struggle in Iraq serves no purpose, and (c) events in Iraq have spun out of control. The president presented his plan, articulated his purpose, and calmly explained the progress we have made, even in Fallujah and Nadjaf. Just as importantly, he looked presidential throughout. Peter Schramm at No Left Turns provides valuable commentary on the speech here.
Unfortunately, the president’s speech apparently was not carried by the broadcast networks and not picked up by most local affiliates. Thus, the president’s ability effectively to challenge the mainstream media’s slanderous narrative was limited from the start. That media hopes to impose a blackout on all but bad news from Iraq and thereby to wrap the American public in the same cocoon it inhabits. But most Americans have a strong sense of fair play and a fundamental respect for the presidency, so it remains to be seen whether the mainstream media can continue to have its way on the Iraq story.