We need more speeches

Michael Barone and Roger Simon got me thinking. We really do need more speeches like last night's, even if they only get a B+ from Andrew Sullivan. We need to be told more often what's at stake in Iraq. Instead of his weekly radio message, maybe President Bush should do a series of short (not more than 15 minutes) informal interviews that let him discuss issues like the war and the economy without making a speech. It would take an interviewer who can put him at ease as well as ask questions that the people out here want asked and answered. I'd love to see some of these with Rumsfeld and Cheney too. Barone mentioned FDR's "fireside chats." I don't think that would work for Bush, but I'd bet that some things like that could work, even if they had to buy the time.

The interviews don't need to be slick and over-produced. They just need to let Bush be Bush to revive a phrase and speak from his heart. Americans need answers to the continuous smear on his character, his intelligence and his intentions for this war. If the press has its way, we'll never have a president that people trust again.