Over-Eager BBC. I think Jon Leyne must have been in the field too long. Being a leftist in the US of A must send a person right into the arms of the moonbat fringe and trying to keep a straight face with nostrils full of bromide can't be easy. In this analysis he gives all the signs of having been at George Bush's press-conference on sufferance only; heck, he did Bush a favour being there at all. In the first four paragraphs of Leyne's 'anal-ysis' we have (surprise?) four opportunites to hear that Bush was there with selfish motives of his own: 'He was set on showing himself', 'he wanted to confront', 'more theatre than substance', 'he sought to calm...he stands to lose'.

That being our intro, it's a relief to hear 'The press conference was not without some news'. Great! No more bleating Jon Leyne's 'impressions', his evening spoilt, his Dem-feathers ruffled. Well, not quite. Even in this factual section Leyne cannot resist adding that Bush 'played the tough, decisive leader, repeating again his ideological message that it is America's duty to spread freedom in the world. ' This freedom ideology's a real curse, isn't it?


One of the things that never ceases to amaze me is the audacity of BBC journalists when they turn a story on its head to satisfy their notion of reality. Leyne gives a classic example when he says that Bush 'believes that his greatest danger is if he is seen as flip-flopping on the issue' (of Iraq). This is Leyne's revenge for the way his friend John Kerry has been hurt by that very expression. 'Flip-flopping'- a silly term to express some of Senator Kerry's silliest actions/nonactions- is the preserve of JFK, and Leyne doesn't think that's fair. He follows it up by reiterating his basic contention, that Bush 'wanted to maintain his image as a clear, decisive leader who knows where he is going and knows where he wants to lead.' The image mind you, not the reality. Like Kerry, the BBC believe that Bush is a fake, a man of straw. And not just a fake, an incorrigible fake, because 'it was very clear that he did not want to offer any mea culpas, any explanations on what he did wrong' on the other callumny du jour, that Bush failed the US over 9/11. Here endeth the Leyne lesson. Amen. For a more nuanced take (drawing in a far wider perspective, and not instinctively oppositional), see Instapundit here