Bush’s fake economic forum…

Was it a fake economic forum in Waco? William Saletan and Jonathan Chait seem to think so and for good reason based on what they saw and heard. Bush’s economic forum offered us a good example of a government-manufactured event passed off as news. While I share some of their consternation, I’m not surprised at the outcome. Presidents are simply not allowed to participate in uncontrolled events. They must stay on message, so they must stay sheltered from any situation in which real news might occur. I do, however, think Bush may have over-stepped the controls with his tough talk about CEOs. Unless he backs it up, his hunt-’em-down rhetoric might be the equivalent of his father’s read-my-lips gaffe.