The Peculiar Duplicity of Ari Fleischer "But what Fleischer does, for the most part, is not really spin. It's a system of disinformation--blunter, more aggressive, and, in its own way, more impressive than spin. Much of the time Fleischer does not engage with the logic of a question at all. He simply denies its premises--or refuses to answer it on the grounds that it conflicts with a Byzantine set of rules governing what questions he deems appropriate. Fleischer has broken new ground in the dark art of flackdom: Rather than respond tendentiously to questions, he negates them altogether."
posted by owillis
on Jun 10, 2002 -
6 comments
The thorn in Ari Fleischer's side. Russell Mokhiber, writer for Multinational Monitor, consistently asks questions at press briefings which cause Ari Fleischer to create new and strange forms of rhetorical yoga, when Fleischer doesn't avoid answering altogether.
posted by Ty Webb
on Apr 16, 2002 -
9 comments
Yes, it's an Onion link, but with lines like
"It is therefore urgent," Rumsfeld continued, "that all Americans be quiet, stop asking questions, accept the orders of authorities, and let us get on with the important work of defending liberty, so that America can continue to be a beacon of freedom to all the world.", they really nail the problem with the prevailing attitude (one that comes up in many MeFi threads as well).
Does anyone else think Fleischer is
especially creepy in this regard?
And how do
you attempt to instill reason into the debates around you? Any luck so far?
posted by cps
on Oct 11, 2001 -
17 comments
White House Reprimands Bill Maher... Remarking on Bill Maher's recent (and ill-timed) comments, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said "Americans ... need to watch what they say, watch what they do, and this is not a time for remarks like that; there never is.''
Mr Fleischer: there's never a time for a comment like that from the White House.
posted by silusGROK
on Sep 26, 2001 -
69 comments
Who's lying? The story that wouldn't die continues. "Most of the incidents described yesterday by White House press secretary Ari Fleischer were said to have occurred in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, adjacent to the White House. Pornographic or obscene greetings were left on 15 telephone lines in the offices of the vice president and White House counsel and in the scheduling and advance offices, Fleischer said. As a precaution, all phones were disabled and reprogrammed, he said."
OTOH, the GAO says it "could reach no further conclusions because the White House said it had no written record of damage".
posted by owillis
on Jun 3, 2001 -
8 comments
