Time’s Mark Halperin lists the five mistakes the Obama administration has made in the aftermath of the killing of Al Qaeda terrorism CEO Osama bin Laden. Halperin praises the operation itself, but not the aftermath.
This is actually now a set pattern with the Obama administration. After it’s victory many assumed that the Obama administration would be masterful in public relations, general communications and how to deal with both the new and old media. But, in reality, it has more often than not appeared surprisingly flat-footed — almost amateur hour — when it comes to political impact.
Here are his five reasons (go to the link to read the details around each one):
1. Not getting its story straight: Was bin Laden armed or not? What woman served as a human shield? Who actually was killed beyond the main target? ….
2. Not giving George W. Bush enough credit for helping bring bin Laden to justice: Even if the White House believes the previous occupant had nothing to do with OBL’s ultimate demise, it would have been better for national unity and Obama’s own political fortunes if he had gone out of his way to thank 43…
3. Letting the photo debate get out of control: The decision about whether to release images of a dead bin Laden is not an easy one. But the administration’s conflicting statements and public agonizing has created an extended distraction. ..
4. Letting the debate about the war in Afghanistan get out of control: There are signs that some of the president’s advisers are looking to scale back the commitment in Afghanistan sooner rather than later…
5. Letting the debate about Pakistan get out of control: The congressional and media demand for a radical change in America’s relationship with Pakistan is burning like wildfire. The administration knows that a shift in policy is complicated and compromising, and not necessarily in the United States’ interest.’
American politics in the 21st century is now –more than ever with the 24/7 news cycle, partisan talk radio shows that rely on and benefit from capturing and creating rage and controversy, and new and old media scrambling to compete with each other — about not giving the other side an opening. The Obama administration for all the talk about its political abilities during the campaign at times seems like it truly does not have a clue or is stuck in a time tunnel responding to how America functioned 20 years ago.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.