Why Oh Why Can't We Have a Better Press Corps? (Washington Post Edition)

George Orwell, please pick up the White courtesy phone:

Jim VandeHei writes:

Bush Calls For More Muscle In Darfur : With memories of the failed 1993 U.S. military operation in Somalia fresh in their minds, many U.S. policymakers have been reluctant to commit U.S. forces unilaterally or through multilateral organizations such as NATO. But Bush brushed aside the resistance of some senior policymakers and sided with White House adviser Michael J. Gerson and others who have been lobbying for more assistance to Darfur...

Matthew Yglesias is bemused at the characterization of Michael J. Gerson:

Process Questions | TPMCafe: Will calling for 7,000 NATO troops to go to Darfur actually have a beneficial impact on the situation over there, or is this just an effort to be seen as "doing something" without really facing up to what one would have to do to achieve anything worthwhile? I'm far from certain, but this doesn't reassure me: "But Bush brushed aside the resistance of some senior policymakers and sided with White House adviser Michael J. Gerson and others who have been lobbying for more assistance to Darfur." Gerson, of course, is a speechwriter. I hope the "others" who agree with him included some people with relevant policy expertise, but the administration's record on that score hasn't been encouraging.

Think of how differently "Bush brushed aside the resistance of the Secretaries of State and Defense and the National Security Advisor and sided with White House speechwriter Michael J. Gerson..." sounds than "Bush brushed aside the resistance of some senior policymakers and sided with White House advisor Michael J. Gerson..."