FANTASY PRESSER

by G. Murphy Donovan

“Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one.” – H. L. Mencken

“Presser” is media slang for press conference, in theory an opportunity for political mandarins to keep the public informed. The difference between a Trump and Biden presser is astonishing, especially if there’s bad news on the front page.

President Trump was savaged daily by rude, often nasty reporters. President Biden, midst the ongoing Afghan crisis, is gifted with softballs from the same journalists. Adding insult to alibi, the press has Covid-19 and hurricane Ida as an excuse to avoid covering the unfolding disaster in South Asia.

Before Bidens’s big fail is consigned to page six, a group of erstwhile Intelligence officers has compiled a selection of questions for the President, questions that a pandering media might never ask.   

Mister President: You have said on several occasions that the US “withdrawal” from Afghanistan would have been chaotic and humiliating no matter when it occurred.

Are you aware that the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989; on parade, flags flying, equipment intact, in broad daylight – without casualties or opposition?