The View from Europe
Louder Than Words
by Nicola Mitchell

Nov. 29, 2002 -- LONDON (APJP) -- Since the disastrous results of the midterm elections, America has taken somewhat of a back seat to domestic doings in the pages of the UK press. Of course, they have been full of advice for the Democrats and what they should do next -- but the British media have been much more concerned with how Bush plans to use his new found powers.

After the announcement of the results, those in the right wing press spent most of their time crowing about Bush's supposed dignified silence about the Republican victory; however, Dubya and his team of cronies have certainly wasted no time in putting their brand new powers to use by announcing a string of policies they intend to push through the new super-Republican-friendly Congress -- including the already rebuffed plan to drill for oil in the Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge along with a host of other destructive measures.

Bush may not be doing much in the way of public speaking, but as the old cliché states, actions speak louder than words.

Yet even though Dubya's victory hasn't been capturing the attention of the British media, there has been another White-House-related story that has certainly caught their imagination.

Forget the NATO summit or the signing of the Homeland Security Bill -- what British journalists all want to know about are the claims made in Bob Woodward's new book that, in the days after September 11, FOX News chairman Roger Ailes secretly acted as an advisor to President Bush.

For the most part, the collective and deserving media outrage is the opportunity many of the more liberal media outlets have been waiting for, enabling them to finally reap some revenge on the channel whose alleged ‘fair and balanced' news coverage is notoriously partisan.

But apart from Ailes' infamous note passing, another story holding the interest of the UK media is Bush's attempt to bring Henry Kissinger out of the political wilderness by appointing him to head the new independent commission investigating the September 11th terrorist attacks.

According to Bush, "Dr Kissinger will bring broad experience, clear thinking and careful judgment to this important task.... We share the same commitment."

However, to many in Britain who are well aware of Kissinger's chequered past in the arena of foreign policy -- particularly during the Vietnam war -- he seems an odd choice as the head of a commission to investigate international terrorism.

And Kissinger's is not the only controversial appointment to be made by the Bush administration of late.

In the past few months, retired Vice-admiral John Poindexter, who was jailed and then pardoned for his part in the Iran-Contra scandal, has been appointed to a new 'Information Awareness Office' charged with compiling intelligence data -- while Elliott Abrams, who was convicted of misleading Congress over Iran-Contra but later pardoned by George Bush senior, has been assigned to lead the office of democracy and human rights.

In some parts, America has been forced to take a back seat because of the soap opera currently being played out in the media between the Blair government and the UK's striking fire fighters, who are demanding a 16 per cent pay rise. Both camps are currently in a bitter stand off in a drama that is being played put against the back drop of the chancellor's latest pre-budget report.

But despite the dramas at home, one American story always guaranteed to get some press coverage is the annual pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkey, with this year apparently seeing a female as the recipient of the accolade for the first time.

Maybe Bush should just stick to these kinds of duties, and then the world might prove to be a safer place for all of us!