The Washington Postreports that President Bush met with bloggers following his recent Iraq speech.
Still, the hour-long meeting in the Roosevelt Room offered Bush another opportunity to break through what he sees as the filter of the traditional news media, while also reaching out to the providers of a new source of information for soldiers, their families and others who follow the conflict in Iraq closely.
"More and more we are engaging in the new-media world, and these are influential people who have a big following," said Kevin F. Sullivan, the White House communications chief.
Bush told the group that, to his knowledge, it was the first time a president had met with bloggers for a chat at the White House, one of the participants wrote.
The Washington Post said the bloggers talking to Bush were the "generally pro-Bush and pro-military, and the ensuing reports were highly sympathetic to the president." Some of the bloggers that met with Bush (in person or via teleconference) include Argghhh!, The Victory Caucus, Blackfive, The Long War Journal, INDCJournal and Mudville Gazette. Ward Carroll was also in attendance representing Military.com and DefenseTech.
Is there much point to speaking with bloggers that are already very supportive? Maybe it was just a way to reward bloggers that have blogged kindly about the Bush administration and the Iraq War. If President Bush ever wanted to talk to bloggers that have a very negative view of the Iraq War they certainly aren't hard to find. Ward Carroll said, "It was a conversation and an opportunity for the president to demonstrate that he was aware of what the milbloggisphere is capable of."
A couple more reports on the Bush blogger meeting can be found here, here and here.
