An Open Letter to White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card

by matt at 6:23 am on August 17th, 2004 in Best Of: Matt, Bush Man Date

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Mr. Card:

I recently learned of the “Ask the White House” feature when my good friend Rob alerted me to your appearance.

It is so rare these days to be able to question our leaders, so I quickly filled out the form and sent in my question: “Since the President doesn’t read newspapers or watch TV news, and instead relies on you and Condi Rice to brief him on current events, which news organizations do you depend on to get objective and timely information in order to brief the most powerful man in the world?”

Rob asked: “Was the President briefed on the concept of soverignity prior to his impromptu reply last week? If so, who briefed him?”

We were very hopeful that our questions would be answered because something has caused the professional media to stop asking serious, incisive questions over the last three years, and as you know Thomas Jefferson said:

“Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it.” –Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 1786

With all due respect Mr. Card, I was extremely discouraged to see most of the questions that were asked. It’s one thing for White House pastry chef Roland Mesnier to take softball questions, but this borders on the pointless:

  • If you leave the White House, do you plan to return for Barneycam three?
  • I’d like to participate but am unable to view the questions and responses. Is this the normal procedure?
  • This is my first time here, and nothing is happening. Do you need more questions submitted, Sir?
  • Hi Andy Are you ignoring me? ) I sent a question earlier…don’t know if you received it. )
  • Has anyone ever said to you, “You’re such a card” WITHOUT knowing your last name in advance?
  • I’ve submitted questions very often, and never was picked. I don’t try anymore, it’s waste of time. Government should be more reachable, I think. ….
  • For some summer school work I have to find out the full names of some American presidents. I cannot find what the S in Harry S Trueman[sic] and the W in George W Bush mean. Can you help. Many thanks.

    That last question wasn’t even from an American. Shouldn’t American citizens, whose taxes pay for the WhiteHouse.gov website in addition to your salary, take priority over foreigners?

    In addition to all of the fluff questions, you took not one but two questions about international observers monitoring our November elections, both against the idea:

  • Dear Mr. Card, I am disappointed at the news we are allowing international observers to monitor our presidential election this fall. We are a sovereign nation, and such an act is one more surrender in this sovereignty. This decision by our state department is outrageous and should be immediately reversed. Does the President have any plans to rescind this invitation?
  • Why is President Bush asking for outsiders to come in and monitor our elections this fall? I am a die hard President Bush supporter but I am also committed to holding on to our country’s sovereignty.

    Maybe these two questioners don’t remember the clown show that resulted from faulty voting equipment and processes in 2000, but I bet you do. After all, you wouldn’t be in the White House without it.

    It is encouraging that your administration is using new methods to maintain communication with citizens, but I must express my frustration at your decision to only take questions from people who are on your side. Since the President always reminds us that he is the President of all the people, is it too much to ask to have his aides live up to that platitude?

    Neither Rob nor I will be voting for the President. But our questions were important, and have not been asked or answered elsewhere.

    So Mr. Card, even though your “Ask the White House” session is over, we would still like to have our questions answered.

    Who do you trust for news? Since life-and-death decisions are eventually made based in part on this information, I’d like to know how I can match your media consumption so that I can stay as informed as possible. I’m also concerned that you, like Vice President Dick Cheney, might be getting too much of your news from Fox News. I ask because while Fox claims to be “fair and balanced”, they really aren’t. Along the same lines, WorldNetDaily and Free Republic might shade the news one way or another.

    Just as important is Rob’s question about sovereignty. The word has been in the news quite a bit this year due to the June 28th “handover” in Iraq so it was somewhat disconcerting to hear the President’s answer on tribal sovereignty for native Americans.

    As White House Chief of Staff, you are one of the President’s closest advisors. Mr. Card, does the President know what the word sovereignty means? An impartial listener would walk away from that press conference with the impression that he doesn’t. Not everyone learned the definition of sovereignty in 6th grade civics class as Rob and I did, but surely it is an important word for anyone currently occupying the Oval Office, wouldn’t you agree?

    We look forward to your response on these important questions.

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