“Don’t take the bait.”
This was the advice former Bush flack Ari Fleischer gave to a Green Bay Packers gathering yesterday on how to deal with journalism’s offensive line. “They [the media] are also going to stir the pot.” (Apparently not enough.)
But, Ari, how should one behave when he’s caught lying?
And what should you do when your bosses encourage you to deceive the media, and by extension, the American public?
Also, Ari, what happens when your lies lead to thousands of American deaths and tens of thousands of permanently maimed servicemen and women?
And is there any advice you can offer someone who has remained unrepentant in spite of the horrific damage his or her lies may have caused?
Finally, now that you’re in private practice and in an area where your ethical shortcomings won’t likely lead to our nation’s downfall, why suddenly is your own aggrandizement above that of your client’s?
Do you think the Green Bay Packer organization derives any benefit from a piece about you in USA Today?