David Ignatius managed to pull off an MSM two-fer this morning: using the coronavirus not only to swipe at President Trump, but going back in history to jab another Republican president, George W. Bush, for his handling of 9/11.
On today's Morning Joe, Ignatius of the Washington Post indulged in a classic bit of blaming-not-blaming. He first acknowledged that George W. "didn't cause 9/11." How magnanimous! So Bush didn't actually fly a plane into the WTC! But Ignatius went on to claim that regarding both 9/11 and the coronavirus, "inadequate preparations were made." Specifically as to 9/11, Ignatius said, "The warning signs . . . were there, that were flashing red through the summer of 2001 . . . telling leaders, if they really had paid attention, that it was time to do something."
Here's the exchange:
Morning Joe
3/30/20
6:36 am EDTDAVID IGNATIUS: As I think, Joe and Mika, about the comparison of other presidents, obviously, we think what a great national tragedy, our generation, of 9/11.
George W. Bush didn’t cause 9/11 any more than Donald Trump caused the coronavirus pandemic we’re living through. But in each case, we learned that inadequate preparations were made. That the warning signs that were there, that were flashing red through the summer of 2001, through January and February of 2020, were telling leaders, if they really had paid attention, that it was time to do something.
That issue of our lack of preparation, to what extent the president and his aides are responsible for the consequences is, I think, going to be at the center of our presidential campaign. We don’t have to litigate it every day. That’s Joe Biden’s job if he's the nominee--whoever the Democratic nominee is. But I’m struck by the similarity. This is a catastrophe. The warning signs were there. They were flashing red. Not enough was done. It’s not Trump’s fault, but he is responsible for how the government dealt with that information.
Ignatius then said that President Trump's handling of the coronavirus will be at the center of the 2020 presidential campaign. Ignatius got off this laugh line: "We [in the media] don’t have to litigate it every day. That’s Joe Biden’s job if he is the nominee."
Don't worry, Joe: the MSM will be with you every step of the way, making your job, their job!
