Bob Schieffer on Meet the Press

"When we are trying to convince the Iraqis of the strength and efficacy of Democratic institutions [why] would we try to do it by corrupting their press, one cornerstone of Democracy? The government writes the stories for a totalitarian press, not a democracy's press.

This administration has never had much use for reporters, and that is their privilege. But speeches about democratic values ring hollow when the speechmaker gets caught trying to undermine democratic institutions.

We can do better than that. If this is a war over values, we can best demonstrate the strength of our values by practicing them. To do otherwise, after all, is just not effective. "