Why Copenhagen failed, BBC is learning

• Well. yes. The Obama campaign said their goal was always to prevent
  
• analysis of his words and force people to focus
  
• just on what he was saying.
  
• 
  
• BBC, 12/22: "Reason #6: 24-hour news culture:

"The way this deal was concocted and announced was perhaps the logical conclusion of a news culture wherein it is

• more important to beam a speaking president live into peoples' homes from the other side of the world
  
• than it is

• to evaluate what has happened and give a balanced account.

The Obama White House mounted a surgical strike of astounding effectiveness (and astounding cynicism) that saw the president announcing a deal live on TV before anyone - even most of the governments involved in the talks - knew a deal had been done.

• The news went first to the White House lobby journalists travelling with the president.
  

• With due respect, they are not as well equipped to ask critical questions as the environment specialists who had spent the previous two weeks at the Bella Center.

After the event, of course, journalists pored over the details. But the agenda had already been set;

• by the time those articles emerged,
• anyone who was not particularly interested in the issue would have come to believe that a deal on climate change had been done,

• with the US providing leadership to the global community.

The 24-hour live news culture did not make the Copenhagen Accord. But its existence

• offered the White House a way to keep the accord's chief architect
  

• away from all meaningful scrutiny
  

• while telling the world of his triumph."...