A note on the previous post

The lede from the referenced article reads as follows:

President Bush is starting his sixth year in office with a flurry of activity designed to trumpet upturns in the economy, defend U.S. action in Iraq and challenge critics who claim his methods of fighting terrorists infringe on civil liberties.

None of the highlighted verbs describe any substantive action, only message management. All that's missing is the cue card--"CLAP LOUDER!"