Doug Feith, originally uploaded by Rob Bluey.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure how Doug Feith would go over with the crowd of conservative bloggers who joined us for today’s luncheon at the Heritage Foundation. But after a powerful presentation in which Feith spoke about embracing the Internet to set the record straight, he managed to convince just about everyone in the room that he was a victim of a liberal smear campaign hellbent on destroying his reputation. (Philip Klein at the American Spectator has a full report.)

Feith, you might recall, was viciously attacked by the left following the release of a report by the Defense Department’s inspector general on February 7. Two days later, in a front-page article in the Washington Post, reporters Walter Pincus and R. Jeffrey Smith incorrectly attributed quotes from liberal Senator Carl Levin to the inspector general. It led the Post to make what one blogger dubbed “the mother of all corrections.”

A month later, Feith is still trying to correct the record. He’s set up a website, DougFeith.com, and gone on a TV blitz. He even penned an op-ed for the Washington Post.

Feith gave an articulate presentation about the Bush Administration’s failure to defend its actions because of a poor communications and public-relations strategy. He said this has contributed to the public’s negative perception about the Iraq War and could result in damage on other fronts in the War on Terror.

I’m convinced many people in the Bush Administration simply don’t get it when it comes to using modern media as an effective communications tool. Others, such as White House Internet Director David Almacy, clearly do get it. But far too often, the administration has failed on several fronts because it relies on an outdated communications strategy. I’m not sure there’s much hope left for this administration, but the next Republican president should take note of the successes enjoyed during the Reagan years vs. the difficulties endured during the Bush years. Doug Feith has diagnosed the problem. But will anyone listen?