"If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potomac River, the headline that afternoon would read: "President Can't Swim.""

This quote by Lyndon B. Johnson is a funny method of illustrating the power of the media. Johnson is suggesting that if he were to carry out an apparently impossible feat, such as walking on water, the media would concentrate on the reality that he could not swim. This quote is a commentary on the power of the media to shape public opinion and the way in which it can take a seemingly amazing event and turn it into something mundane. Johnson is also suggesting that the media can be used to control public opinion and produce a narrative that is not necessarily reflective of truth. This quote is a suggestion of the power of the media and how it can be utilized to form public opinion.