I have not idea where Bush was talking yesterday... In a Wal Mart or something... But I do remember him saying, and I roughly quote:

The Democrats want to raise taxes so that they can increase spending so that they can enlarge the federal government!

Um, Mr. President dude... Better start watching what you say. I could have beat that line there eyes closed with my hand behind my back.

Pot. Kettle. Black.

(I'm sort of scared to say black around here now in case it attacks psychos.)

It's a given that all Predidents have lied, but what shocks me about this administration (and I was there for Watergate) is the blatant, through-the-looking-glass-nature of their lies and deceptions.

Bush and Co. can look the camera in the eye and say that the sun rises in the west without the slightest hint of hesitation or irony. They do it time and again.

Their approach is so Orwellian that it would be funny if it weren't so dangerous and frightening.

Healthy forest = logging corp giveaway
Clean skies = reduction of air pollution regulations
No Child Left Behind = teaching testing and aising morons

(and remember all the speech backdrops printed with slogans, including "Made in USA' spray-painted on empty wooden crates?)

Last Sunday, when Russert asked about the predictions for post-invasion Iraq vs the realities, Bush's mind went blank for about five seconds before he finally replied:

RUSSERT: Cheney said we would be greeted as liberators? ...Did we miscalculate how we would be treated and received in Iraq?

(5 second pause while Bushs face looks like a dog being shown a card trick)

BUSH: Well, I think we are welcomed in Iraq. I'm not exactly sure -- given the tone of your questions, we're not. We are welcomed in Iraq.

I perceive a distinct difference in the attitude of this administration relative to others in my lifetime. I think that in the past, great liars like Nixon and LBJ operated under the assumption that the people and press were pretty smart. They respected them.

I think the Bush folks think that People and Press are:

1) stupid & gullible
2) prone to swallowing double-speak marketing euphemisms without a whimper
3) only able to reguritate press releases
4) incredibly ignorant and/or forgetful and/or unaware of recent and long-term history
5) dazzled by image
6) hypnotized by talk of 'values'
7) unconcerned with real issues

...and I fear that THEY MIGHT BE RIGHT.

We'll see in November, eh.

SHOULD BE:

No Child Left Behind = teaching testing / raising morons

Well, November is still far off yet... Anything can happen...

Like we decide to liberate Venezuela.

At this point, not event hat would shock me from this administration.

I worry, I honestly do.

I've said before that this administration has the best communications machine I have ever seen (I've spent decades in marketing and advertising, so that's an informed, professional opinion.)

They do the trick of repeating a falsehood several times through several sources (e.g., Woolsey, Perle, Frum, Goldberg, "leaks" ...)in several sources (Weekly Standard, Wall Street Journal, Washington Times ...).

We get results like 70% of the population believing that Saddam was responsible for 9/11, yet they never explicity stated that. "Imminent threat? Who said that? WMD? Nobody said that either, we said 'possible potential could maybe happen activities'."

It works tremendously in the US.

They even came up with a new Office of Global Communications because they believed they could apply the same techniques to the rest of the world. It didn't work, and there have been a couple of reorganizations as the largely favorable world opinion of the US has flipped to largely negative even in friendly countries.

It's definitely time for a regime change at home.

"I've spent decades in marketing and advertising..."


Aw, heck, Hal, I still LIKE ya.

That's probably because most of it was in high-tech marketing (my degree is in Electronics) where you actually have to have something to sell :-)

No explanation needed, Hal.

I'm a recovering marketing director (among many other careers) trying to redeem myself for previous sins.

My absolution was to say three "Hail Chomskys" and become a professional culture-jammer.

I'm working my way from thru Purgatory at the moment.

I thought "hail Chomskys" were a part of Satanic ritual - better go over and ask the Underlord's PR guy.

Did anyone notice how often the word tyrant was used to describe Saddam Hussein during the build up to the war? Bush, Cheney, Powell, Rice...over an over the used the exact word tyrant. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but it seemed pretty convenient that they used a word which is similar (to some extent) to terrorist at a time when the entire country was on edge with fear from terroritsts.

I'm not arguing that anyone would hear tyrant as terrorst, just that it plants a little seed in your subconscious.

well, he was a tyrant and all