The Iconoclast

I never 'misunderestimated' the know-nothing fratboy from Texas. I knew in 2000 that he would be bad news for America. I knew his goal would be to remake or abolish governmental agencies and replace key figures with equally ignorant cronies whose most creative thought would have been to apply a business model to government.

I admit I didn't foresee his recklessness on a world stage. The selection of Dick 'Go Fuck Yourself' Cheney should have been the red flag. I thought of Cheney as more of the same CEO, captain of industry, corporatist clone.

But these guys are world-class prevaricators. They are supreme purveyors and users of the Trollope ploy. The ploy is simple --- repeat something long enough and loud enough and, regardless of its proximity to the truth, in most cases, it will be accepted as common wisdom. Today's 'echo chamber' is the perfect medium for the enduring spread of misinformation.

As I type, Bush supporters are flooding the airwaves insisting that NO one in the Bush Administration prior to the destruction and occupation of Iraq KNOWINGLY lied to justify their actions. On Saturday, I called Bush a jackass because I was hot around the collar and those were the first thoughts that came to mind. I would never refer to the president of the United States with such a demeaning pejorative if the man would show some shred of humility and be as honorable as the office deserves.

But with each passing hour, the echoes reverberating in the mainstream media and online, verify that the Trollope ploy is being deployed. Bush partisans insist his opponents are revising history, but, if you want to peruse a historical record of misleading statements, you can read the official report by the US House Committee on Government Reform

What these prevaricators need is some 'pre-verification' before they start spouting and spreading and spewing untruths.

America has moved from George Washington's "I cannot tell a lie" about chopping down a cherry tree as a youth (I doubt very seriously this myth is still being taught in elementary schools), all the way to "I did not have sexual relations with that woman", to a systemic, incessant parade of hogwash in a vain attempt to pretend their gross negligence has not already earned them a last cigarette and a firing squad at dawn.

The worst lie was this statement:

"Knowing these realities, America must not ignore the threat gathering against us. Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof - the smoking gun - that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud."

Source: President Bush Outlines Iraqi Threat; Remarks by the President on Iraq, White House (10/7/2002).

By using references to 'mushroom clouds', they sought to instill the fear of imminent nuclear attack and evoke vestigial images from the Cold War despite the fact that intelligence agencies were deeply divided over Iraq's ability to create nuclear weapons. Or, if they had ANY nuclear capabilities at all.

Let's face it --- terrorists could be slipped nuclear materiel from any number of nuclear sources who have an ax to grind with the U.S. China, Pakistan, North Korea, Iran, the former states of the Soviet Union, maybe even France. Iraq was a gnat in a world of wasps. Easy to overthrow, hard to govern and maintain the peace. All the lies and threats they threw our way were red herrings.

George Bush, The Great Prevaricator, and the neocons who pull his strings, sought (and continue to seek) to remake the map of the Middle East in our image and, in the process, put a forward base of American soldiers in the middle of the planet's greatest oil reserves. It is as simple as that.

What befuddles me is why they didn't feel comfortable just telling the American public point blank the real reasons for their bloodthirsty crusade? It wouldn't have made a bit of difference. I'll bet the very same percentage of Americans would have supported the invasion.

For some reason, they find it easier to lie.