Liberally Biased : Make no mistake; Bush’s propaganda works
Posted on Friday, September 22, 2006
With only weeks to go until the November elections and things looking bad for Republicans, the White House has launched a new offensive in its propaganda war. The latest line, in case you have missed it, is that Iraq is a vital front in an ideological war of "freedom"against "evil"and / or "terror. "Such enlightened political discourse !
The Bush administration has always tacitly and sometimes explicitly tied Sept. 11 to Iraq, and it has paid off. A Harris poll this summer found that 64 percent of Americans believe that Saddam Hussein had close ties to al-Qaida. A CNN poll this month showed that 43 percent believe Saddam was personally involved in the 9 / 11 attacks. Both beliefs, as at least some of you know, are false. Two weeks ago a longawaited Senate investigation confirmed this. It concluded not only that there were no ties between Saddam and al-Qaida - and that the two viewed each other with mistrust - but that the CIA had concluded most of this in 2002, long before the war.
Still, while trying to talk us into invading Iraq, Bush said," Iraq has also provided al-Qaida with chemical and biological weapons training. "Either this administration is so grossly incompetent as to defy belief or they have manipulated us like puppets, or both. Regardless, can you say," Impeachable offense ? "Or does that only apply to extramarital affairs ? There is much incriminating evidence In September 2003, more than five months into the Iraq war, Dick Cheney said there was "a relationship between Iraq and al-Qaida that stretched back through most of the decade of the'90 's … al-Qaida sent personnel to Baghdad to get trained … the Iraqis providing bomb-making expertise and advice to the al-Qaida organization. "Absolutely not true, the Senate report says. Yet still the Bushies are making these false connections.
A few weeks before the Senate report, on Aug. 21, Bush said in one of his handful of press conferences," Imagine a world in which you had Saddam Hussein who had the capacity to make a weapon of mass destruction, who was paying suiciders to kill innocent life, who would - who had relations with Zarqawi. "Ah, yes, al-Qaida Zarqawi. Of him, the Senate report states that in October 2005, the CIA had concluded that Hussein's government "did not have a relationship, harbor, or turn a blind eye toward Zarqawi and his associates. "Instead, the report says, Saddam wanted to capture Zarqawi. We are being lied to, folks.
In that same press conference, Bush was asked a question about Iraq and responded," You know, I've heard this theory about everything was just fine until we arrived, and kind of "we're going to stir up the hornet's nest"theory. It just doesn't hold water, as far as I'm concerned. The terrorists attacked us and killed 3, 000 of our citizens before we started the freedom agenda in the Middle East. "When asked what 9 / 11 had to do with Iraq, Bush, finally on the spot, answered," Nothing, except for it's part of - and nobody has ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack."
While technically he has never claimed Saddam "ordered"the Sept 11 attacks, he most certainly has repeatedly implied a connection. If evidence be needed, just reread what I cite.
Ambiguity is propaganda's greatest strength. You can imply anything while denying specifics on everything. Sixty-four percent of us have bought into this lie hook, line and sinker. True, people are generally ignorant and naive, but they don't generally embrace false complex political beliefs unless they are worked on by somebody. We are being worked on. Another loathsome aspect of Bush's election-year strategy is to squash all criticism. Cheney, in a recent interview, suggested that debate about the war encourages terrorists. Rumsfeld, typically blunt, said," Any kind of moral and intellectual confusion about who and what is right and wrong can severely weaken the ability of free societies to persevere. "Moral and intellectual confusion ? Here's some moral clarity for you, Mr. Secretary: Torture is wrong whether done by al-Qaida, Saddam, Hitler, Stalin or the United blessed States of America. I'm sick and tired of these little worms implying that dissent is treason. A dangerous game, that. Aren't you tired of all this yet ? Tired of the lies and manipulations ? Tired of domestic spying ? Tired of warrantless wiretaps ? Tired of Guantanamo Bay ? Of intolerance of dissent ? Of secret CIA prisons ? Tired of Bush claiming the right to declare American citizens "enemy combatants," thus denying them their rights ? Tired of efforts to undermine the Geneva Conventions - the GENEVA CONVENTIONS, for Pete's sake ? Tired of being looked upon by the majority of the world with fear and loathing ? Aren't you tired, finally, of the mangled, bloody corpses and severed limbs in Iraq ?
• • • Tony Red writes a column for The Benton County Daily Record. He can be reached at tred 22 @ cox. net, or write to him in care of this newspaper.
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