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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kevin Rose who wrote (419477)	6/27/2003 4:40:17 PM
From: Andy Thomas	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

it just so happens mccarthy was correct...

To: Kevin Rose who wrote (419477)	6/27/2003 5:22:08 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

Unfortunately, I believe it will get worse before it gets better. Why? Because, the way the game usually works is that the more moderate/reasonable people are 'thrown to the wolves' as scapegoats. That means that Rice and Powell are out, and Wolf/Rumsfeld are in. I would not be surprised if Powell was canned but I think Rice is in solid. At some point, I think they will see ole Rummy as a political liability and maybe get rid of them. That means we'll be in real* trouble without these few voices of moderation.* Frankly, I wonder how moderating these voices of moderation are. When push comes to shove, they seem to fall in line very quickly. Please note that fact that despite these and other equally disturbing domestic issues, the American public has been quiet. I believe it is the result of the extremely successful right-wing media environment that has provided both an outlet to strongly conservative revisionist thinking (e.g. Coulter's 'McCarthy was a Good Guy') as well as supressing mainstream media outrage (e.g. where was the outcry when the White House re-invented science in the EPA report on global warming..uh...climate change). I agree that's part of it. They all speak with declarative sentences. Nothing is ever left to speculation and if there is any general indecision, they immediately favor the side that fits their ideology. And they all come from the position that they are smarter and better informed. It would be laughable if it weren't for the fact that they believe that garbage. But I think its more than that. First and foremost, a climate of general fear was created by 9/11. Conservatives have capitalized on that fear, and stoked and encouraged it for all its worth. Fear allows them to get their extremist agenda enacted and its what got us into the war in Iraq. Secondly, as we have seen, they are not beyond enhancing and manipulating what little facts there are in order to get what they want. People are too busy to be able to check things out very carefully and so they go with what they are told. Thirdly, there has been a strong climate of intimidation in play in this country. It started right after 9/11. You were "fer us or aginst us"; one or the other. Unfortunately, American media also was intimidated and we were not getting all the info. About a year ago, I began to read Brit. media websites to find out what was really happening. I think that this McCarthy like atmosphere climaxed ironically enough when the Dixie Chicks had their brouhaha. Around that time, some conservatives also faulted my city because they did not believe enough people were flying American flags in their front yards. People began to say enough is enough. When then happened, then and only then did the press begin to be more outspoken. Whereas back then you would be lucky to find a couple of articles per week critical of Bush; now you can find a couple per day. Finally, Americans have become too apathetic. Everyone is too busy and they don't have time to follow what's going on. Sht happens and they ignore it. Only the people who follow current events at all know what's going on. Maybe now.....with the mess in Iraq.....people are starting to catch on.....if not, we deserve what Bush serves us. Won't get fooled again? How quickly we forget.* I hope not. :~(