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SOS2008
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With the latest re-emergance of the Rove scandal, one can't help but wonder “Fool me once, shame on you; ... fool me – you can’t get fooled again.” So it appears that the Bush/Cheney/Rove/GOP propaganda machine, and its mainstream media (MSM) facilitators, are losing control. Or are they?
“That’s a drop of nine percentage points since January,” and which can be seen over the time of the Bush administration at: http://www.pollingreport.com/bush.htm
While the majority does not approve of Bush, there are still 46% who believe he’s doing a good job, and probably because of issues regarding the Supreme Court and of course the neocon belief as follows: “U.S. efforts to create democracies in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq might help transform the Middle East, but that will take time” …said Leigh Mitchell, a Republican from Chattanooga, Tennessee, with a 3-year-old daughter.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8614612/
But what is really difficult to understand is that 41% still view Bush as honest and trustworthy. Here’s a review of Bush to date:
Background Summary:
· George W. comes from families of wealth and privilege on both sides. He was born in Connecticut, and went to boarding school in Massachusetts, but presents himself as a ‘good old boy’ from Texas.
· Education: George W. was able to attend prestigious schools due to family name/connections and wealth. Throughout prep school and college, George W. was a mediocre student whose grades apparently were not good enough for admission to the University of Texas law school.
· Substance Abuse: Beginning in college, George W. followed the tradition of boozy fraternity parties and football weekends.
· Military Record: Aside from controversy of how Bush was accepted in the National Guard with “the minimum passing score (25) on the pilot entrance aptitude test and listing no other qualifications” is the failure to serve the full six-year obligation required. Five months after the Globe first reported discrepancies [in Bush’s military service record], Bush’s biography on his presidential campaign Web site remains unchanged, stating that he served as a pilot in the Texas Guard from 1968 to 1973.
· Business Experience: "…as world oil prices plummeted in the winter of 1985-86, George W. Bush faced the most serious crisis of his 11-year career as a West Texas oilman. Bush's company owed more than $3 million in bank loans and other debts with no hope of paying them off in time. … A big Dallas-based firm, Harken Oil and Gas, was looking to buy up troubled oil companies… The buyout not only rescued Bush financially, but also gave him the collateral for an investment a few years later in the Texas Rangers baseball team. But the story of Bush's career in oil is mostly about his failure to succeed, and his personal life continued to be clouded by drinking."
How could an individual with no merit or qualification become president of the United States? If not by way of dirty politics and cover-ups, the Bush administration certainly has been the most controversial—major events of question as follows:
With only five years of political experience as Governor, Bush announced his candidacy for president in 1999…
· 2000 Presidential Election –
· August 6, 2001 "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US” PDB - Bush fought to keep the matter out of the public record.-
· Flight 93 -
· The Downing Street Memo – UPDATE:
· Illegal invasion of Iraq –
WMD -
A few choice quotes:
Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. Dick Cheney, Speech to VFW National Convention, August 26, 2002
Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons. George W. Bush, Speech to UN General Assembly, September 12, 2002
We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction, is determined to make more. Colin Powell, Remarks to UN Security Council, February 5, 2003
Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possesses and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised. George W. Bush, Address to the Nation, March 17, 2003
We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat. Donald Rumsfeld, ABC Interview, March 30, 2003
We'll find them. It'll be a matter of time to do so. George W. Bush, Remarks to Reporters, May 3, 2003
I'm absolutely sure that there are weapons of mass destruction there and the evidence will be forthcoming. We're just getting it just now. Colin Powell, Remarks to Reporters, May 4, 2003
I'm not surprised if we begin to uncover the weapons program of Saddam Hussein -- because he had a weapons program. George W. Bush, Remarks to Reporters, May 6, 2003
No link between 9-11 attacks/al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein -
The impact of Bush linking 9/11 and Iraq
UPDATE: 2nd 2005 Fort Bragg Speech: The president mentioned September 11 five times in 30 minutes...AGAIN!
· 2004 Presidential Election -
· Paid Pundits: Karen Ryan was the PR hack who posed as a reporter back in early 2004 to tout President Bush's Medicare reform plan in fake news spots paid for by taxpayer dollars. Armstrong Williams, was paid a sweet $240,000 (in taxpayer dollars), by the Department of Education to promote President Bush's No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. Next came the news that syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher had $21,500 of our taxbucks stealthily slithered into her cupped hand for encouraging marriage. The Bush Bunch's Department of Health and Human Servicecrats paid syndicated columnist Michael McManus $10,000 to help train counselors about marriage. And of course the all time presstitute, James Dale Guckert worked under the pseudonym Jeff Gannon as a White House reporter between 2003 and 2005, representing Talon News.
Aside from these major events, there are many other questionable activities associated with this administration, such as fines against Haliburton and so forth -- what’s with the 41% who still approve of Bush?
Recent data regarding Rove: ABC News Poll. July 13-17, 2005. N=1,008 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3 (for all adults). Fieldwork by ICR.
"As you may know, a federal prosecutor is investigating whether someone in the White House may have broken the law by identifying an undercover CIA agent to some news reporters. One reporter has gone to jail rather than reveal her source. How closely are you following this issue: very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely or not closely at all?"
Very Closely - 21%
Somewhat Closely - 32%
Not Too Closely - 18%
Not Closely At All - 29%
My only guess is that supporters are primarily fundamentalists who turn a blind eye for the sake of their pro-life agenda. They are the neocons that believe the end justifies the means. And the rest are either uninformed (do not watch the news) or are misinformed (watch FAUX News).
The Ethics of Persuasion: Some Guidelines
by Edward L. Bernays
1. Do Not Use False Evidence
2. Do Not Use Illogical, Unsupported Reasoning
3. Do Not Falsely Represent Yourself
4. Do Not Conceal Your Purpose or Interest
5. Do Not Cover Up Consequences
6. Do Not Use Baseless Emotional Appeals
7. Do Not Oversimplify Complex Situations
8. Do Not Pretend Certainty
9. Do Not Advocate What You Don't Believe Yourself
So how well does Bush and Rove compare? Research on his life and political record clearly show a pattern of denial, either via:
1) Avoidance/Silence, e.g.: Doug Wead tapes: Bush worried that allegations of cocaine use would surface in the campaign. When Mr. Wead said that Mr. Bush had in the past publicly denied using cocaine, Mr. Bush replied, "I haven't denied anything." He refused to answer reporters' questions about his past behavior, he said, even though it might cost him the election. Defending his approach, Mr. Bush said: "I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions. You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried."
2) Suppression Of Information, e.g.: Bush will not give permission for his grades to be released.
3) Shift In Position, e.g.:
4) Complete Flip-flop In Position: Presidential Debate at Wake Forest University Oct 11, 2000 -
5) Outright Lies: In State Of The Union Speech - Bush : "By the year 2042, the entire [social security] system would be exhausted and bankrupt."
So who still supports Bush, and can you please tell me why?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8561443/…the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that Bush’s overall job rating has slipped. …The survey, which was conducted from July 8-11 among 1,009 adults, and which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, finds that respondents, by a 49 percent-to-46 percent margin, disapprove of Bush’s job performance.… Furthermore, only 41 percent give Bush good marks for being “honest and straightforward” — his lowest ranking on this question since he became president. (The survey, however, was taken just before…allegations about Rove exploded into the current controversy.)
“That’s a drop of nine percentage points since January,” and which can be seen over the time of the Bush administration at: http://www.pollingreport.com/bush.htm
While the majority does not approve of Bush, there are still 46% who believe he’s doing a good job, and probably because of issues regarding the Supreme Court and of course the neocon belief as follows: “U.S. efforts to create democracies in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq might help transform the Middle East, but that will take time” …said Leigh Mitchell, a Republican from Chattanooga, Tennessee, with a 3-year-old daughter.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8614612/
But what is really difficult to understand is that 41% still view Bush as honest and trustworthy. Here’s a review of Bush to date:
Background Summary:
· George W. comes from families of wealth and privilege on both sides. He was born in Connecticut, and went to boarding school in Massachusetts, but presents himself as a ‘good old boy’ from Texas.
· Education: George W. was able to attend prestigious schools due to family name/connections and wealth. Throughout prep school and college, George W. was a mediocre student whose grades apparently were not good enough for admission to the University of Texas law school.
· Substance Abuse: Beginning in college, George W. followed the tradition of boozy fraternity parties and football weekends.
And this is just in regard to alcohol abuse, which continued until the age of 40.“September 4, 1976 …A police officer, Calvin Bridges, reported that Bush was swerving off the road when he pulled him over. Bush failed the sobriety test, and later tested a 1.0 on a blood-alcohol test…
Bush received a $150 fine, and his driver's license was suspended in Maine for no less than six months Bush, however, went to court to have his license reinstated about a month after his arrest, even though he did not take a rehabilitation course that is required for reinstatement. Although, by later confession, Bush was in his heavy-drinking period that would last until he was about 40, Bush testified in court that he drank only once a month, and had "an occasional beer." The court granted his request remove the suspension on his license.
What is just as questionable as Bush's decision to drive drunk that night with his underage sister in the car is how Bush related this event to the American people while trying to get himself elected to the nation's highest office. At first, he did not relate this to the American people at all; in fact, he lied about it several times.
· In 1998, Dallas Morning News reporter Wayne Slater asked Bush if he had ever been arrested. Bush replied, "After 1968? No."
· In November 1999, on Meet the Press with Tim Russert Bush replied, "If someone was willing to go public with information that was damaging, you'd have heard about it by now. You've had heard about it now. My background has been scrutinized by all kinds of reporters. Tim, we can talk about this all morning."
· Also in 1999, Bush told CBS News Correspondent Lee Cowan that there was not any "smoking gun" about unrevealed incidents in his past.
· In November 2000, Bush told a press conference that he did not go to court about the DUI, when he in fact did so.
· And then there was the infamous 1996 juror incident. When he was given the forms for jurors to fill out, there is a section where jurors are required to detail prior arrests and court proceedings they experienced. Bush left that section blank.
· Military Record: Aside from controversy of how Bush was accepted in the National Guard with “the minimum passing score (25) on the pilot entrance aptitude test and listing no other qualifications” is the failure to serve the full six-year obligation required. Five months after the Globe first reported discrepancies [in Bush’s military service record], Bush’s biography on his presidential campaign Web site remains unchanged, stating that he served as a pilot in the Texas Guard from 1968 to 1973.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush_military_service_controversy#Service_obligationBush's military records indicate that until May 1972 he fulfilled that obligation. But from that point on, Bush failed to meet the general requirements established by Federal law, Department of Defense regulations, and Air Force policies and procedures for "obligated" members of the Air National Guard, as well as the specific requirements for pilots established by the Air Force.
· Business Experience: "…as world oil prices plummeted in the winter of 1985-86, George W. Bush faced the most serious crisis of his 11-year career as a West Texas oilman. Bush's company owed more than $3 million in bank loans and other debts with no hope of paying them off in time. … A big Dallas-based firm, Harken Oil and Gas, was looking to buy up troubled oil companies… The buyout not only rescued Bush financially, but also gave him the collateral for an investment a few years later in the Texas Rangers baseball team. But the story of Bush's career in oil is mostly about his failure to succeed, and his personal life continued to be clouded by drinking."
How could an individual with no merit or qualification become president of the United States? If not by way of dirty politics and cover-ups, the Bush administration certainly has been the most controversial—major events of question as follows:
With only five years of political experience as Governor, Bush announced his candidacy for president in 1999…
· 2000 Presidential Election –
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._presidential_election,_2000 (Nothing suspicious about this in a state where Jeb Bush is Governor.)The U.S. presidential election of 2000 was one of the closest elections in U.S. history, decided by only several hundred votes in the swing state of Florida. …Republican candidate George W. Bush won Florida's 25 electoral votes by a razor-thin margin of the popular vote there.
· August 6, 2001 "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US” PDB - Bush fought to keep the matter out of the public record.-
http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB147/index.htmJanuary 25, 2001 Richard Clarke Memo: "We urgently need...a Principals level review on the al Qida network."
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/04/10/bush.briefing/index.htmlSome commission members said the administration was given enough information about bin Laden's intentions and capabilities to have warned the public that an attack was possible.
· Flight 93 -
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/27/rumsfeld.flt93/index.htmlIn the speech, Rumsfeld made a passing reference to United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to stop al Qaeda hijackers. …But in his remarks, Rumsfeld referred to the "the people who attacked the United States in New York, shot down the plane over Pennsylvania.
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42112On the Sept. 16, 2001, edition of NBC's "Meet the Press," Vice President Dick Cheney, while not addressing Flight 93 specifically, spoke clearly to the administration's clear policy regarding shooting down hijacked jets. Russert: "So if the United States government became aware that a hijacked commercial airline[r] was destined for the White House or the Capitol, we would take the plane down?"
Cheney: "Yes. The president made the decision ... that if the plane would not divert ... as a last resort, our pilots were authorized to take them out.
· The Downing Street Memo – UPDATE:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_invasion_of_IraqOn 5 May, John Conyers and 89 members of congress asked George W. Bush, in a formal letter, to answer some questions about the document, including whether he or anyone in his administration disputes its accuracy. The Bush Administration has stated that they will not answer the questions.
· Illegal invasion of Iraq –
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_invasion_of_Iraq#Opinion_and_legality…the attack violated international law as a war of aggression since it lacked the validity of a U.N. Security Council resolution to authorize military force, and was not an act of defence, and so violated the UN charter.
WMD -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_invasion_of_Iraq , http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/21/AR2005052100474.html…these weapons and material have yet to be discovered. In January 2005, the US announced that the search for these weapons was over. This casts doubt on some of the accusations against Iraq. It had already been disclosed that documents supposedly showing Iraqi attempts to purchase uranium from Niger, which were highlighted by Bush in his 2003 State of the Union address, were forgeries, and had been determined by the U.S. government to be forgeries several months before Bush cited them. Critics argue that Bush was irresponsible whether he failed to inquire about their authenticity, or knew they were forgeries but cited them anyway. (See Yellowcake forgery).
A few choice quotes:
Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. Dick Cheney, Speech to VFW National Convention, August 26, 2002
Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons. George W. Bush, Speech to UN General Assembly, September 12, 2002
We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction, is determined to make more. Colin Powell, Remarks to UN Security Council, February 5, 2003
Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possesses and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised. George W. Bush, Address to the Nation, March 17, 2003
We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat. Donald Rumsfeld, ABC Interview, March 30, 2003
We'll find them. It'll be a matter of time to do so. George W. Bush, Remarks to Reporters, May 3, 2003
I'm absolutely sure that there are weapons of mass destruction there and the evidence will be forthcoming. We're just getting it just now. Colin Powell, Remarks to Reporters, May 4, 2003
I'm not surprised if we begin to uncover the weapons program of Saddam Hussein -- because he had a weapons program. George W. Bush, Remarks to Reporters, May 6, 2003
No link between 9-11 attacks/al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3816699.stm..on al-Qaeda, the group said it had found no "credible evidence" that Iraq helped the militants carry out the 9/11 attacks.
The commission did acknowledge that a meeting had taken place between al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden and Iraqi intelligence officers during the 1990s in Sudan, but said there was no evidence it led to a working relationship.
The comments contradicted remarks by Vice-President Dick Cheney about Saddam Hussein's "long-established ties" with al-Qaeda and cast doubt on one of the Bush administration's justifications for invading Iraq.
The impact of Bush linking 9/11 and Iraq
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0314/p02s01-woiq.htmlWASHINGTON – In his prime-time press conference last week, which focused almost solely on Iraq, President Bush mentioned Sept. 11 eight times. He referred to Saddam Hussein many more times than that, often in the same breath with Sept. 11.
Bush never pinned blame for the attacks directly on the Iraqi president. Still, the overall effect was to reinforce an impression that persists among much of the American public: that the Iraqi dictator did play a direct role in the attacks. A New York Times/CBS poll this week shows that 45 percent of Americans believe Mr. Hussein was "personally involved" in Sept. 11, about the same figure as a month ago.
UPDATE: 2nd 2005 Fort Bragg Speech: The president mentioned September 11 five times in 30 minutes...AGAIN!
· 2004 Presidential Election -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_U.S._Election_controversies_and_irregularitiesAfter the 2004 U.S. Presidential election there were allegations of massive fraud, including but not limited to forging vote totals, miscounting votes for Kerry as votes for Bush, widespread voter intimidation and depriving neighborhoods likely to vote for Kerry of voting machines. …Over 40,000 alleged incidents were reported in the 2004 election, ranging from minor errors to direct voter intimidation, mishandled absentee and provisional ballots, malfunctioning or inaccurate machines and/or apparent hacking and vote tampering.
· Paid Pundits: Karen Ryan was the PR hack who posed as a reporter back in early 2004 to tout President Bush's Medicare reform plan in fake news spots paid for by taxpayer dollars. Armstrong Williams, was paid a sweet $240,000 (in taxpayer dollars), by the Department of Education to promote President Bush's No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. Next came the news that syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher had $21,500 of our taxbucks stealthily slithered into her cupped hand for encouraging marriage. The Bush Bunch's Department of Health and Human Servicecrats paid syndicated columnist Michael McManus $10,000 to help train counselors about marriage. And of course the all time presstitute, James Dale Guckert worked under the pseudonym Jeff Gannon as a White House reporter between 2003 and 2005, representing Talon News.
Aside from these major events, there are many other questionable activities associated with this administration, such as fines against Haliburton and so forth -- what’s with the 41% who still approve of Bush?
Recent data regarding Rove: ABC News Poll. July 13-17, 2005. N=1,008 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3 (for all adults). Fieldwork by ICR.
"As you may know, a federal prosecutor is investigating whether someone in the White House may have broken the law by identifying an undercover CIA agent to some news reporters. One reporter has gone to jail rather than reveal her source. How closely are you following this issue: very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely or not closely at all?"
Very Closely - 21%
Somewhat Closely - 32%
Not Too Closely - 18%
Not Closely At All - 29%
My only guess is that supporters are primarily fundamentalists who turn a blind eye for the sake of their pro-life agenda. They are the neocons that believe the end justifies the means. And the rest are either uninformed (do not watch the news) or are misinformed (watch FAUX News).
The Ethics of Persuasion: Some Guidelines
by Edward L. Bernays
1. Do Not Use False Evidence
2. Do Not Use Illogical, Unsupported Reasoning
3. Do Not Falsely Represent Yourself
4. Do Not Conceal Your Purpose or Interest
5. Do Not Cover Up Consequences
6. Do Not Use Baseless Emotional Appeals
7. Do Not Oversimplify Complex Situations
8. Do Not Pretend Certainty
9. Do Not Advocate What You Don't Believe Yourself
So how well does Bush and Rove compare? Research on his life and political record clearly show a pattern of denial, either via:
1) Avoidance/Silence, e.g.: Doug Wead tapes: Bush worried that allegations of cocaine use would surface in the campaign. When Mr. Wead said that Mr. Bush had in the past publicly denied using cocaine, Mr. Bush replied, "I haven't denied anything." He refused to answer reporters' questions about his past behavior, he said, even though it might cost him the election. Defending his approach, Mr. Bush said: "I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions. You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried."
2) Suppression Of Information, e.g.: Bush will not give permission for his grades to be released.
3) Shift In Position, e.g.:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8605680/WASHINGTON - President Bush said Monday that if anyone on his staff committed a crime in the CIA-leak case, that person will "no longer work in my administration." His statement represented a shift from a previous comment, when he said that he would fire anyone shown to have leaked information that exposed the identity of a CIA officer.
4) Complete Flip-flop In Position: Presidential Debate at Wake Forest University Oct 11, 2000 -
http://www.issues2000.org/George_W__Bush_Defense.htmBUSH: Somalia. Started off as a humanitarian mission then changed into a nation-building mission, and that's where the mission went wrong. The mission was changed. And as a result, our nation paid a price.
And so I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation building.
I think our troops ought to be used to fight and win war. I think our troops ought to be used to help overthrow a dictator that's in our and it's in our when it's in our best interests.
But in this case, it was a nation-building exercise. And same with Haiti, I wouldn't have supported either.
...
BUSH: I don't think so. I think, I think what we need to do is convince people who live in the lands they live into build the nations. Maybe I'm missing something here. I mean, we're going to have kind of a nation-building corps from America? Absolutely not.
Our military's meant to fight and win war. That's what it's meant to do. And when it gets over extended, morale drops.
...
But I'm going to be judicious as to how to use the military. It needs to be in our vital interest, the mission needs to be clear, and the exit strategy obvious.
5) Outright Lies: In State Of The Union Speech - Bush : "By the year 2042, the entire [social security] system would be exhausted and bankrupt."
So who still supports Bush, and can you please tell me why?
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