Bush Mind Games Continue...

The Bush administration's strategy for winning the war in Iraq certainly was developed by the best and brightest military minds the U.S. has to offer. Right?

Well, not quite.

According to an article written by Scott Shane in Sunday's New York Times, President Bush's "Our National Strategy for Victory in Iraq" speech - and supporting documentation - last Wednesday at the U.S. Naval Academy was very likely crafted by a Duke political scientist who specializes in methods of swaying public opinion.

In fact, according to Shane, the U.S. Lieutenant General responsible for the training of Iraqi forces hadn't even seen the document until it was released to the public last week. So much for buy-in from those implementing the strategy.

So, it appears that the document so strongly touted by President Bush last week is nothing but a propaganda ploy targeting the majority of Americans who think Bush is doing a terrible job. Is he really trying to show how he plans to win the war? Or is he just trying to do more of what he and his administration have been doing both here and abroad for the last four years? That is, trying to sway public opinion in his favor with more dubious lies and innuendo. The old "style over substance" approach continues to be a big favorite with Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and company.

I hope, for our sake as a nation, that most Americans will see this for what it is: just more of the same old bullshit that has been tossed in our general direction since 2001. And it's really getting very, very tiresome.