suspenseful as a Jerry Bruckheimer summer blockbuster. They dropped a thousand breadcrumbs, and the "shocked and awed" media whores gobbled up every one.

The goal was to get America's mind off the abysmal economy they'd created, the festering corporate scandals in which they were eyeball-deep, and a 9-11 probe that threatened to reveal to the American people that the Bushies were at best sound asleep, and at worst criminally negligent. The new "product," as Bush Chief of Staff Andrew Card so accurately called it, was rolled out last September. First, the words "Saddam Hussein" replaced "Osama bin Laden" in every Bush speech. Stories were leaked how "concerned" Bush was about Saddam's burgeoning "nuclear program." Bush and Blair both produced "proof" that Saddam tried to buy "significant quantities of uranium" from the African nation of Niger. At every opportunity, over and over and over again, Bush and his minions linked Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, till polls showed that half the public thought the Iraqis pulled off 9/11.

Rove and Company had gone to school on the Chinese water torture persecution of Bill Clinton. Always shovel something new at the press, make them feel lucky to get it, never let them look too hard at it, always evolve the story-line, give it "momentum," don't worry if its true or not - use the prestige of the White House, and DARE them to call you a liar. And if they do, freeze them out. (Helen Thomas, anyone?) And of course the "shock troops" in this disinformation campaign were the Wingnut-Bloviation Battalion - Rush, Bill, Sean, Ollie, etc. ad nauseum. Their job in this was to seize the White House Lying Points and inject them into the Body Politic.

Rove built the story beautifully. First Bush was "concerned." Then he was "very concerned." Then he was "shocked and appalled." Soon, we were told that Bush "couldn't sleep at night as long as Saddam was loose." He - George Bush, Chosen By God (yes, that was part of the story, doncha know) simply HAD to get rid of this madman, even when fellow "Axis of Evil" member Kim Jong Il tried to one-up the Butcher of Baghdad. When it came time to screw the UN, hose NATO and put the hammer down on Dubya Dubya Three, Bush had a Senate approval, based on the Niger nuclear story...which we now know was clumsy, obvious fake, spun out of badly forged documents. And where are we now? Right where Karl" The Brain" Rove wants us - between Iraq and a hard place. Now we've got to support the troops no matter what!

Forged documents? How can you even bring that up, you traitor! No evidence Saddam helped Osama? What are you, part of the "Hate America First" brigade, Comrade? The reason I bring all this up is quite simple - the Bushies are starting to roll out another product, and this one is even scarier than the ginned-up "war" in Iraq. Here's an e-mail (captured by atrios.blogspot.com) from "GOPTEAMLEADER" to the faithful, about John Kerry's courageous call for "regime change" to oust the Boy King:

"Dear XXX, Yesterday, John Kerry shocked many Americans when he called for "regime change" right here in the U.S. By comparing our commander-in-chief to Saddam Hussein's brutal regime at a time of war, Kerry showed just what he is willing to say to appeal to liberal Democrat primary voters. RNC Chairman Marc Racicot quickly responded saying, "Senator Kerry crossed a grave line when he dared to suggest the replacement of America's commander-in- chief at a time when America is at war."

Catch that last line? Kerry..."DARED SUGGEST THE REPLACEMENT OF AMERICA'S COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF AT A TIME WHEN AMERICA IS AT WAR." Do you have any doubt whatsoever that next November we'll still "be at war" with a huge occupying force in Iraq? Rumsfeld is already trying to whack the Syria/Iran hornet's nest, so we may be there too (another story-line Rove & Company are developing). North Korea? Why not? Get ready for the wingnut Screech Monkeys to put this in play, and play it for all its worth - "We're at war! God has chosen our President to lead us!

To question him is to question America itself! To suggest replacing him is treason! To mount a political campaign against him is beyond the pale! These elections must be...(wait for it...wait for it...) "postponed indefinitely!!" If you think this is crazy, did you honestly thing the Bushies could commit the United States to a war in the Middle East in a year, using nothing but colossal nerve, mind-boggling cynicism, and a story line built out of wingnut wish dreams and media hot air?

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