The Bush Administration does it again. Why does anyone trust these people any more? Here's how it works. In order to fight some great evil it's necessary to do just a wee little thing. It might be a tad controversial, but it's just a wee little thing; c'mon, they say, you don't want us to let the bad guys win, do you? Or are you a coward? Okay, you respond, go ahead, but I don't like it. Then they say, oh yeah, by the way, this is all going to require that we do all sorts of things that look nothing like what we told you in the first place. But those are simply the ends and the means, not the important stuff. You say, huh?
Here's an example in chronological order:
1. It's necessary, in fighting to achieve victory over the bad guys, to increase the level of troops in Iraq. Oh, maybe 9000-15,000 extra troops. We made a little mistake at the beginning of the war. That was Rumsfeld's fault, though, and he was fired.
2. Ignore that criticism coming from all corners, including people leading the fighting. Deciding is what it's all about, not the content of the decision.
3. Announce the decision to Congress, American citizens, and the world. But start enacting it before announcing it so that disagreement or even discussion is much more difficult: "this is what we're going to do; by the way, we've already started." Ignore what others think, especially those who know something.
4. Now lift the curtain and slowly dribble out what you're really doing.
When I was four or five, I learned that this was called "lying."
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