With Bush, Perception is Everything

With Bush, Perception is Everything

By Anthony Wade

OpEdNews.com

We must all understand that a large part of the scheme of Karl Rove is to create the image of Bush. To create an illusion as to what George W. Bush is really like. The key word there is illusion. The methods employed by Rove are varied but the generally involve portraying Bush in as grand a light as possible, while avoiding any possibilities of screw ups.

Rove has turned a former alcoholic and alleged cocaine abuser into the man that stands for family values. He has turned the man who just this week was confirmed to be AWOL into the man we need to lead the fight in the war on terror. He has turned a disastrous economy into "we have turned the corner". He has turned a man who has not had a favorable rating over 50% for months now, into a rock star.

How can he get away with this? Whenever you see the pictures from Bush on the stump you see a rabid crowd eagerly eating up every salacious lie the President has to say. I used to see these crowds and wonder how these people could just completely assume everything Bush is saying was true. Then I found out why.

It started as a small story in New Mexico. Dick Cheney was going to be speaking at a public rally. Some undecided voters wanted to go see what our Vice President had to say outside of his darkened lair. Unfortunately they discovered that in order to gain admission, they actually had to sign an official endorsement of George W. Bush. Yes, you heard that right. In America, in order to go to a public event where our employee the Vice President was speaking, you first had to sign an official endorsement for Bush. You can find the story about this event here:

Now we find ourselves a few months later and realize that this is actually the policy of the campaign. We have reports of people being turned away in Iowa as well. This is the official policy apparently when this ticket is campaigning. The obvious reason is again, perception. People will remember whenever they see Bush on the stump, fanatical crowds going crazy over their blood-for-oil President. Why wouldn't they be anything but, after all, they were all obviously pro-Bush to begin with. There is absolutely no way a democrat, let alone an undecided could possibly even be there. It is all a controlled event, as is everything Bush does. The latest article about this policy can be found here:

What happens though when Bush steps out from this cocoon Rove has created? That will give you a better sense of who Bush really is, as opposed to the pre-arranged hype. Are you aware that last month our President walked out of a press conference because a reporter had the temerity to ask him an honest question about his relationship with Ken Lay? This was particularly relevant considering that Lay had just been indicted. Instead of answering, he stormed off the set, leaving the stunned press corps to Press Secretary Scott McLellan. Make sure you digested that. Our President could not stand to face an honest question about a man he affectionately calls Kenny-boy, on the day of his indictment. He not only cannot answer but in his best "I am taking my ball and going home" attitude, actually stormed out of the press conference. Reportedly backstage he was heard screaming profanities at aides about their inability to control the press!

A while back President Bush had an unfortunate run-in with an Irish reporter who asked him pointed questions about the failed war efforts. They were fair questions. Bush became flustered, repeatedly tried to cut her off with lines like "can I finish" and overall appeared boorish and incompetent. In response, the White House then cancelled a scheduled interview this reporter had lined up with Laura Bush, as retribution. This link will take you to a longer story I did about this incident:

This is what happens when George W. Bush steps out from behind his Rove-controlled environment. He is a train wreck waiting to happen. Take for example just last week when he was trumpeting his signing the defense bill that further indebts our children's children. He uncorked this immediately classic Bushism:

Now, maybe he actually meant this, but lets give him the benefit of the doubt. After a gaffe like this, what do we hear from the Rovites? That this monumental screw up is just an example of how plainspoken Bush is. What??? In discussing a serious issue of sovereignty, Bush's response was:

"Tribal sovereignty means that, it's sovereign. You're a -- you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And, therefore, the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities."

Of course, how silly of me. Thanks for clearing that up Mr. President.

I have one more sample of the gosh-aww-shucks nature of GW. In pontificating about the "war on terror", he offered:

"We actually misnamed the war on terror, it ought to be the struggle against ideological extremists who do not believe in free societies who happen to use terror as a weapon to try to shake the conscience of the free world. (Laughter.)

  No, that's what they do. They use terror to -- and they use it effectively, because we've got good hearts."

Ahh, that's good ole fashion plain-spokeness all right. What it is in reality is what happens when Bush walks out from behind the tight controlled world that Karl Rove has created for Bush. The Bush brand if you will. It is how we remember Bush "landing" on the aircraft carrier, instead of the fact that he has now been proven to be AWOL. It is the zealous crowds that are pre-screened to give the impression that everyone is just nuts about GW. Rove is playing us all for fools. The fact is that George W. Bush has had people arrested for protesting at his rallies. That is the reality and it is frightening.

There is nothing plainspoken about a man who cannot find a coherent sentence with a thesaurus and a flashlight. There is nothing related to family values about a man who thinks a DWI at the age of 30 is an "indiscretion of his youth". There is nothing to trust about a man who thinks nothing of checking off the box that says he doesn't want to go overseas and fight in Viet Nam, then goes AWOL, and now will not even disavow attacks upon Kerry who did take the fire in Nam. There is nothing American about demanding loyalty from the citizenry in order to gain admittance to a public event and arresting them if they disagree with you.

Perception is everything America. We need to look beyond the pretty wrapping that Karl Rove has spent three and a half years creating. We need to ask the hard questions. In order to believe the hype, we need to demand that the rock star is not just lip-synching the words.

Anthony Wade is co-administrator of a website devoted to educating the populace to the ongoing lies of President George W. Bush and seeking his removal from office. He is a 36-year-old independent writer from New York with political commentary articles seen on multiple websites.  A Christian progressive, and professional counselor, Mr. Wade believes that you can have faith and hold elected officials accountable for lies and excess.

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