They Lied

We are conditioned early and often not to accuse another person of being a "liar". Culturally, it is one of the harshest insults that one can hurl. Factually, it can be difficult to prove. That is why lawyers rarely accuse witnesses of being "liars". They will show that the witness has "changed his story" or is "mistaken on the facts" or any one of a number of euphemisms for lying. However, when the Senate Intelligence Committee released the 3-year overdue Phase 2 of its report on the Iraq War last week, it seems that there is no other more accurate way to state the conclusion: The Bush Administration lied and propagandized us into an unnecessary war. The Senate Report is here: http://democrats.senate.gov/journal/entry.cfm?id=298778 This conclusion is hardly a surprise to you or anyone else who has been paying attention since 2002, but for a large group of voters (including thousands right here in Fort Bend County) the fact that the President of the United States and his top advisors would lie us into war is too much for them to comprehend. All the flag-waving and chest thumping was a show. All the talk of securing America from the threat of a mushroom cloud delivered by Iraq was a sham. All the patriotism was lubricant for the war machine. All false. All fake. And all while ignoring the true 9/11 terrorist, Osama bin Laden, who was not in Iraq. In fact, almost 7 years after the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden is still free and we in the U.S. are less free. This is overwhelming for the people who put "I Support President Bush" signs in their yards and called radio talk shows to spew venom about anyone who dared to question the invasion of Iraq. Those who believed and supported the President have a strong investment in their belief, are resistant to the facts in front of them, and remain reluctant to let their belief go. Yet, the evidence continues to grow that President Bush and his administration lied and repeatedly conflated 9/11 and Iraq in order to justify invading Iraq. It is painful for our Republican friends when confronted with a truth that conflicts with their strongly-held previous belief. Psychologists call this "cognitive dissonance". The belief system goes like this: 1. The President is a good person that I trust 2. A good person would not lie to me 3. People keep saying that the President lied 4. But, since the President is a good person, I know he didn't lie to me When you factor in other beliefs, like conservative Republicanism and conservative Christianity, the belief system for our neighbors becomes much stronger and more complex: 1. The President is a patriot, a Christian and a Republican, and he has the best interest of America at heart 2. Good Christian, patriotic Republican Presidents tell the truth 3. The President told me we need to invade Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein because of 9/11 4. But, the 9/11 terrorist was Osama bin Laden and he is in Afghanistan 5. I'm a patriotic Republican and a Christian, so I know that invading Iraq must the the right thing to do, because the President would not to lie to me. What do we do? Keep creating dissonance, until the belief system is changed. Inviting your Republican brother-in-law to watch this video interview with Richard Clarke will send the dissonance into overload: