Automatic for the Pulpit

If only the propaganda team in the White House could give it a rest. Just for a few days over the holidays. Even a few hours. If only they would desist from designing news stories that innocent, unsophisticated preachers will cite from pulpits all over America as a hopeful sign that peace is on the way in Iraq. If only they would stop pretending they are the peacemakers, stop polluting the season with PR perfidy.

But, no, it's too much to ask from this gang. It's what they do. They wake up spinning. Lies, falsehoods, prevarications, fake history. And because it's what they do and what they have done so effectively, the cabal doesn't miss a trick when it comes to the tone and the timing of its propaganda announcements for maximum positive impact during the holiday season.

Last week Bush gave a speech in which he scaled back his apocalyptic "my way or the highway" rhetoric. He "admitted" that the intelligence he used to justify the invasion of Iraq was "wrong" but defended the invasion anyway as a good idea. This was a stunning breach of logic for some of us -- like Mike Malloy on Air America who was practically spitting blood the other night when he nailed this for the lie that it was. But Bush mostly received good notices from the pundit class, none of whom pointed out that the "wrong" intelligence was actually cooked up by the cabal itself. Instead they noted the change in tone and style, connected it with better poll numbers and decided the new style was good. Confession is good for the poll.

Then few days ago we had Cheney making his first visit to Iraq, a big non-story as far as I could see, but one which the media dutifully covered. The message seemed to be that this was an on-site announcement, and hence more dramatic, restatement of the perennial "Iraq: On the Verge of Democracy" story of which the administration is so very fond. There was the exciting possibility that Dick would have a heart attack and die in a bunker other than those here in the States, but that's about all I myself could detect in terms of dramatic interest.

The headline story today is that Rummy announced a troop withdrawal from Iraq. Just in time for Christmas. Just in time to be the lead story for the Sunday talking head shows. Of course, it's not a withdrawal or a "draw down," it's actually a non-sending of 5000 troops to Iraq from elsewhere. But no matter, it's being reported as a "draw-down," one of those official, irrefutable, military industrial locutions that the media loves to parrot.

Ah, how readily most journalists ape their masters language and promulgate their assumptions. How they love to feel like insiders, preferring it to actual reporting. But then again, you can't expect too much of these note takers, these uncritical circulators of the administrations latest PR offensive.

Sentimentalists, they are easily gulled into reporting this make-believe pilgrimage toward peace. May Santa draw down their presents or, better yet, terminate their gifts with extreme prejudice!