Quite often in heated political discussions the other side becomes an enemy, and we forget that they are there to offer opinions, just like we are, in order to help solve our problems requiring solutions….

But only when someone sent me a link to this article, focusing in on one hot button issue, and instead I took the time to read the whole thing, was I able to regain my perspective and realize that just as personifications of evil-doers do not correspond well to foreign nations, nor do such names apply to assorted members of the “other” party.

As I read Dan Bartlett’s somewhat open conversation he had with a reporter for the Texas Monthly, (no doubt he was relaxed and feeling among friends), was it then that I realized that the other side is treading water just like I was and doing their best to keep afloat……

But just to set the stage, here is the quote that was highlighted, obviously not flattering to the right wing blogosphere:

That’s what I mean by influential. I mean, talk about a direct IV into the vein of your support. It’s a very efficient way to communicate. They regurgitate exactly and put up on their blogs what you said to them. It is something that we’ve cultivated and have really tried to put quite a bit of focus on.

Had I stopped there I would have failed to see how their minds work and how they can be manipulated to perform on cue…….I was ready to move on when my eye made this juxtaposition: Bush=smart? Intrigued I read on……

“I can’t tell you how many times reporters who didn’t really know the president came in and had a personal session with him and said, “Wow, he’s smarter than I thought.” The temptation to buy into the conventional wisdom left the wrong impression about who this guy is personally. “

Naturally from my perspective I had to ask if he is so smart, how come he does stupid things, and speaks in weird phrases?

” This issue of “Bush lied, people died”? It’s been the mantra for the last four years: “If only the right questions had been asked back then, we would have found out that he was lying to us.” That’s false—it’s patently false. There’s a difference between lying and being wrong. We were wrong. As were a lot of people and a lot of countries. We were wrong about the intelligence on weapons of mass destruction. That’s far different from saying that we purposely manipulated or intentionally lied to the American people.”

That is an important distinction. I have been wrong before. And I have lied before…..I know what is at stake with both…..I can deal with someone who has been wrong…..even though he’s made a mistake; he is still looking out for my best interests and against all odds, his methods just did not work out. That feeling is diametrically opposed to someone who directly lies to me. Since that person is lying to cause me to do something I would not do otherwise, he obviously has interests other than mine at heart, and wants me to perform for his own self interests, even if they are opposed to mine…….That make him my enemy.

So if Bush acted in good faith, I and many like me can forgive him. On the other hand, if he played with a stacked deck, then he has damaged the country beyond repair…….

Coming from the Judeo-Christian background, there is an interesting story about the first sin……The greatest punishment befalls the instigator, the liar, the tempter, in this case a serpent who ultimately becomes a snake…….

Now if George Bush is extremely smart, it would be unlikely that he would be the type of president who would sign off on the war, thinking it was a requisition form for “some of them little candy bars.” Here, sign this Mr. President. Obviously he would know what the stakes were, what the ramifications could be, and what the rewards would be if successful……..

So the fact that he made a dumb decision seems rather unlikely…..Therefore in this week’s latest case, where he implies two weeks ago that if necessary we will start WWIII, and meanwhile we have the UN report that says the weapon’s program was dismantled since 2003, and one of our local bloggers posted it on September 17th, 2007, seventy five days ago, one has a hard time believing that “such a smart man” would be absolutely in the dark and unaware of what everyone else knew…..Every friend of John Bolton knows the UN can never keep a secret. The evidence was out there for all to see.

Therefore the expectation is prevalent that this deception was deliberate. With poll numbers lying on the bottom of all time, every American should be inquisitive and ask why, with such low poll numbers, would any president want to deceive the American people over an up and coming WWIII?

Was he hoping to keep his seat in perpetuity as did FDR?

Not very likely if one reads the rest of the article……Here is how Don responds to the question of how the press corp put out the message that the president is lying……

“”How do you deal with them when they’re all liberal? I’ve found that most of them are not ideologically driven. Do I think that a lot of them don’t agree with the president? No doubt about it. But impact, above all else, is what matters. All they’re worried about is, can I have the front-page byline? Can I lead the evening newscast? And unfortunately, that requires them to not do in-depth studies about President Bush’s health care plan or No Child Left Behind. It’s who’s up, who’s down: Cheney hates Condi, Condi hates Cheney.

So that is how we are shocked into perceiving Bush as a liar…. It is done for bylines….and an extra plaudit on some reporter’s resume……

But one should remember the serpent, and the punishment reserved for that beast….. If Bush is so smart, then he must be making all of his dumb decisions in a vacuum devoid of balanced advice….In other words, if one is only given skewed evidence, one can only make a skewed verdict…….

If one remembers as far back as 2000, Bush delegated to Cheney the task of coming up with a Vice President…Cheney chose himself……After the Supreme Court decision that secured the Presidency for Bush, Bush delegated to Cheney the task of staffing his office, screening his cabinet, and determining the teams energy policy…..

Invasion of Iraq was central to that policy…..we know from Cheney’s map, found in his office drawer…..So either Bush had all the facts and chose a policy not in America’s interest, or he was only given partial evidence and had to make the best of the bad choices. That is why this week’s NIE change-up is so significant. It is beginning to make Bush look like he was a pawn in the hands of a superior master…… smart as Bush is, he failed to realize it….And as President, if you don’t realize it, you screw yourself…..For with the title Mr. President,  no one is going to contradict you………

Right now the best thing for this country is that Cheney resign for health reasons. The country needs to move on……….. Should he not be willing, a forced change might be in order………