Truth - Al Franken [23]
They have heard from us! They heard from us in Afghanistan and we removed the Taliban.
They heard from us in Iraq and we ended Saddam Hussein’s reign of terror.
Conflation accomplished. Brain scientists tell us that “what fires together, wires together.” Giuliani had gotten those 9/11-Iraq neurons firing and wiring beautifully. Then, Giuliani continued his list of places where “the barbarians who attacked us” have now heard from us, but in a way that gave him plausible deniability should anyone ever accuse him of claiming that Iraq was involved in 9/11:
They heard from us in Libya and without firing a shot Gadhafi abandoned weapons of mass destruction.5
They are hearing from us in nations that are now more reluctant to sponsor terrorists.
Who are “they” at this point? Who exactly is hearing from us? And what exactly are they hearing? Is he saying al Qaeda is in Libya? I don’t think so. Suddenly, everything is very vague. “The barbaric terrorists who attacked us” are now, apparently, people in any nation that is now or has ever been involved in sponsoring any terror activity of any kind. Such as Northern Ireland or Saudi Arabia.
Conclusion. Republicans are shameless dicks. No, that’s not fair. Republican politicians are shameless dicks. My hypothesis is correct. Or, if you want to be scientific, we fail to reject the hypothesis and we reject the null hypothesis.
Not only was my hypothesis correct, but the larger point that preceded the hypothesis is correct as well. They conflated Iraq and 9/11. It wasn’t that they were confused. They were the confusers. And many in the American public became, unwittingly, the confusees.
Bush and his surrogates would continue to tie 9/11 to Iraq throughout the fall, pausing only to eat and sleep or, in Bill Bennett’s case, gamble. Bush conflated them so much that his own neurons, to the extent that they fire at all, began to fire and wire together in the same pattern that he was trying to create in the electorate. Since all of his events were in front of prescreened crowds and his most nakedly dishonest lines were getting the biggest applause, perhaps it was only natural that he would show his hand at the worst possible moment: at the first presidential debate.
It was September 30. Bush was ahead. The race was his to lose. All he had to do was not look like a fool, and it would be clear sailing through November. Just don’t look like a fool. It was that voice again. But this time, it wasn’t coming from inside himself. Nor was it God. No, it was coming from the bulky transmitter under his suit coat.6
Don’t look like a fool. Also, stop saying, “It’s hard work.”
As always, Karl was right. The president grimaced. Ah: The moderator was asking a question.
LEHRER: Mr. President, new question. Two minutes. Does the Iraq experience make it more likely or less likely that you would take the United States into another preemptive military action?
BUSH: I would hope I never have to. I understand how hard it is to commit troops. Never wanted to commit troops. When I was running—when we had the debate in 2000, never dreamt I’d be doing that.
But the enemy attacked us, Jim, and I have a solemn duty to protect the American people, to do everything I can to protect us.
Kerry saw an opening.
KERRY: Jim, the President just said something extraordinarily revealing and frankly very important in this debate. In answer to your question about Iraq and sending people into Iraq, he just said, “The enemy attacked us.”
Saddam Hussein didn’t attack us. Osama bin Laden attacked us.
As Kerry proceeded to methodically dissect Bush’s arguments, the President looked stunned. Even more stunned than he had looked throughout the rest of the debate. Finally, it was his turn to respond.
LEHRER: Thirty seconds.
A wounded, peevish president snapped:
BUSH: First of all, of course I know Osama bin Laden attacked us. I know that!
After the debate, the polls would swing back toward Kerry. It would take a month of rock-solid 9/11-Iraq conflating to restore Bush’s lead. That, plus