Are People Being Fooled?

[erpowers]

I am wondering if the American people are being fooled by what has taken place this week. The Bush administration has been calling the draw down of troops a reduction due to success. However, the reduction will only bring the troops back to pre-surge level. In addition, at first the surge was only supposed to last six months. Then it later came out that the surge level of troops could not be maintained without breaking military rules in regards to troop rotations.

The biggest problem seems to be that the television media has not been pointing this out. This morning Hillary Clinton was quoted as saying that Bush is trying to turn a mandatory troop reduction into a success. However, aside from what Clinton said and the Keith Olbermann show I do not think I have heard any media personalities openly point out that this is not a reduction based on success, but on necessity. So, are people being fooled by the talk of this week, or have they been able to see through what has gone on this week? When I first heard the details of the draw down my first question was are they not just reducing troops to pre-surge levels.

[Justice]

1. It is like doubling the list price of an item, and the putting it on sale for 1/2 off

[ewoden]

2. Bush and his cronies are very good used car salesmen

All apologies to used car salesmen everywhere!!

[Greenwood]

3. How does Bush do it????

If you had told me a week ago that Bush would come out of this in a stronger position I would have bet you my life savings you were wrong.

It is like the American people are like cattle who are led around on a leash. A co-worker walks in, literally, 5 minutes ago and proclaims, "Bush is back!!!" and then goes on and on about how the tide is now turning, blah, blah, blah. I ask him exactly what did Bush do and he starts going on about the "improving situation" in Iraq and the typical GOP talking points. All I could do was shake my head and walk out.

At times I get beyond frustrated. Either Bush is Houdini or the American public is beyond hope.

[MissHoneychurch]

4. The Media will try to sell it like this

and let it look like it is a success instead of what it really is : a scum.

[fasttense]

5. The majority of Americans are not fooled.

Despite the corporate media's spin, seems most Americans are not fooled by the bushes remarks and fake draw-down.

A CNN quick poll indicated 73% thought the handful of troops bush is allowing out of the civil war in Iraq was NOT enough (that was this morning it might be different by now). I think the only reason the bush spoke last night was to talk to the 27% who still support him and give republicon senators and representatives cover to support his policy.

You can fool all of the people.........

[Loge23]

6. "...in my line of work..."

It's the infamous line from the moron-in-chief about repeating something often enough to let it sink in.
"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda." http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/05/20050524-3.html
(scroll down to third paragraph above "Thanks for coming, Congressman."

This is a tried and true Rovian tactic designed to essentially brainwash people into believing sound bites. It worked like a charm for the entire Iraqi fiasco. Notice how virtually nobody outside of staunch anti-war activists are even talikng about how this whole affair was a sham from the start anymore? It's become accepted as a legitimate "war" by the mainstream. Anything associated with this disaster at this point enters the realm of awareness as a warped notion to begin with. We are so far down the rabbit hole on this issue that is it too daunting for the masses to keep up with. Up is down, down is up. It's a Fun House without the fun.

The whole fiasco, IMO, is one of the most glaring examples of the perhaps irreversable deterioration of our republic. How do we wake the people up? I wish I knew.

[wyldwolf]

7. Joe Scarborough slams Bush every morning now, also points out mandatory troop reduction

[riona]

8. Sadly some are fooled

The are plenty of people who are susceptible to a variety of scams - we hear their stories on TV all the time. There is a segment of the population conditioned to believe that their leaders know and do what is right and tell us the truth. There are countless examples of people who forward phony emails believing that anyone who took the time to write such a piece must be telling the truth.

[Arkansas Granny]

9. I think the only ones being fooled by this are the ones who want

to be fooled.

[peacetalksforall]

10. I also think there are some whose ears perk up when the

word 'war' is said. It's a Hollywood auto-reaction. My country. We must defend our country. All direction is focused outside our country to ememies out there - (Mexicans and Moslems) and in here (again, Mexicans and Moslems).

They can't see that the truth is that the real terrorists are our own - destroying our votes and our constitution, using our tax money for their agenda and friends, demolishing our infrastructure from our courts to our bridges so that they can have more operation money - for their insiduous takeover - their attempt to own us so that they never have to have accountability = so that the earth will be theirs for their profit and we will be silent and obedient and they will have their technology using our money to fulfill our obedience and silence.

The one world order - their world order - perpetual war - fake war. All obscure and incomprehensible to their war loving followers and enablers in this country.

[sampsonblk]

11. Headline in my local paper: Bush Proposes Troop Cuts

NOT good. Yes, I think people are being fooled by this, because a lot of people only read and remember the headlines. No matter what the story is, a lot of people commit the content of the headline to memory.

[global1]

12. Hence - The Definitiion - Head - Line.......nt

[bunkerbuster1]

13. My so-called liberal paper's headline:

"Saying U.S. must stay in Iraq, Bush orders gradual cuts"

Needless to say, that's not how I would've put it.

[sampsonblk]

15. Same here. How about: Bush Will Extend Surge 1 Year

[cobalt1999]

14. Reminds me of Orwell's 1984

"It appeared that there had even been demonstrations to thank Big Brother for raising the chocolate ration to twenty five grammes a week. And only yesterday, he reflected, it had been announced that the ration was to be reduced to twenty grammes a week. Was it possible that they could swallow that, after only twenty-four hours? Yes, they swallowed it. Parsons swallowed it easily, with the stupidity of an animal. The eyeless creature at the other table swallowed it fanatically, passionately, with a furious desire to track down, denounce, and vaporize anyone who should suggest that last week the ration had been thirty grammes."