The View from the Meadow

Observations of the Passing Scene

Political and Social Commentary by Dave Satre

The technique of misdirection, which is most notably and professionally practiced by magicians, is also a highly valued technique employed by politicians.

Simply put, it is the art of directing the subject’s attention in another area while performing some sort of manipulation undetected. Magicians have perfected this technique to the point where they can make a 747 airplane materialize on a stage, make an elephant vanish, or entire mountain, like Diamondhead in Hawaii, disappear.

In politics the technique is used to focus the public’s attention on a minor issue in order to take attention away from a more important action.

An excellent current example is the president’s recent announcement that he is against homosexual marriages and is calling for a Constitutional amendment to make the practice illegal.

This is a real push-button issue with Americans, one that instantly evokes highly emotional reactions on both sides of the question. The media loves such high profile controversies, it can fill newspapers and television news shows and tv gossip “magazines” for months.

Setting the issue aside, a more important question is, why is the president taking sides in this issue? There are several possible reasons, including the far right religious conservative organizations that contribute generously to Bush’s campaign funds.

But a more important reason is the misdirection of the public’s attention away from some very troubling problems currently under examination in this White House.

Bush’s questionable service in the Texas Air National Guard has exposed the favoritism he enjoyed during the Vietnam War and his failure to complete his commitment. The Regime’s attempts at spin control have not been effective and this is a good time to divert the public’s attention away from the truth of this issue.

The questions surrounding the Bush administration’s obsession with starting a war in Iraq and basing their arguments on a series of misstatements, if not outright lies, also refuse to go away.

Bush is now entering his campaign for re-election and these, and many other, issues continue to undermine his credibility. Americans are increasingly aware of Bush’s weaknesses and his continuous lies and attempts to cover up the serious failures of this administration. The man desperately needs to divert the voters’ attention from the real issues and we can expect a series of such diversions to occur in the next several months.

The real question is, who is the going to be the mastermind of this deception? Karl Rove is a master at such things. But he’s no Houdini. It’s going to take a miracle to convince the American public that Bush deserves another term in the White House. Smoke and mirrors will not be enough to do the trick!

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