The Presidential Lie Detector (8/26/03)
by Dean Hartwell
Determined to get the scoop on the Bush Administration, I sneaked into the Oval Office and hid behind a sofa. Three well-known Republicans individually sat down and talked to him. I couldn’t help but notice that the President had a “lie detector” with him at all times. Here is what I saw and heard:
Vice President Cheney entered the Oval Office and sat on the couch.
Bush: “Veepy, Saddam Hussein was such an evildoer. You think that Iraq has WMDs [weapons of mass destruction], don’t you?”
Cheney: “Yes.”
The machine jerked wildly and buzzed.
The truth rang inside my head: Five months have passed since the Bush Administration began a war with Iraq, in part because it alleged that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. After a short war, no one has managed to find them.
Other allegations made by President Bush and his advisors have not been proven to be true. One was the assertion that Iraq had ties to Al-Qaeda. The Bush Administration recently admitted that another statement, that Iraq tried to buy uranium from Niger, was not accurate. (Guardian Unlimited - Special Reports - Bush Takes Responsibility for Niger Claim)
Cheney left the Oval Office. Shortly thereafter, Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared and took a seat.
Bush: “Arniemanator, the media is giving you such a hard time, saying you are a weak candidate. And I would know, since I are one of them. You are going to 'bring it on' and take a stand on some things, aren’t you?”
Schwarzenegger: “Yes.”
The machine jerked wildly and buzzed.
The truth rang out again in my mind: Why should he give the voters details? It creates the possibility that some people will disagree with him and it puts his credibility on the line if he wins!
The fact is, candidates have won office with vagueness. Richard Nixon provided so few details in the presidential election of 1968 about ending the war in Viet Nam that some believed that he had a “secret plan.” (Viet Nam War Overview). He won the election. So, too, did Ronald Reagan in 1980 after he promised to use “quiet diplomacy” to bring back our hostages from Iran. (Debating Our Destiny: The Second 1980 Presidential Debate)
Schwarzenegger took off. Not much later, John Ashcroft came to the Oval Office and sat down.
Bush: “Johnny Boy, do you think the states should make its own decisions?”
Ashcroft: “Yes.”
The machine jerked wildly, buzzed and broke into several pieces.
The truth shouted out inside of me: Bush’s Drug Enforcement Administration (part of Ashcroft’s Department of Justice) has conducted raids on the property of people allowed by the State of California to grow medical marijuana (DEA Raids Patient Gardens). In fact, a San Diego reader told me that his city’s medical marijuana task force has hesitated to challenge the federal government. Perhaps it is out of fear of the new role Bush has used the federal government for.
For good measure, Ashcroft has also challenged the state of Oregon’s euthanasia law in federal courts. (Ashcroft Sics DEA on Oregon Suicide Doctors) Where are the states’ rights advocates in the Bush Administration?
I escaped, I hope undetected. Two thoughts from my experience stand out: To play on the Bush team, one must be willing to believe lies and to tell them. And, though we may lack a “lie detector” to catch the Bush Administration in the act of lying, we sure can research the issues and come up with the facts to contradict what we hear.