Here’s a thought experiment that I think you will enjoy. A while ago, I wrote a post about people who see in others what they desperately need to see in themselves. The following is a practical application of that principle.
Step 1: Read the Bush Administration’s “National Strategy for Combating Terrorism,” which was just released yesterday.
Step 2: As you read, mentally replace the word “terrorist” with the words “Bush Administration” and replace the word “terrorism” with the words “the Bush Administration.”
This substitution will not always make sense:
“The [Bush Administration] attacks of September 11, 2001, were acts of war against the United States, peaceful people throughout the world, and the very principles of liberty and human dignity.”
but it will often be very thought-provoking, and even disturbingly valid:
“Ultimately, we will win the long war to defeat the [Bush Administration] and their murderous ideology.”
“The ongoing fight for freedom in Iraq has been twisted by [Bush Administration] propaganda as a rallying cry.”
“Increasingly sophisticated use of the Internet and media has enabled our [Bush Administration] enemies to communicate, recruit, train, rally support, proselytize, and spread their propaganda without risking personal contact.”
“The failures the [Bush Administration] feel[s] and see[s] are blamed both on others and on perceived injustices from the recent or sometimes distant past. The [Bush Administrations]’ rhetoric keeps wounds associated with this past fresh and raw, a potent motivation for revenge and terror.”
“[The Bush Administration] recruit[s] more effectively from populations whose information about the world is contaminated by falsehoods and corrupted by conspiracy theories. The distortions keep alive grievances and filter out facts that would challenge popular prejudices and self-serving propaganda.”
