alternate "dad"

[phantom power]

When Bush lies, he is not . . . addressing people who read news or who think or who look for sense in the world. He is speaking to those who want relief from thinking, from hard decisions, from complex judgments; he's speaking to those who want a likable authority to take care of the hard stuff. He's speaking to the "my president, right or wrong" folks. He's speaking to those whose need for reassurance trumps the need for truth.

In fact, when Bush lies, he's not speaking at all. He's repeating the "empty utterances" of Rove's carefully crafted message.

I pray Kerry's handlers help him understand that the debate will have little to do with content, and everything to do with crafting the impression of an alternate "dad" whose aggression and firmness can fulfill fantasies of retaliation and imaginary protective safety.

http://gadflyer.com/warandpiece/index.php?Week=200440#853

[Nordic]

1. Con-men tell people what they want to hear

and Rove knows this very well.

That is how they've conned so many people.

[swag]

2. That's an amazing entry from the warandpiece blog,

which is on my stop list a few times a day.

What a stunning and stingingly truthrul analysis.