Propaganda Minister fuels Conspiracy Theory
In a rare interview yesterday our President’s Minister of Propaganda, er… Senior Advisor and chief political strategist Karl Rove went out of his way to fuel speculation that the President was “wired for sound” in the first debate. The way he did it was simply brilliant.
The interviewer asked Dr. Goebbels, er… Rove, point blank: “Settle this for good. Was the president wearing a radio under his suit in the first debate.”
Rove’s answer, repeated in full or at least as printed:
“We live in a conspiracy addicted society. And that’s just the latest example of it. Obviously there wasn’t anything…. The poor tailor. I mean, I know the guy. He’s a good guy.”
Apart from the obvious failure to answer a yes or no question with a yes or a no, Rove’s answer could not have been better calculated to fuel the conspiracy theories he so disingenuously acknowledges. Blame it on the tailor?
The “poor guy” indeed!
Look at the Secret Service guys and gals surrounding the president and consider how effectively their suits are tailored to conceal an array of weaponry that would put many Third World armies to shame. Now look at the photo of Bush’s “hump.” Is it really concevable that it was a wrinkle in a suit so obviously stretched tight over a Kevlar vest? Is it conceivable that a tailor could screw up a suit so badly that it has a visible hump in the middle of the back where there are no seams??
OK, let’s get back to reality here– there obviously WAS something under Bush’s suit coat. What could it be?
First of all, it is quite feasible that it WAS a radio receiver– related to Bush’s personal security. Or it might have been some physical attribute of his bullet-proof vest. After all, the presence or absence of such an “object” could neither be confirmed nor denied by the Secret Service for reasons of security.
It’s also obvious that it was not a radio receiver through which Bush could be “coached” by Cheney or Rove. Or if it was such a device, it wasn’t working.
So why couldn’t Rove just say “NO, the president wasn’t wearing a radio”?
Every single word uttered by Rove, and/or propagated through the Republican Propaganda Machine (a.k.a. RPM, motto:”Spin R Us”) is carefully crafted with very deliberate skill. It suits Rove to have some conspiracy theories out there that he can mock, especially if there are real conspiracies to be concealed.
Brilliant!
–SG
What do you think? Please enter a comment below.
October 25th, 2004 at 10:14 am
HOW DARE YOU SAY KARL ROVE IS A NAZI. I HOPE THEY GET YOU AND PUT YOU IN JAIL.
October 26th, 2004 at 7:17 am
Hmmm… we just read over the piece and must be missing something. We didn’t say that Karl Rove is a Nazi. I don’t think anyone would confuse him (or his boss) with ANY kind of Socialism, National or otherwise.
We deliberately implied that Rove’s role is better described as “minister of propaganda” and propaganda is simply a mildly pejorative term for what he does.
Dr. Joseph Goebbels, who publicly wore the title for Hitler’s Nazi Germany, is unquestionably the most well known individual propagandist in history. The comparison is with the methods and the political role, and has nothing to do with the material that is propagated. Besides, if you get your wish and “they” come and get us, won’t that be proving an ideological connection?
Listen to yourself! You said, in effect, “I hope he is a Nazi.”