A Great Day For America

A great day for America

I was called by my wife as I traveled to a golf tournament Sunday night. I could barely make out what she said. I finally got it; that Bin Laden had been killed. Then, I tried in vain to get F.M. radio for details. I happened to be in a mountainous area and could not get much in the way of updates.

The next morning, in the motel before the tournament, I was able to get Fox News and was stunned to see a commentary that George W. Bush deserved the lion's share of the credit for killing Bin Ladan because "water boarding" had been used to gain intelligence that led to the successful operation in Pakistan.

I tuned it to ABC news, since I am not a fan of Fox News. I wanted information, not politics at that point.

None of the other news channels mentioned anything about the intelligence that led to the operation. This was Monday morning, remember, and the story was still very fresh. All the channels were alive with news of the operation, who was killed, how long it took; etc.

As it has turned out, the first reports from the scene were contradictory; as is always the case in the "fog of war". Details are still being adjusted, as de-briefings proceed.

But, the Fox News thing that I originally discounted, is as usual taking a life of its own.

I played golf Wednesday when I returned home from the trip. I have several conservative friends, and could not resist but gloat a bit that the President (who they hate) got Bin Laden.

I did not say anything about the years of frustration of President Bush, who made the "Dead or Alive" statements, sent troops to Afghanistan, and never came close to Bin Laden. I never said anything negative about President Bush at all.

Their response was astonishing. The first thing out of their mouths was what I had heard on Monday in that 1/2 minute viewing of Fox News: that President Bush should get credit for getting Bin Laden due to the "water boarding" interrogation techniques used to get "vital" intelligence.

So, I got on the internet and started getting some facts. I discovered that President Bush stopped the practice of "enhanced interrogation" at least five years ago. I also listened to reports that described the vital intelligence that finally led us to where Bin Laden was hiding.

These facts contradict what Fox News so slyly started. The facts are that enhanced interrogation techniques stopped years ago. The "courier" whose name led us to discover Bin Laden's lair, was discovered by the denials of two terrorist captives, information that came from non-enhanced interrogation about a year ago.

Besides, President Bush stopped being President in January 2009. It is May 2011. That is over two years ago by my math.

How in the world can there be a connection?

Moreover, further reading shows that President Bush had it wrong, like all of us, believing that Bin Laden was in Afghanistan in a remote region, hiding in caves. That is what Bin Laden wanted us to believe. And that is what the intelligence community believed until about a year ago, when new intelligence led us to the all important courier (who was killed in the attack).

This is no slam on President Bush. He was operating with the intelligence at the time (not the contrived intelligence that led us into Iraq; which I don't forgive him for by the way).

There was NO effort by President Bush to go after Bin Laden in Pakistan. There were plenty of searches in remote areas, but none in Pakistan. The reason for this is because he had no reason to think Bin Laden was in Pakistan. That information came way AFTER Bush ceased to be President.

It is interesting to note that President Obama during the election, said that if Bin Laden was found to possibly be in Pakistan, he would order operations regardless of what Pakistan said.

And that is EXACTLY what happened.

And then there is Fox News or propaganda inc. Fox News are experts at planting the little lie in their viewer's minds, then building it into fact. My golfing buddies were adamant that water boarding was THE reason why Bin Laden was found and killed.

This contradicts facts and common sense; but is the "talking point" of conservatives who must be mortified that the "Muslim President" was successful in getting the most dastardly villain in American History since Hitler.

What is so disturbing is I was on the DEFENSIVE not the offensive immediately because of Fox New's propaganda. I had to dispel the lie. I had to do the research. They just mouthed the propaganda, the lie, and believed it.

This is the "fascist" threat I have been talking about in prior blogs. Political movements that deal in propaganda, lies and half-truths in an highly organized fashion, pushing a right wing agenda are fascist.

Fox News is a fascist organization. Now, this is not to say, they are Nazis. What I am saying is their political agenda and techniques are fascist in the classic political science definition.

This movement runs counter to liberal democracy. Fascism ultimately is the deadly enemy of democracy.

Fox News is a clever, highly motivate political organization, that deals in propaganda, not news, that feeds the fascist agenda in the United States.

They took what should have been and great day for America, and turned it into yet another twist of the truth for fascist political advantage.