Having already destroyed the credibility of his first Secretary of State, George W. Bush has now eviscerated whatever trust the world might have placed in his second Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.
Now, Rice has suffered a similar fate, appearing before European leaders and making assertions that were known to be lies as they passed her lips.
In a larger sense, however, Rice's torture denial - like Powell's earlier deceptive case for war - represents a longstanding approach to information by the neoconservatives who dominate Bush's foreign policy.
For decades, the neocons have followed the approach that when lacking the facts, simply lie. Then, count on your allies in the media to browbeat the doubters by impugning their patriotism. Also, recognize that America's weakened checks and balances will seldom hold you accountable. [See Consortiumnews.com's "Neocon Amorality."]
Many Americans marvel at this chutzpah. But the answer to the mystery of this stunning arrogance is simple: Bush, Cheney and their surrogates judge that they can say whatever they want because this strategy has worked so often before.
They know the powerful right-wing media apparatus - from the Wall Street Journal editorial page to Fox News to AM talk radio to the multitude of conservative writers and commentators - will embrace virtually whatever comes out of the White House. Plus most mainstream journalists are so afraid of getting pegged with the "liberal" label that the worst that will happen is that the press will present competing versions of reality.
Most Democrats - terrified of some future 30-second attack ad - will search for some politically safe middle ground. For those few who still muster the courage to challenge the administration directly, they can expect a good tongue lashing from Cheney for their "reprehensible" behavior or Fox News diatribes for their lack of patriotism.
The danger from this national media predicament is that the Bush administration's "perception management" may work domestically in the near term to keep the American people in line, but the propaganda has declining value elsewhere in the world, especially in the Middle East where U.S. credibility is scraping the bottom.
At some point, international credibility - or the lack of it - may emerge as a national security problem. In all likelihood, there will come a time when a truly dangerous threat to the United States will arise and will require a multilateral response.
If that happens, the American people might wish for a Secretary of State who is not viewed around the world as a liar.
Mr. Parry's article describes perfectly what happens when you let a bully have his way for a long time. You can still whip him, but instead of being able to do it with one punch at the outset, it might take a baseball bat. By that time, the damage has been done and will be much harder to fix.
Update:
For more on the administration's lies, go see The Village Voice.
Let me count the lies - the building blocks of Bush's 'democracy'
From the start of the Bush presidency in 2001, senior White House officials have been telling reporters, usually anonymously, that because journalists are reality based, they cannot understand or relate to the Bush administration, since it is pursuing a "bold," God-guided doctrine that intends to create its own reality. Iraq was clearly one of those bold ventures, and because the planning behind it was both flawed and unrealistic, the nation is now suffering psychologically and materially.
There is no compromise - or reality - in the "bold" Bush government. Only secrecy and prevarications.
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