http://www.presstitutes.com/presstitutes/2005/10/once_and_for_al.htmlOf the many myths about George W. Bush, the most enduring is that he demonstrated great leadership in the days after 9/11 - with the shining example supposedly being his "Bullhorn Moment."
The fiction of the Bullhorn Moment has been repeated thousands of times, not only by reporters, but by Democratic leaders who think complimenting Bush somehow endears them to voters.
On Sunday's Chris Matthews Show (10/16), Matthews repeated the canard yet again, calling it Bush's "magic moment," his "glorious statement" on the rubble.
With Pre$$titutes like Matthews and polite Democrats pushing that "glorious" storyline, Bush's shameful cheerleading on a sacred gravesite has been etched into the public consciousness as the pinnacle of his presidency, and it may be impossible to slay the myth. But it's important for the "reality-based" community to present a cogent counter-narrative, to keep telling the truth about Bush's blasphemous bravado on the rubble, his arm slumped over the shoulders of a real hero, clinging to him in the vain hope that true humanity would rub off.
The rank Pre$$titution surrounding the 'bullhorn' speech wasn't the only time the press tried to paint Bush as a war hero, but it was certainly the most successful. Who can forget the salivating reporting of Bush's aircraft carrier landing, coverage so sycophantic that propagandists the world over must have stared in awe at such a display of journalistic evangelism.
Pre$$titutes and other Bush supporters will counter that poll numbers confirm that his bullhorn speech was Bush's hour of glory, but we've chronicled the power of the 'media loop' to cement false impressions: "Through a self-reinforcing loop, the media can turn talking points into accepted, unconsciously-repeated facts. Inject the meme into the national bloodstream, repeat it endlessly, have ordinary citizens repeat it to the press, use these statements from the public as evidence of truth and as a means to convince other members of the public that the talking point is factual. And so on."
In the days after the 9/11 tragedy, the power of the media to mythologize Bush's response was at its zenith. No dissent was tolerated, the nation was in a state of shock, Americans wanted to believe that someone was in charge. Pre$$titutes had free rein to weave fictions about Bush's "leadership."
It may be solace to some that reality is finally intruding on the pro-Bush storyline foisted on America by the media, but the damage done to our country will take generations to repair, and it's not over yet: Pre$$titutes wield tremendous influence, and if they have their way, we may yet see more bullhorn fairy tales.