MIHOP, LIHOP, Incompetence: I pick curtain #3, Monty [View All]

[stevietheman]

My simple point in this probably to-be-ignored post (lol) is that I think it doesn't do our side or our country much good to argue MIHOP or LIHOP unless there have been investigations that prove them. Miscellaneous facts and whispers are just not enough, and we certainly cannot run on these vapors to convince a majority of Americans of these things.

However, the case for incompetence is far easier to make. We all know of the ignored August '01 memo. We all know of Tenet running around Washington warning all the politicians. We all know the Bush administration ignored terrorism in favor of missile defense. We all know that the Bush administration were "solidly" in power after eight months and had plenty of time to deal with preventing 9/11. And there's much more I'm sure that I cannot roll off the top of my head.

"Incompetence" will sell, just as "lack of compassion" sells. Why? Because Bush and his people play right into these things. They provide prima facie evidence of such things on a continual basis. They are handing these arguments to us on a freakin' silver platter every day!

Add to an "incompetence" argument the "suspicion" argument. It seems that I run into many people (not only "liberals") who have a _suspicion_ the Bush administration is connected _somehow_ to 9/11. This suspicion is palpable. And it does something for us that a right-winger might salivate over, if he were on our side: It allows us to play a "fear card" that the Bush administration won't dare go near... the fear that we _might_ have a criminal (or at best, bumbling) administration that is outside of the people's control, and any chance of reigning it in feels lost.

Now, finally add "complete the grossly incomplete investigation" as a third argument. Talk about _questions_ that are still lingering from the 9/11 commission hearings. Questions, questions, questions. Choose the most salivating of the questions and make them widely known as memes. With this, we don't declare a conspiracy, but merely say we don't have all the answers yet.

Of course, who knows where additional investigations will lead. Perhaps the Bush administration would even be exhonerated. But here's the clincher: We know Bush and his minions would never give in to further investigation, just as Bush will never meet with Cindy Sheehan. Therefore, this is how we can build a political movement that is _no-lose_ in nature. The fruit of this movement is that suspicion of the administration rises while we disavow conspiracy theories. And with that suspicion, he becomes even less popular.

In summary, like the right wing, we can also politicize 9/11, _without_ being conspiracy theorists.

It's about 1) incompetence, 2) public suspicion, and 3) unanswered questions.

(minor grammar edit)