Glenn Greenwald, who just keeps getting better and better, has somewhat gone back to his roots today with an outstanding piece, Confrontational investigations, subpoenas, and hearings are the priority. I became a regular reader of Glenn’s during the time of the NSA warrantless wiretapping revelations in late 2005-early 2006, and at first wondered why, with Glenn’s obvious legal talents, why he began spending so much time with the reactionary pundits. I used to think you just ignore them and they will go away - that it was a waste of time, and certainly not worthy of Glenn’s time, to debunk obviously unreasoned and unreasonable views, but soon realized that taking on the massive right wing propaganda machine is a necessary and extraordinarily difficult part of separating these dangerous ideologues from the powers they continue to seek.
My viewpoint has changed to the point that I now believe the Peter Dauo triangle of blogs, media and the political establishment, at the time a much-needed and forward-looking analysis of what the Republicans were doing right and the Democrats were doing wrong politically, does not do justice to the right-wing juggernaut the Republicans and neoconservatives have put together.
Daou’s triangle omits the massive system of propaganda outfits posing as think tanks to which Republicans flock when they retire or are retired from office and the large, "old money" family right-wing foundations that financially support them, as well as the influential religious elements, the Likud Party-supporting lobbies and the fundamentalist Christian right. Michael Lind discussed these other elements and the right-wing media empires, another important tool of the extreme right that needs to distinguished from the so-called objective media, that formed the "pentagon" of support for neoconservatism in his piece that described How Neoconservatives Conquered Washington – and Launched a War (and which Digby recently cited). What are we up to now, an "octagon"? Glenn certainly does have his work cut out.
While Glenn is trying to get the media to pay attention to and compel the Democrats to face the elephants in the room that are Iraq and the Constitutional Crisis, the Republican machine has ramped up their misinformation campaign to even more astonishing levels. Not including their ongoing spewing of falsities on the issues of the day, they have launched or "catapulted the propaganda" on the following fictions, or, at best, perversions of the truth, in just the last four months (and I’m sure I’m missing a few):
John Kerry insulting the troops.
Joe Biden’s racist remarks regarding Barack Obama.
Rep Pelosi’s insulting singles in her remarks to S/O/S Rice.
Barack Obama’s "madrassa" schooling.
Michelle Malkin’s looking for a needle (Jamil Hussein) to prove the haystack of exaggerated reports of mayhem in Iraq.
John Kerry snubbed by troops in Baghdad.
John Edwards’ land deal. (Not to be confused with earlier land deals regarding Harry Reid and Hillary Clinton.)
John Edwards’ bloggers accused of religious bigotry by Bill Donahue, acting on behalf of his 501(c)(3) organization, the Catholic League.
Nancy Pelosi’s extravagant plane travel arrangements.
Barack Obama’s land deal. ((Not to be confused with earlier land deals regarding John Edwards, Harry Reid and Hillary Clinton.)
Hillary Clinton’ neglecting to report a charitable foundation on a senate disclosure form. (Not to be confused with an earlier similar transgression regarding the same Harry Reid land deal.)
Al Gore’s high utility bills.
Taking the comments of a scattering of anonymous bloggers regarding Cheney’s alleged assassination attempt in Afghanistan, and using them to brand others who dislike Cheney with their anger and hatred; even accusing Bill Maher of agreeing with the bloggers sentiments by virtue of his expressing support of their right to express them.
Anyone notice a pattern? Except for Malkin’s escapade and "angry left bloggers"/Maher, all involve Democratic presidential candidates or other influential Democrats. Also, to paraphrase Dave Johnson and James Boyce in one of their two outstanding pieces regarding Al Gore’s utility bills,
the lies made it half way around the world before the truth could even get its pants on.
Johnson and Boyce’s first post on Gore depicts the lightning, and frightening, speed with which allegations regarding the utility bills of the former Vice President of the United States made it from a 501(c)(3) organization that had gross revenues of $100,000 in 2005 to the national broadcast networks, in less than 24 hours. Unfortunately, this has been the rule rather than the exception with the other "stories" above.
Contrast this with the NSA revelations, which the NYT held for over a year (dating to prior to the November 2004 elections) before releasing only when they found out someone else was going to beat them to the punch; with the Mark Foley scandal was delivered to several major media outlets, who proceeded to sit on them for as much as a year and then ironically explained their disregard by saying that they didn’t have enough to go public; and with Charles Hanley’s November 2003 piece on abuses at Abu Gharib, to which he attributed the lack of interest by the U.S. media for several months until the photographs verifying abuse were copied onto a CD to the fact (quoted from a Bill Moyers speech)
it was not an officially-sanctioned story that begins with a handout from an official source. Furthermore, Iraqis recounting their own personal experience of Abu Gharib simply did not have the credibility with Beltway journalists of American officials denying that such things happened.
It is apparent that about all the right wing has left to contribute to the national discourse are smokescreens such as the foregoing to fog, divert and pervert public opinion, and a powerful political/media mechanism to disperse them. Indeed, Glenn, the Democrats and anyone else who is interested in continuing this 200-plus-years-old experiment in democracy have their work cut out.