Ted Rall Nails Bush (StumpJumper)

I support the War on Terror and the War in Iraq. What I do not support is a President who lies to me. Increasingly, George W. Bush is feeding the American public untruths. Rather than telling outright lies the way that Bill Clinton did, he is spinning facts and statistics so that they paint an unrealistic picture. This is business as usual for Washington but it is still wrong. Worse, it weakens the President's credibility. This makes it more difficult for him to highlight his many successes. The latest, and in my opinion worst, such lie is that Baghdad is less safe than New York.

The New York murder rate lie has been echoed by several members of the Bush administration and the conservative media. It has been said so often that people are starting to believe it. It simply isn't true. It is a statistic that is being spun completely out of context. The best debunking of this lie that I have seen so far, unfortunately, comes from Ted Rall in his January 12, 2004 blog entry. This is unfortunate on many levels. It is bad enough that Bush is selling the war effort short by spinning statistics rather than focusing on all of the good that it has wrought. Worse, the voice of reason on this issue comes from one of the most lunatic of the lunatic fringe.

The War on Terror and the War in Iraq are unprecedented successes. More good for America, the Middle East, and the world in general has been done during the Bush presidency than has been done in a long time. We should not have to spin untruths to help people understand this.