"Pull the strings! Pull the strings!"

You know, one of these days we all should just sit back and take a look at how adept politicians are at manufacturing outrage. Heck, if we look hard enough at the facts we might even begin to suspect that we are all just puppets having our emotions pulled and tugged at in order to gin up outrage. Why would politicians and pundits on all sides prey upon our emotions and deliberately manipulate the issues?

Two reasons:

1) Money

2) Ratings

I know, I know, I sound like a crazy man talking because we all know one side is good and "loves America" and one side is bad and is secretly "Marxists." I have been fascinated with how the Republicans have been able to manufacture outrage over the Khalid Shaikh Mohammed trial in New York. This fake outrage is an excuse to attack our President. The Republicans are so desperate to make Obama look bad that they attack him for the exact same thing that W did in 2006. The sad thing is they know they can get away with it because people are not intellectual honest about it. It is a fact that Zacarias Moussaoui was tried and convicted in 2006 in Alexandria, Virgina. And guess what folks, the Republicans had no problem with Moussaoui being tried as a terrorist in Virginia. They also kept their mouths shut when Rudy Guillian put three terrorist on trial in 1993, in New York,and the men who bombed the World Trade Center were convicted. So, why has it become an issue?
It is a cynical ploy to raise money for the RNC and to boost the ratings of right-wing radio and television. In the Senate, legislation was introduced to deny all federal funding for a trial or security. A move that prompted Defense Secretary Gates ( a Bush appointee) to say to congress "it would be unwise and would set a dangerous precedent for congress to restrict terrorism prosecutions." The justice department was able to site 135 terrorism cases that have all been tried in civilian court in recent years and all have gone smoothly. Nancy looked at me with wild eye terror as she discussed putting a terrorist on trial in New York and said she was "outraged" at the very idea of it. I asked her is she was similarly "outraged" at President Bush in 2006 when he put a terrorist on trial in civil court. Nancy gave me the patented "dear in the headlights look." A look that is all too familiar these days from my friends on the right as they begin to see that fat, non-military serving men are able to pull the strings on their emotions.