Reality Check!

SAM SMITH, Progressive Review - The Harris Survey finds that by 64 to 32 percent Americans believe that the Bush administration "generally misleads the public on current issues to achieve their own ends." Combined with the falling support for the war and Bush's own falling approval ratings, evidence is growing that it may be nearing time to let reality back in the room.

This will, of course, require a massive retraining of the media which has become accustomed to treating the various Bush scams as real issues to be discussed with best op ed sobriety.

Imagine if you will, the media taking the same approach to a more obvious mob:

JIM LEHRER: How would you say the significant Gotti family's contributions to the economy of New York have been harmed by the ethical questions that some activist critics have raised?

GUEST: The research is not entirely clear but there is some evidence that vigorish - as the experts call it - has a distributive effect far greater than much popular opinion would suggest.

In fact, the cons long precede George Bush, who has actually done us a favor by invoking them so clumsily that they have become easier to spot. In fact, since the Reagan Administration, the conservative approach to economics has accomplished that for which backers of creationism can only yearn: the mindless acceptance of a theory by the media that has no basis in history, science, or simple observation. The "free market" con has been the intelligent design of economic theory even as pensions and health plans evaporate and General Motors seeks a bailout. And sitting in the pews saying "Amen" to each deception has been a faith-based evangelical media.

The beginning of wisdom and real change is the understanding that we are no longer talking politics. We are dealing with con men, bullies, and crooks just as in the days of the 19th century robber barons. We have moved from a time when a piece of national legislation helped millions to a day when its beneficiaries can be found on a single Blackberry. . . or in the Bush campaign contribution filings at the FEC.

That's not policy; that's a payoff.