Duncan the Grey writes:

It seems to be something which has infected our political class generally, the idea that if only you get the right guy in charge ponies can appear. That isn't to say there's no value in good leadership, just that focusing on one guy as your problem-solver or obstacle to solving problems is a way of absolving everyone else of responsibility.

And your point? [snicker] When did any of these guys ever take responsibility for anything?

Who's "the right guy" to these people? Dear Leader, right? Just maybe not this Dear Leader. From Altemeyer's classic study we find out what that infectious "something" is: Read more…

This is pretty cool. Scary, mind you. But it gives some academic cover to things We Pretty Much Knew All Along. From today's Chicago Tribune, with some rearrangement of paragraphs for condensation purposes:

How people deal with existential concerns could help explain a broad spectrum of behavior, they believe, from political and religious leanings to altruism and the pursuit of riches to patriotism and terrorism.

Already, experiments have shown that when people are reminded of their own deaths, they become more patriotic, more conservative, more family-oriented, more security-minded.

The developing field, called experimental existential psychology, or XXP, explores how people find meaning and purpose in their lives.

Okay, enough with the la-ti-dah psychobabble. What does this have to do with the price of ice cubes in Alaska?

In the United States, the threat of terrorism has made citizens feel more anxious for security. A study Greenberg and his colleagues conducted before the 2004 presidential election found that college students were slightly in favor of Democrat John Kerry. But when the students were reminded of their mortality, a fear that terrorism provokes, the majority favored his Republican opponent, George Bush.

Bet these are three scientists who are having no trouble at all getting their grant requests approved. And without even having to cite abstinence, creationism, or Jeebus! Although god-bothering does manage to creep in to their study, they are clear to cite it as an effect rather than a cause: Read more…

But don't worry about a thing! When you get an arm or a leg blown off, you'll get taken care of at Walter Reed! Oh, wait...

The recto-cranial inversion continues:

Cheney called it a myth that "one can support the troops without giving them the tools and reinforcements they need to carry out their mission."

Yeah, speaking of tools, how's that body armor coming? How's the training going? Got those stop losses under control?

Thought not.

Of course, Cheney's statement is the rankest and most virulent authoritarianism imaginable: Read more…

(As if.) WaPo:

The broader [U.S. government] structure is still in the industrial age and it is not serving us well. It is time to consider a new Hoover Commission to recommend ways to reorganize both the executive and legislative branches, to put us on a more appropriate path for the 21st century. Only a broad, fundamental reorganization is likely to enable federal departments and agencies to function with the speed and agility the times demand. The charge of incompetence against the U.S. government should be easy to rebut if the American people understand the extent to which the current system of government makes competence next to impossible.

I guess I'm just a little unclear about how the reponsibility for the lack of any post-war planning in Iraq can be laid anywhere else than right on Rummy's desk (and that of his boss, Dick Cheney).

These guys had total power to do whatever the fuck they wanted under the AUMF, and fucked it up. So, they want to reorganize our Constitutional system so they can get it right next time? Read more…

Pundits losing faith in Bush (Great headline).

Of course, "pundits" are by definition authoritarian pundits, but let that pass:

For 10 minutes, the talk show host grilled his guests about whether "George Bush's mental weakness is damaging America's credibility at home and abroad." For 10 minutes, the caption across the bottom of the television screen read, "IS BUSH AN 'IDIOT'?"

But the host was no liberal media elitist.

How curious that the stenographer doesn't put the authoritarian talking point "liberal media elitist" in irony quotes, eh? I mean, I haven't seen one of those around since... Well, I can't remember how long!

It was Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman turned MSNBC political pundit.

Well, splendid. Perhaps Joe Scarborough has had a sudden attack of sanity? Read on: Read more…