How dumb are we?

Mark Shields today, in an article featured on Buzzflash, poses the question, "How Dumb do They Think We Are." He is referring to the absolutely ridiculous arguments that have to do with Karl Rove's attempts to dissociate himself from the leaks he gave to reporters about Valerie Plame. You have to admit, they are pretty far-fetched claims.

But in answer to Shield's question: "they" think that "we" are pretty damn dumb. They are the Republican party, especially the neocons in power, and we are the American public. But why would they not think we are dumb? First of all, 50% or more of Americans don't even bother to vote. Probably 25% have no idea whatsoever of what the issues are but vote anyway (like my mother-in-law, "We have always voted Republican so I'm going to vote Republican"). The other 25% (this may be generous) think they know what they are doing. However, this did not keep them from allowing Republicans to blatantly steal two elections, to lie about virtually everything for the past four and half years, including the reasons for starting a totally illegal and unconscionable "war" against a sovereign country that was not threat to us. Now they are lying just as blatantly about Karl Rove's leaking of classified information. All they ever do is lie. I seriously doubt they have ever told the truth about anything. In fact, their lying is so blatant, so predictable, so frequent, that I believe people have lost their capacity to tell lies from the truth anymore. They don't just THINK we are stupid, they KNOW we are stupid. We prove it to them every day.

I could be wrong (I often am) but I believe if Fitzgerald's investigation runs its course it is going to lead directly to our Vice-President, Dick the Slimy. Nothing happens in this administration that he doesn't know about. Bush is too simple-minded to have come up with a plan to smear Wilson on his own (but he probably giggled and thought it was a really clever idea, just as he thought fixing the voting machines was a clever idea). Don't forget that at one point before the last election Bush proclaimed with genuine authority, "I'm not going to lose." He obviously knew the fix was in.

I don't believe Rove and Libby are going to get off free this time. I think Fitzgerald already has enough to convict them of something even if only lying. But he is obviously after bigger game. That is why he has Miller in jail and now threatening her with criminal prosecution if she doesn't come clean. And he has the approval of other judges who have reviewed his request and think it is reasonable. This can only be because the threat to national security is so serious as to override reporter's protection of their sources. Reporters have no right to protect felons or traitors. Who could be important enough for Miller to protect? Not Rove, he's already fingered. Not Libby, he, too, is already known. So who? Bush himself or Cheney?

Do not allow yourself to be distracted by the Supreme Court nominee. He will pose problems of a different sort. But Rove committed treason. That is not something we should just casually shrug off along with Gannon/Guckert and the other nasty scandals of the Bush/Cheney administration. By the way, whatever happened to Gannon?