Stupid is as stupid votes

It's a vast, right-wing stupidity.\nAccording to a University of Maryland poll released last Thursday, a large percentage of Bush supporters don't know diddlysquat about Iraq. \nSeventy-five percent of Bush backers don't know Saddam Hussein didn't collaborate with the al Qaeda posse, possess weapons of mass destruction or have a program to manufacture them.\nNot only did the poll show Bush followers were severely misled on the reality of Iraq, but Kerry's cohort was predominantly more informed about the true situation in Iraq. Steven Kull, the program director of the survey, suggests "separate realities" exist on either side of the partisan line. \nBy "separate realities," he means that most of Bush's people live in Bizarro World. \nThese results are disconcerting, so, rather than antagonize Bush supporters for not being as informed as democrats, I'd like to propose a theory on why there's a disparity between their knowledge and the rest of America's. \nThe 75 percent who live in Bizarro World lack a Bush filter. \nFor example, the president claims he's "disappointed" weapons still haven't been located in Iraq and that the mission now is to continue to "disarm" Saddam. To those who aren't fluent in Bush-speak, it's justifiably confusing to "disarm" a country that has no arms. \nHence, Bizarro World is a realm of many contradictions. \nAfter filtering, here's what the rest of America hears in Bush's claims: "Oopsies, I guess Saddam didn't have nucular stuff like I thought. My bad. Just ignore the fact that we are aimlessly searching for weapons that Iraq doesn't have." \nIt's a pity that so many Americans don't recognize bull when they hear it. \nThe survey posed another question for Bush supporters. When asked if the U.S. should have invaded Iraq if intelligence hadn't reported evidence of WMDs or ties to al Qaeda, 58 percent of Bush's supporters said absolutely not. \nThat means that 58 percent of Bush supporters aren't aware that Bush passed on the opportunity to let intelligence agents investigate Iraq prior to invasion. \nBut Iraq is just the tip of the iceberg. The University of Maryland also discovered that Bush fans have many other misconceptions about the president's stance on major issues. Majorities believe Bush backs the Kyoto global-warming treaty, the treaty banning land mines, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the International Criminal Court. For these reasons combined, most nations in the world are opposed to a second term of Bushdom. Predictably, 57 percent of Bush supporters also believe the world favors their main man's reelection, despite the findings of several surveys. \nIt's completely understandable that Bush backers would choose not to acknowledge all of the inconsistencies in Bush's record. They want to believe he's the same strong, compassionate leader who united the country after Sept. 11. \nHowever, since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Bush's story has become a tall tale. First we invaded because of WMDs. Then we went to spread democracy and free Iraqis. Now we're still trapped in the gulf because "Saddam had potential to make WMDs." \nI suppose I have the potential to make a pipe bomb. I've got some of the ingredients in my apartment, and I have access to instructions on the World Wide Web. Somehow, I don't think that's enough reason to warrant government intervention, and neither is Bush's newest excuse for war. \nWith the election in a week, I sincerely hope that Bush supporters take the time to familiarize themselves with the real record and platform of their candidate. Perhaps his accusations on Kerry's record are just a diversion from his own. \nIn the Bizarro words of Rapper's Delight: I said a flip-flop, the flippy, the flippy to the flip-flip-flop, he don't stop a lying 'bout the bang, bang weapons, say "up jumped invasion" to the rhythm of the Bush-ity beat.