cannot be understated. We have witnessed McSame and Palin lie repeatedly since their respective involvement in the campaign. This is the true Rovian mind-set that if you repeat a lie long enough and often enough it will take hold with a certain segment of the population.
In fact, in true Orwellian style, there are frightening numbers of people who still insist that Iraq was in league with Bin Laden, that Iraq had WMD and that Iraq (Saddam Hussein) was responsible for the attack on 9/11. These erroneous perceptions persist even today (didn't Palin say just this week that she supported the invasion of Iraq because she wants "to fight them over there and not over here"?) despite the acknowledgement from Bush and the MSM and almost everyone else (except Cheney, it seems) that these were not true. They refuse to believe that we were misled into the quagmire that is Iraq and that (as Obama correctly points out) this has taken our focus away from our actual enemy and has resulted in the strengthening of Al Quaeda. We should never lose sight that the reason Bush is still in the White House is because John Kerry was Swift Boated into oblivian - more lies. We find ourselves in this situation in large measure because the MSM failed to do its job and because the politicians who normally would forcefully question Bush/Cheney and Co. were afraid of taking on such a (then) popular president who would not hesitate to question their patriotis, if he was challanged, thereby incurring the wrath of their constituency. One of the very few voices (and there were a few) that spoke truth to power was Obama. Bush never considered that the war would persist this long, that he would not be able to prevent all investiagtions into the 9/11 attack, or that his popularity would go down the dumper. This was all part of the great Rovian plan to create a permanent Republican majority and render the Democrats impotent as a party. He never dreamed that former memebers of this own adminsitration would turn on him and write memoirs that debunked many of his canards.
If there can be ANY good to come from this disaterous war, it may be that people began to question the basic tenents that lead to our involvement. The truth has been coming out in dribs and drabs and someday we may learn all the truth behind what transpired during this, the most corrupt administration in American history.
It is disturbing that McShame and Palin have not learned from the errors that have brought this administration down. Truth is a rare commodity with them. Palin has lied from the onset of her nomination believing that she would not get caught, or perhaps, that, due to her personal "charm", people would not believe the truth.
McShame and his supporters have tried at every turn to misrepresent Obama as a person and as a candidate. FactCheck.org, and bloggers such as Josh Marshall, Markos and his associates, John Aravosis, Jane Hamsher, Marcy Wheeler, and too many more to mention here have been the real truth squad (also YouTube has been huge in this regard). It is remarkable that many young voters get most of their "mainstream" political info from John Stewart! Josh Marshall's admirable work on attorney-gate led to the dismissal of Alberto Gonzales and had uncovered the politicization of the Department of Justice. Then the dominoes started to fall and we have seen that BushCo had politized nearly every aspect of our government. Light has recently been shed on the shameful conduct of Department of Interior employees with Big Oil (no surprise there, except that it WAS uncovered and reported). The fact that there is a subculture of bloggers and others on the internet has shifted the playing field. Attempts to Swift Boat Obama have been immediately refuted by both his campaign in public pronouncements AND by websites all over the net. We are more educated as a voting block than ever in history due in large measure because of the internet and the fear by MSM that if they don't report what we've unearthed, they will lose credibilty! Of course it hasn't happened to the extent we all would like to see but we ARE making great strides.
Last week, I think, that John McCain may have made the second biggest mistake of his campaign (Palin was and always will be No. 1). He lied to David Letterman and immediately got caught! Voters expect politicans to lie. Even the Obama campaign has regretably occasionally stretched the truth, although never with the scope or virulance as McShame. But why would McShame lie to Letterman? It was stupid and unnecessary. Letterman has his roots in conservative Indiana. He is wildly popular. His 10 question routine is frequently shown or played on other TV and radio shows. You should NEVER piss him off. His Youtube rants (there are at least two of them) against McShame have been widely viewed. Much has been made about McShame's demeanor during the debate as well as his erratic conduct this past week in suspending his campaign and threatening not to appear at the debate. But I beleive that this baldfaced lie, caught on TV (getting his make-up applied in Couric's studio no less!), will resonate with the voters. If he will lie to Dave for no apparent reason, why should we believe ANYTHING he says? Credibility is vital to any politician's success. Palin's lies have been well documented. This may be the biggest (and most foolish) lie that sticks with McShame. That is why the importance of Truth should not be understated.