On a recent episode of The Daily Show, Stewart’s guest, Zbigniew Brzezinski used the phrase “Manichaean paranoia” to describe the actions of the Bush Administration, arguing that Bush et. al. see the world through a pair of “you’re either with us or against us” glasses, and are convinced that their actions alone are sanctioned by a higher power.
Note to blowhard pundits: a really smart guy can sum up the essence of this administration in just two words…
The term originated from Manichaeism, a Persian religion from 3rd century Babylon that stressed dualism, or the idea that the world is divided into light (the soul) and dark (the body).
Republican Manichaean paranoia can be neatly summed up by recent specious claims that any criticism of the War on Terror, the war in Iraq, or indeed, the Bush Administration is tantamount to giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
As of just a few days after Brzezinski’s appearance, if one googles Manichaean paranoia, there are only 13 hits for the phrase. I’ll be interested to see if this critique of Bush’s policies gains traction, or simply disappears from public conciousness.
To do my part, I’ve added a “Manichaean paranoia” tag to Greymatters, which may be worn and tattered beyond repair by 2008.
Bush’s Bullshit Press Conference
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007I just finished watching Bush’s afternoon press conference on the Crooks and Liars website, and towards the end of it, he characterizes his plan as an “open forum for everybody to see” (timecode 4:43 for QT file).
However, if you look at what the White House has offered, their terms are that “such interviews would be private, without the need for an oath, transcript, subsequent testimony or subsequent issuance of subpoenas.”
How is that even remotely an open forum? Karl Rove, Meiers and the rest should testify publicly, with a transcript and under oath. Anything less would be insulting to the American people they claim to represent.
Posted in Chickens Coming Home to Roost, Commentary, Manichaean paranoia, Politics | Comments Off