Semi-Daily Journal

Why Does the Bush Administration Lie All the Time?

And here is Gary Farber dumbfounded at a set of George W. Bush lies that only a truly dim bulb could tell:

Amygdala: DARN YOU REPORTERS AND THE PEOPLE WHO LEAK TO YOU: your awesome super and legal powers are too much for me! I am overpowered and overwhelmed! I am helpless in the face of them!

Mr. Bush raised for the first time the possibility that the investigation might come up empty in its search for the the source of the first article to name the Central Intelligence Agency officer.

Asked by a reporter how confident he was that the F.B.I. would determine who disclosed the identity of the officer, the president responded by asking the reporter how many times he had exposed a source or had seen a source exposed.

"Probably none," Mr. Bush said in answer to his own question. "I mean, this is a town full of people who like to leak information. And I don't know if we're going to find out the senior administration official."

Mr. Bush said that he wanted the truth and that he had instructed his staff to cooperate fully. But he suggested that one impediment to the inquiry would be the unwillingness of journalists to disclose their sources.

"I mean, everything we know, the investigators will find out," he said, speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting at the White House. "I have no idea whether we'll find out who the leaker is, partially because, in all due respect to your profession, you do a very good job of protecting the leakers."

Yes, to be sure. I have no power to actually make inquiries of my senior staff, and I cannot trust them to respond honestly. They will lie to me! Only if you, journalists -- with all due respect -- give them up, will I find out what they say. They are more loyal to you, reporters, than to me! I have no command over them, no say, no power, no control, no threat! I throw myself on your mercy! They work for you, not for me! Help me, Obi-Wan Journalist, you are my only hope!

This is a terrific indictment by Bush of his staff, which will, of course, be taken, as it is intended, as the signal to turn the blame, perversely, upon journalists, rather than political employees who betray state secrets for political gain.

But there's no politics involved here by the Administration! The writer will so assert, and so it must be true.

On the one hand, the President saying his staff is disloyal and criminal and there's nothing he can do, and only journalists can help; on the other hand, if some journalists don't betray their word to protect the President's word, it's a darn shame, and an indictment of journalism for having honour and living up to their word to protect a source...