Friday, September 03, 2004

Blipvert

In the old TV show "Max Headroom", they used the word "blipvert", (blip + advert) for an ad that went by so fast you didn't notice it consciously, but it still influenced you. I've stolen the word to describe a favorite technique in right-wing rhetoric, and here's one that I wanted to point out. Last night Mr. Bush said
"Our allies also know the historic importance of our work. About 40 nations stand beside us in Afghanistan, and some 30 in Iraq."
Didn't we see 202 nations represented at the Olympics in Athens just last week? More than TWO HUNDRED nations in the world, and we can only get THIRTY to support us in Iraq? And of those, only a handful actually sent troops? That's not a percentage that I'd be proud of. Sounds good if you don't think about it, though, huh?