A Piddling Man And His Piddling Lies

Doren says I'm "scraping the bottom of the barrel" when I'm critical of Bush's picayune flip flops and lies. I don't see it that way.

First, I've made it a habit, with some regularity in this space, to compile or point to compiled lists of Bush's mendacity. Reviewing these lists you immediately see that Bush's struggles with truth are legion.

But beyond the sheer multitude of shading, dodging, and misleading statements, I'm interested in the fact that Bush's malleable approach to the truth is not limited to big, substantive issues. And, as I've noted, why ought we expect clarity and rectitude on the important issues that face us when Bush (and his lackeys) are willing to beguile on insignificant issues?

I do agree that in the whole scheme of things it matters little that Bush can't decide whether his mother is or is now cowed by the aura of the Oval Office or whether he hit the trifecta in being lucky enough to preside over a war, recession, and a national emergency. To a certain extent we expect our politicians to tell us these kinds of minor lies. But it is worth mentioning Bush's minor skirmishes with the truth if only because it was exactly this tactic that Bush (and his minions) used to pillory Gore four years ago. Perhaps by dint of repetition an ignorant press and public can be made to see Bush for the prevaricator he is.

Unfortunately, Bush has in essence inoculated himself against such criticism because we've been conditioned to accept his verbal diarrhea.

But I shall not relent in pointing out either his Big Lies or his littlest ones. And, to prove it, I offer this one, via the Gadflyer. Apparently during his searing interview with Mr. Suspenders, Bush asserted that he "made sure that the NIH's budget was doubled."

But did he? No. The doubling of the NIH budget was a goal set in the second Clinton administration, one that has been accomplished. Bush "made sure that the NIH's budget was doubled” only if you count back to 1998. Bush's first budget covered fiscal year 2002, in which the NIH budget ended up being $22.7 billion. Bush did increase the NIH budget, although his 2005 request is the smallest increase of his term, to $28.8 billion. That’s an increase of 27% across four budgets – and that's using current, not constant dollars. Not bad, but not a "doubling," unless you’re using fuzzy math.

On a scale of one to 10 I give this about a three. In Bushworld that's almost the truth and not even worth questioning. Unfortunately, no one did.