Here's news from a study of the differing perceptions of Bush and Kerry supporters, conducted by the Program on International Policy Attitudes and Knowledge Networks, based on polls conducted in September and October:
Even after the final report of Charles Duelfer to Congress saying that Iraq did not have a significant WMD program, 72% of Bush supporters continue to believe that Iraq had actual WMD (47%) or a major program for developing them (25%). Fifty-six percent assume that most experts believe Iraq had actual WMD and 57% also assume, incorrectly, that Duelfer concluded Iraq had at least a major WMD program. Kerry supporters hold opposite beliefs on all these points.
Similarly, 75% of Bush supporters continue to believe that Iraq was providing substantial support to al Qaeda, and 63% believe that clear evidence of this support has been found. Sixty percent of Bush supporters assume that this is also the conclusion of most experts, and 55% assume, incorrectly, that this was the conclusion of the 9/11 Commission. Here again, large majorities of Kerry supporters have exactly opposite perceptions.
I don't find persistent (willful?) voter ignorance very cheerful. On the other hand, I suppose this opens a window for some good advertising.
I think everyone experiences the cognitive dissonance–Bush or his cronies say one thing, reality says something different. And a crisis point is eventually reached. There are, of course, only two responses one can make to the mendacity, malevolence, incompetence, and simple disconnection with reality of the Bush adminstration. Go shrill, and maintain sanity. Or go nuts, drink the kool aid, and say everything’s fine–Bush just said so, and he talks to God don’t you know.
A spate of recent posts by Bush supporters at this very late date, unless these too are joke posts, seems to confirm that it’s not just ignorance–a LOT of folks have resolved the dissonance in their minds by going plain nuts and rejecting rationality and reality. So I’m not sure it’s just ignorance. After all, the Bush bootlickers posting here have the opportunity to read the same stuff I do.
Bush Bootlickers should see this:
and especially this.