How long?

Back at the beginning of this year, there was the general impression that the worm had turned. Bush's ratings were in the toilet, the Democratic Congress seemed to want to move methodically to pull back from the war, to investigate the obviously incredible levels of corruption in the administration, and to roll back some of the dictatorial powers that Bush had claimed.

It's now six months later, and it is crystal clear that the impression of six month ago was totally mistaken. It's true that Bush's ratings have not improved, but the relentless campaign of lies and hype that started with the surge have proven to be almost totally effective politically. The administration still controls the message, and the Democrats can do nothing but respond to it, usually by tagging along. They have no message, neither Congress, nor the candidates.

The key element of this propaganda surge is the iron control of the media. There is a solid cadre of 'Bushies' in all the key media organizations. I believe this is the main accomplishment of the 'Republican/conservative' movement since Reagan, they broke down the old way of controlling the media through ownership, and moved to a group of insiders that penetrates media in a variety of ways, tailored for each media type and audience. I imagine it is Rove who has orchestrated things for the last six years, and despite the glitches on the reality side of the ledger, the 'unreality' side is still very much in charge in the USA.

How long can it last?