During the 2000 presidential campaign, George W. Bush was stumped by a word-association/opinion question about the Taliban. He shrugged his shoulders. The Glamor Magazine reporter prompted him, even going so far as to say "repression of women in Afghanistan." Finally, he said "repressive," and told the reporter he thought she was talking about a rock band.

Maybe he did think that, or--more likely--he was using his sense of humor to redeem himself in the interview. One way or the other, the fact that the word "Taliban" didn't immediately register with a man who was running for president of the United States was shocking. So was the fact that--as far as the records are concerned--Bush committed insider trading when he was the head of Harken Energy.

Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose, in their book Shrub, remind readers that when Bush first announced his candidacy for the presidency, they gave the news media a huge hint: Check the record. The mainstream media never did. Bush had created a string of major crises in Texas, causing damage to the environment, the educational system, and the criminal justice system.

In her book, Bushwomen, Laura Flanders explains how Karen Hughes (who doesn't get enough credit for her mud-slinging skills) conducted a smear campaign to unseat Governor Ann Richards. This is the way the Bush/Rove/Hughes team works, and since it takes two to do the Texas two-step, it is important to keep in mind that the nation is hungry for anti-liberal dirt.

A vast number of Americans don't care about the record--not the one in Texas, not the one in the White House. It means nothing to them that Bush lied about his environmental policy, lied about his educational policy, appointed criminals to high positions, replaced scientists on national and international commissions with extreme right-wing Christian fundamentalists, assaulted the First Amendment, and lied in order to blow up another country.

It means nothing to them because they are ignorant of the facts, and even if they were not, they might still support a candidate who appeals to their bigotry, just as Reagan did. Mark Ames writes convincingly about the white male spite vote that will go to Bush. The Bush White House, like the Reagan White House, worships testosterone, and Bush is counting on his "warrior" persona to usher him in for another four years, despite his dishonesty, his lack of intelligence, and his total unfitness for office.