Bush’s Social Security push isn’t catching any steam, and it may cost Republicans next term. But that’s not the subject here. Rather, it’s about fake audiences. During the presidential campaign, Bush and Cheney became rather infamous for restricting audiences severely, packing the crowds with gung-ho loyalists only. Anyone who wasn’t vouched for or didn’t sign an honest-to-god loyalty oath wasn’t allowed in. People who did nothing more than wear attire criticizing Bush were summarily arrested, false arrest as a pretext for getting them out before any dissent or dislike could be seen anywhere near the top dogs. (Since when is dissent grounds for arrest?) And protesters? Forced to protest from great distances in obscene “free-speech zones” (clearly identifying any area near Bush or Cheney as non-free-speech zones).

Well, it worked for them, didn’t it? So why expect them to stop? They haven’t, of course, especially on Bush’s Social Security Bamboozlepalooza. Bush’s “town halls” have been again packed with people who slobber praise all over him instead of asking actual questions that most Americans wouldn’t mind hearing answered. One example: in March, when Bush was speaking in Denver, three audience members were removed from the audience because someone noticed a “No Blood for Oil” bumper-sticker on their car. They were escorted out by someone whom a Bush staffer referred to as a Secret Service agent, who wore the attire of such an agent right down to the earpiece. This man, who was not an agent (not for the Secret Service, anyway), hustled them out; the three were later questioned for a full hour by two men identifying themselves as working for the Secret Service’s internal affairs department, and were conducting a criminal investigation of some kind.

Furthermore, the first fake agent was spotted cleansing the crowds at several other Bush events in Arizona, North Dakota, and New Hampshire–the last report being that two women were arrested by this fraudulent “agent” for doing nothing more than turning their backs on the president. Oooo. Sound like dangerous types to me, good thing they were arrested, Bush was in real danger at that one.

And there is ample evidence that lists are being kept and audiences packed in order to create a false aura of popularity around the president and a deceptive perception that his policies are at all accepted by a majority of Americans.

I know, what else should I expect. But that doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t be constantly called on it. Just like his playing politics with homeland security. Remember during the election, when every time Kerry got a boost or good publicity, without fail the Department of Homeland Security would come out with a terror warning, stealing the spotlight? Remember how they insisted that it was all for real and not playing politics with security?

Well, ask yourself: how many terror warnings have been issued since the election? From what I can tell, none, aside from that plane invading D.C. airspace the other day. And Tom Ridge, who last week swore on the Daily Show that all of the terror alerts were kosher, is now admitting that administration officials were behind them, “aggressively pushing” for terror alerts when the Department of Homeland Security saw absolutely no need for them.

Add fake news stories sent to TV news shows to be broadcast as if they were real news. Reporters being paid large amounts of money to push administration policies. Press conferences rarely held, and when they are, are controlled and sometimes scripted by the administration. Lies to the nation about trumped-up “proof” of WMDs. Lies to Congress about the cost of Medicare. Lies to America about the Social Security trust fund, and about all aspects of Bush’s various plans for it. Lies about judges, lies about filibusters and who blocked more nominees. Lies even about who came up with what words (Republican Trent Lott coined the “nuclear option” term, not Democrats). Lies about just about everything.

Can these people not lie or deceive the people about anything? And how stupid do so many Americans have to be to buy into it, when it is so blatant, so easy to see?