I'm no conspiracy theorist, but one can't help but recognize patterns. It is after all, fairly natural to see order and reason in things, even when it is not there. But at times it seems that the ever dwindling Bush supporters are somehow all reading from the same page. I'm sure it is just a coincidence, for example, that on the same day a blogger on JoeUser.com asks, "Is Obsessively Hating Bush a Mental Disorder?" there is also a thread started on the deviantArt forums entitled "The Psychology of Bush Hatred".

There is almost certainly no real connection--for example, the deviantArt forum thread is nothing but a link and cut and paste job of a 2004 article(by a guy so crazy he has to eponymously reaffirm his own sanity to himself), which the author of the blog entry on JoeUser gives no sign of being at all aware of.

But is it, then, a coincidence? Yeah. Probably. Dude, I am totally cereal. It is a coincidence. But is it? Yes. Serially.

But what if it wasn't? What if this thought--that people you don't agree with must have some mental defect and that criticism or questioning equates to hatred--what if that idea somehow had a life of its own?

Hell, we can see it demonstrated by the responses to both of the recent articles that the concept is capable of reproduction. Indeed, it is one of those base, inwardly simple ideas that it is not only capable of reproduction, but spontaneous generation!

You certainly don't have to think too hard about your own position, or god forbid the viewpoints of other people, when you can just say, "They're crazy!" It is such a comforting, easy way out, one can almost imagine the thought as a sinister version of a scent in a Pepe Le'Peu cartoon--slithering smoke-like along the ground, insinuating itself around the unsuspecting. Then with a final pounce the victim, engulfed, consumed even, bolts tense, eyes bugged in an expression of simultaneous "What the hell?" and "Aha!" Perhaps the victim even floats momentarily; suspended above the ground, tugged in all directions by the seductive notion.

And seductive it is. Not only does it relieve one of the duty to actually think about why someone might disagree with you, it also has a reciprocal. If they're crazy, why, I must be sane! Whew.

I can imagine that would be important to a Bush supporter, being reassured of sanity. Watching, as things all around the man turn to shit, but still buying his shinola. It must be hard to even go outside some days for fear of another inconvenient fact contradicting the way Bush says it is. The way, I presume, they so very badly wish things really were.

It reminds me of that Suicidal Tendencies song, which seemed so freaking cool at the time, but now sounds like a pouty tween--"I'm Not Crazy! Institution! You're the One Who's Crazy!"

Another plus to simply categorizing those who dissent as loony cranks is the side effect of inclusion. "Now I am a member of those who believe", an individual under the spell might think, "an elite few, fighting the good fight against the brutal unstoppable force of reality. I'm a victim, really, why, my sensibilities are being offended every day as the evil media keeps presenting facts--make them stop!--which are contradictory to what I want to be true."

No, it was no coincidence. But not just because it is such a insidious, simplistic way to approach the world. But because there is not much else for a Bush supporter to blog about, or feed to the forum.

Think about it. They'd never do this in return, but put yourself in the shoes of a pro-Bush blogger today. What are you going to write about.....

(the screen goes wavy as I rub my chin....)

Let's see. I'd better stay away from Iraq. That WMD thing, those damned retired Generals who won't shut up, report after report says that place is in chaos, in civil war, a fiasco. I don't believe it, but, Lord knows, if I say that some liberal lefty will just come along and start linking to "evidence", damn them. No, can't talk about that today. Oh! Maybe the "War on Terror"! I can try and both keep that separate from and tied to Iraq somehow. Oh, wait, no. Better not mention that, war on terror means the Afghanistan front, and my side just wants to surrender that back to the Taliban and opium farmers. I don't even know how I could begin to defend that. So, Iraq, out. War on Terror, out.

Hmm what else I got. Plenty I should avoid. Don't mention Rumsfeld, for christ's sake, did you see the pictures next to that long article in Newsweek that was an excerpt from Woodward's book? That damn book. Okay, thanks Bob(you bastard), Rumsfeld out, Condi Rice, out, Cheney, couldn't talk about him even before the book, out. Come to think of it, I should probably mention Bush himself as little as possible. Executive branch altogether, out.

Okay, well, let's see, how about immigration, congress just passed that fence law, I like the sound of that. Oh. There isn't actually going to be a fence. That's cool, I really shouldn't mention congress anyway, what with Foley and Hastert. And Delay. And Allen. Yeah, congress and it's "achievements" have been out since Abramoff. Congress and legislation...holy smokes! a $20Million party? that sounds patronizing even to me! Legislative branch out!

Come on, think. There's got to be something I can write about. Something positive I can say. Why do I support Bush anyway, this is nuts....wait. Oh yeah, that's why, he likes God. Shouldn't really talk about that though.

Or. I could just call Democrats crazy. They must be. Just look at them. Sitting there as my beloved Republicans implode. Impetuous grins, like they know something's gonna happen. They must be bat-guano.

(...and scene.)

Yes, it's a rough time for someone who wants to say something positive about the Republicans and the job they're doing. Not that right-wing bloggers have ever been very positive people. So, one could see how this mental defect idea might have been incubated, almost, ready to hatch as the last resort, popping up in different spots at different times.

Well, this is getting way too long. And even though I'm a Coca-Cola man (if the title didn't give that away), I got a strange desire for a Pepsi right now. Just one Pepsi.