[Edit: the following is a rhetorical ploy:] It turns out I have a serious, life-threatening heart problem. It’s probably genetic, as members of my family on both sides have had a similar problem. However, I’m not going to consult a doctor. I don’t trust the American Medical Association insiders with their fancy “medical degrees,” and their slick rhetoric about “health.” I want someone who knows how to connect with the people, who’s not an elitist, who hasn’t been tainted by the AMA, who isn’t afraid to break some rules instead of always doing what some committee tells him to do. It might surprise you to learn that I’m consulting a faith healer, instead. Granted, there are no studies that demonstrate faith healers actually do any good, but those who ask for such empirical evidence are not the kind of people I want to associate with. I question their commitment to my wellbeing.

Okay, I don’t really have a heart problem. But substitute “important election” for “serious, life-threatening heart problem” and “politician” for “doctor,” and you have the kind of “logic” that gets thrown around here in America. WTF? Why do we value expertise in every field of endeavour except politics?

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D – California) dares to point out that the Bush administration just keeps f’ing up:

• We were warned that Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction were a threat to our security; the reality is that we haven’t found any evidence of such weapons a year after we declared victory over Hussein’s regime.
• We were assured that the Iraqis would welcome us with open arms; the reality is that they keep trying to kill us.
• We were told that Iraq would pay for its own reconstruction; the reality is that the project is costing the U.S. billions and billions of dollars.

“When are people going to face the reality?” Pelosi asked. “Pull this curtain back.”

The response from Republican leaders? “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” “Nancy Pelosi should apologize for her irresponsible, dangerous rhetoric,” said House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R – Texas) “She apparently is so caught up in partisan hatred for President Bush that her words are putting American lives at risk.”

Why do Democrats hate America so much that they are willing to use the facts rhetoric to question President Bush’s leadership?