The question was, “Does anyone out there have a suitably demeaning substitute for Bullshitter-in-Chief?” The answers were, “Of course.” But the suggested terms, ranging from “d’Oily Farte” and “Mr. Stupid” to “Banana Head,” “Fratboy” and “The Dolt,” failed to inspire the staff.
So we’ll stick with our term, shortened to The Bullshitter. We hope this will underscore his iconic status not just as the first among equals in a fraudulent regime but as an exemplar of fraudulence. From time to time we may also refer to him as the President With His Head Up His Ass, Prez Huha, or PWHHUHA (the other acronym).
When he gives his expected “surge” speech later this week, let’s all remember what Harry G. Frankfurt says in the foreword to his latest little essay, “On Truth,” about his previous one, “On Bullshit”:
…bullshitters, although they represent themselves as being engaged simply in conveying information, are not engaged in that enterprise at all. Instead, and most essentially, they are fakers and phonies who are attempting by what they say to manipulate the opinions and attitudes of those to whom they speak. What they care about primarily, therefore, is whether what they say is effective in accomplishing this manipulation. Correspondingly, they are more or less indifferent to whether what they say is true or whether it is false.
And keep in mind Paul Krugman’s “Quagmire of the Vanities.”
Postscript: Also, Arianna Huffington offers a smart “Diagnostic Guide” to watching the speech.
