I make this assertion as a journalist who has, for some 30 years, adhered to a strict ethical creed: Mike Allen is simply beneath contempt. To pose as a reporter or journalist (which he did for the WaPo and Time) and to make these type of gushing, partisan comments in a public forum -- no matter what may be one's personal beliefs -- is so contrary to even the most rudimentary of journalistic credos as to simply stupify me.

The worst part is that Allen and his ilk, prevalent among the national media -- to use the term "mainstream media" is a disservice to thousands of real professionals who do their jobs every day for hundreds of newspapers, broadcast outlets, syndicates and networks large and small -- would simply fail to recognize why this is just plain wrong. They don't listen and they don't care, about anything, except for career aggrandizement and the rewards in wealth and to the ego which it brings.

The most fundamental question seems to elude these True Believers: Why is it that none of the explanations made by your steadfast heroes begins with the clear, complete and unabridged truth -- that there's always either "facts" (on WMD, on TSP, on the U.S. Attorney firings, on the Prescription Drug bill's cost, etc.) which prove to be half-truths, distortions, deceptions or outright, bald-faced lies?

This I'll never understand, and never hope to, God forbid. If honesty is not a fundamental Christian value, I can't imagine what is.

Thank you, Glenn, for providing fodder for the mind and the means for sharing what it produces.

In the previous episode, Steve Schmidt and Matt Dowd were dispatched to California from the Vice Presidential Bunkers to rescue the faltering gubernatorial regime of Arnold Schwarzenegger, which they did in a most thorough way, in almost no time at all.

They did it in part by remaking Schwarzenegger's image into that of a warm and cuddly sweetie ready to cooperate with Democrats every which way to "get things done." He became an environmental champion, an infrastructure advocate, he dropped his contempt for public employees, he "built coalitions". This image remake was so complete, so compelling, so convincing, that even Markos Moulitsas was fooled.

But perhaps a bigger part of the Dowd/Schmidt re-engineering of Arnold's campaign in California was their almost immediate -- and complete -- ability to manage the news media and to all but direct how Arnold would be covered by California and national media.

They arrived, and almost instantly local and regional news media -- which had until then been lukewarm when not outright antagonistic toward Schwartzenegger -- changed their tune. Almost immediately coverage was transformed; every major newspaper became an Arnold supporter, with few or no reservations, and Arnold was being promoted heavily throughout the media in California and out, as this Brand New Man, deeply in touch with the most essential needs of Californians, and deeply concerned about The Future.

It was perfect. It worked like a charm. His opponent in the 2006 election, Phil Angelides, was mercilessly charicatured -- a geek, a nerd, a dangerous Socialist, a demagogue, a rabble-rouser, an incompetent, an egg-head, a Commie, a buffoon, -- to the point where he ceased to have any positive public attributes at all, and he essentially was unable to raise any money, either. Democratic leaders in California (some of whom had openly or covertly supported the recall of Democratic Governor Gray Davis) shifted their support to Schwarzenegger; Angelides became a non-entity after being subjected to constant ridicule.

It's still somewhat mysterious how Dowd and Schmidt were able to control California media so completely almost from the instant of their arrival from DC, but they sure did it, and media types -- as well as California political consultants -- are still in awe and singing their praises.

Whether it was through flattery and cajolery, threats, bribes, or whatever, I don't know, but Dowd and Schmidt's domination of the media message during the 2006 California gubernatorial campaign was complete, and it was fatal to the Angelides campaign.

Dowd was the chief strategist of the 2004 Bush campaign for president, a campaign that was noted for some of the same media manipulations and opposition denunciations we saw during the Schwarzenegger campaign. But one thing we didn't see in 2004 was the complete makeover of Bush. Apparently that wasn't needed in a national context.

Schmidt is a Rove protege, which tells you most of what you need to know about his political intentions. Destroy the opposition. It was remarkable to see so many Democrats get behind Schwarzenegger's re-election once the team from DC was in place, and yet given the Rovian tendency to slash and burn the way through any opposition, it's little wonder that California Dems would get in line. They wanted to survive.

An article from early 2006 about Schmidt's efforts on behalf of Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court and his transfer of those skills to the California political scene:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/12/BAGTNH78UU1.DTL

Here's a little bit about the Schwarzenegger "makeover":

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16336939/

Dowd is regarded as a noted turncoat for publically distancing himself from the Bush regime he did so very much to enable. But then, he is a Democrat. Or so they say.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17955567/site/newsweek/

By supporting McCain (at least initially) Schmidt, too, demonstrates a certain amount of disloyalty to the Bush regime, and yet how much has Mercury Public Affairs, Schmidt's PR firm in California, propagandized on behalf of the military's desires to stay in Iraq? To what extent is the O'Hanlon and Pollock propaganda tour supporting the Coming Win in Iraq and denouncing Defeatists the result of Schmidt's advice and counsel?

Fingers are still most certainly in pies.

The point of course is to do whatever is necessary to win, whether it is politically or -- as the case may be -- on the bloody battlefields in foreign lands. And the way to do that is to control the message, to manage perceptions, and -- if necessary -- to do a complete makeover of reality to suit the needs of the times.

We're seeing it happen, right now, in real time, as the O'Hanlon and Pollock dog and pony show continues its propaganda tour (and I love it when O'Hanlon gets all snitty when he's called on his propaganda); we're seeing it in the nearly constant reports from the generals in Iraq about how things are getting demonstrably better, how much the natives are cooperating, how a little more time is needed to accomplish the mission, yadda yadda, we're seeing it in the obvious and deliberate provocations -- and propaganda -- coming out of General Bergner to put the blame for all that has gone wrong with America's imperial adventure in Iraq on Iran.

As Magical September fades away...