Letters to the Editor
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Neo-conscience-free: The Politic of Sociopathology
It's the brazen, easily proven, untruth of these statements that's so utterly breathtaking:
"Anyone even vaguely familiar with Michael's work knows that he has opposed military action against Iran." Andrew McCarthy & Mark Levin
"I opposed the military invasion of Iraq before it took place." Michael Ledeen
McCarthy, Levin and Ledeen knew absolutely these statements were untue when they made them. They also knew that their untruth was a matter of very public record. It's this willingness to lie, without fear of consequence, knowing one's lies are easily exposed, that's so emblematic of neo-con arrogance. In this world-view, any lie, repeated often enough, becomes true. Conversely, any revelation of deceit, ignored resolutely enough, becomes inconsequential. That pearl-clutching faux-indignation ("anyone even vaguely familiar with Michael's work knows...") frequently accompanies this arrogant disregard for the truth, elevates this world-view from the merely shameless to the positively pathological. And it's endemic.
Consider Cheney declaring the existence of Iraqi WMDs & links with al Qeda, years after both were utterly disproven. Or McCain saying he never met a lobbyist he'd earlier admitted meeting, under oath. These bald-faced lies, easily exposed, ripple like a toxic leit-motiv through conservative discourse, with an easy reguarity, a breathtaking fearlessness of consequence, that's so deeply corrupt and inherently sociopathic.