The GOP Ministry of Truth

It's pretty amazing to read some of the platform statements from the GOP web site. Does anyone believe this whopper for even a second?

"Thursday, August 26, 2004
Fact Sheet: President Bush Is Making Health Care More Affordable

President Bush understands that rising costs can put health care coverage out of reach for many Americans. Health care costs are rising at the fastest rate in nearly a decade, imposing a burden on families and businesses. That is why the President's health care policies ..."

How about Bush environmental policies?

Preserving the Beauty and Quality of Our Environment

* Improving Our Nation’s Air Quality - President Bush’s Clear Skies legislation would dramatically improve air quality by reducing power plants’ emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and mercury by approximately 70 percent over the next 15 years, more than any other clean air initiative.

* Improving The Quality of Our Waters and Wetlands, and Resolving Water Crises - On Earth Day 2004, the President announced an aggressive new national goal to create, improve, and protect at least three million wetland acres over the next five years in order to increase overall wetland acres and quality.

Then there's this note:

Protecting the American People

The President’s most important job is to protect and defend the American homeland. Since September 11, 2001, the nation has made tremendous progress achieving this goal.
...

The President has seen a great number of his goals met, including:

* Passage of the USA PATRIOT Act: The USA PATRIOT Act brought down the artificial wall separating law enforcement and intelligence officers and allowed them to talk to each other as they work to prevent future attacks.

Hmmm, the Patriot Act, don't you feel safer already? Then there's education:

Bipartisan Education Reform

President Bush submitted his framework for education reform, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), three days after taking office and secured overwhelming bipartisan support less than a year later.

With Texas schools leading the nation in the dropout rate, the NCLB "initiative" is universally recognized as a total hoax and fabrication. And if you think vouchers are anything but tax deductions for the wealthy, then I've got a tower in Paris to sell to you.

But there is something to rival with the GOP Ministry of Truth: the Ministry of Love, under the major heading "Compassion":

President Bush has taken bold steps to tear down the barriers that separate the poor from effective programs.

Yeah, who needs barriers when it's the programs themselves that are being eliminated?
But as long as we're on the subject of truth, here's some more stretching:

Jobs & The Economy

The economy is strong and getting stronger. The President’s pro-growth policies have helped drive the economy and move the recovery forward, putting more money in the pockets of America’s families and laying a foundation for robust growth and job creation now and for years to come.

* The economy has grown 4.8% in the past year, as fast as any year in nearly two decades.
* Productivity grew at the fastest 3-year rate in more than 50 years.

Right, George.