Conspiracy Against Common Sense

by Joe Soucheray - September 27th, 2006 - St. Paul Pioneer Press

The other day I learned that gas prices are arranged by the Bush administration. That had not previously occurred to me, any more than they might arrange the price of computers or yogurt. One of the cable news channels did a piece on the theory that Republicans are conspiring to pressure big oil to lower the prices. Bloggers and activists and the always-available roster of college professors offered the belief — some of them, hearing themselves, seemed sheepish — that lower gas prices would get more Republicans elected in November.

Even the Gallup Poll weighed in. According to its research, 42 percent of those polled agreed with the following statement: "The Bush administration deliberately manipulated the price of gasoline so that it would decrease before this fall's elections.''

And of those who believe such a thing, nearly two-thirds are registered Democrats. Wow. Talk about enough said.

Let me see if I understand: We have — living in America, perhaps right in our own neighborhoods — a frightening number of people who believe the Bush administration is capable of lowering gas prices. That can only mean these same people believe Bush, in fact, caused Hurricane Katrina, which knocked out gulf oil supplies, driving up the prices, but now, so close to the election, Bush has decided against hurricanes, of which there currently are none.

Man alive, I thought Bill Clinton was the smart one, and he never got credit for starting and stopping hurricanes or raising and lowering gas prices. Bush manages to control nature itself, while at the same time we are told daily in the editorial pages what a dummy he is.

I do not understand how anyone can be so stupid that they believe this. Yet college educated friends have insisted to me in the last week that they believe Bush is driving down the price of gas. Sometimes you really do have to have a lot of faith to continue to believe in democracy in the face of such infantile stupidity.