Illustration by Arnie Bermudez

Remember last year when Michael Moore made his infamous Oscar speech? Among other things, he called President Bush a "fictitious president" in "fictitious times" over a booming mixture of applause and boos. Mr. Moore (just like anyone who criticized our president during that time - see the Dixie Chicks) faced an immense backlash and resentment from those who follow Dubya's orders like dogmatic law.

Millions of Americans claimed that Moore and all of us skeptics out there (or un-Americans, as they like to call us) should have faith in our leader. After all, Dubya and his cronies weren't "fictitious" or manipulative or deliberately deceptive in any way at any time; that would be preposterous to believe. All those people who read George Orwell or Noam Chomsky are just crazy conspiracy nuts.

Brett Berry Columnist

But a little over a year later, Dubya has done a pretty damn good job of ruining any trustworthiness that he ever had.

There've been the lies about Iraq being tied to Sept. 11, about the uranium sales in Africa to Saddam Hussein, about outsourcing actually creating jobs in America ... and the list goes on. But of course the sheep - I mean, Bush supporters - remain vigilant in their belief that Dubya is not deceiving or manipulating them. However, last week, Bush's administration was caught red-handed once again.

This latest deception comes with the discovery that the administration has paid to create fake news reports for TV newscasts to run regarding the new Medicare bill. These fake reports aren't fake news like "The Daily Show;" these are fake reports made to run on actual local newscasts to promote Bush's Medicare plan.

In perhaps the most blatant form of propaganda

you can see on television, an actor posing as a reporter named Karen Ryan (or Alberto Garcia, for you Spanish speakers) tries to clear up any questions that an American could have regarding the new prescription bill. There is an actor playing a pharmacist talking to an elderly actor about how the new bill makes medications more affordable and how it is a "very good idea."

There's the clip of Bush receiving a standing ovation and the fake interview with the Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson praising the plan. The government even provided a lead-in script for the real news people to read before they show the fake report. Seems pretty "fictitious" to me.

With these ads, the administration is essentially trying to tell us what to think. Any doubts that we have about the Medicare prescription drug plan unfairly benefiting pharmaceutical companies (who coincidentally have pioneered this "video news release" technique) as Democrats claim are meant to be put to rest by the blatant manipulations of the ad. The administration is

simply trying to eliminate any dissenters and manipulate public opinion to generate support for its own agendas. Suddenly, those people waving "1984" and "Manufacturing Consent" don't look so crazy.

However, Kevin Keane, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, defended the fake news report, saying that the use of such "video news releases is a common, routine practice in government and the private sector." He even went so far as to say that those who question this practice "(need) to do some research on modern public information tools."

It's understandable that private sector companies have used these types of releases; after all, some businesses have no shame when it comes to trying to sell their product or service. But to say that it is OK for the government to use such misleading advertisements disguised as unbiased news reports is so ludicrous that it is difficult to describe.

Perhaps the Bush administration should send out an "article" by Karen Ryan addressing any concerns over its manipulation of the media. It could run right in the middle of the front page and dispel any suspicions that it tries to manipulate the American public.

It could even interview White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, and he could say that video news releases and other government-sponsored faux news reports actually help to ensure the freedom of the press and freedom of speech in America. There could even be fake quotes from fake ordinary Americans saying that the releases are "a good idea ... a very good idea."

Until then, though, I'll decide on my own that Dubya's manipulations and lies are not a good idea.

Brett Berry is a regional development sophomore who hates being lied to. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.