Dear Great Leader

From Frank Rich’s column in the NYT (unfortunately behind a paid subscription wall) today:

When a government substitutes propaganda for governing, the Potemkin village is all. Since we don't get honest information from this White House, we must instead, as the Soviets once did, decode our rulers' fictions to discern what's really happening. What we're seeing now is the wheels coming off: As the administration's stagecraft becomes more baroque, its credibility tanks further both at home and abroad. The propaganda techniques may be echt Goebbels, but they increasingly come off as pure Ali G.

Also from an item in the NYT titled Dear Great Leader:

The government of Pakistan was embarrassed to learn that an English textbook for teenagers contains an anonymous ode, in which the first letters of each line spell "President Bush." The poem, "The Leader," appeared in Britain's Guardian newspaper:

Patient and steady with all he must bear,

Ready to accept every challenge with care,

Easy in manner, yet solid as steel,

Strong in his faith, refreshingly real,

Isn't afraid to propose what is bold,

Doesn't conform to the usual mold,

Eyes that have foresight, for hindsight won't do

Never back down when he sees what is true

Tells it all straight, and means it all too

Bracing for war, but praying for peace

Using his power so evil will cease:

So much a leader and worthy of trust,

Here stands a man who will do what he must.