American Idiots

Who would have thought back in 1994 that a punk version of Paul McCartney would pen the song that best encapsulates America in the Bush years?

Read these poll numbers and weep:

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Dec. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- More than four years after the
attacks of September 11, 2001, many U.S. adults still believe some of the
justifications for the invasion of Iraq, which have now been discredited,
according to a new Harris Poll. For example:

-- Forty-one percent (41%) of U.S. adults believe that Saddam Hussein had
"strong links to Al Qaeda."
-- Twenty-two percent (22%) of adults believe that Saddam Hussein "helped
plan and support the hijackers who attacked the United States on
September 11."
-- Twenty-six percent (26%) of adults believe that Iraq "had weapons of
mass destruction when the U.S. invaded."
-- Twenty-four percent (24%) of all adults believe that "several of the
hijackers who attacked the United States on September 11 were Iraqis."

Now, these numbers hovering around 25% are the solid core of Bush supporters -- the women who wish they could be his Monica Lewinsky, the Christofascists who think he's one of them, the people who, like George W. Bush, can't admit that they were wrong, and those still so fear-crazed about Scary Arab Men that they can't see they have more to fear from the dictatorial ambitions and the sheer ineptitude of the current Administration. But still -- one in four people still believing this is pretty damn scary.

(hat tip: Atrios)