The Emperor Must See No Dissent. The Emperor Must Hear No Dissent. The Emperor Must Be Aware Of No Dissent.

He's the boy in the bubble and the baby with the babboon heart.

Today's WaPo reports on a WH manual, recently come to light, that described the ways in which Emperor Bush must be protected from the merest chance of coming in contact with anyone who dares to disagree with him. It's pretty disgusting. Here are a few examples:

Any event must be open only to those with tickets tightly controlled by organizers.

Those entering must be screened in case they are hiding secret signs.

Any anti-Bush demonstrators who manage to get in anyway should be shouted down by "rally squads" stationed in strategic locations. And if that does not work, they should be thrown out.

But that does not mean the White House is against dissent -- just so long as the president does not see it. In fact, the manual outlines a specific system for those who disagree with the president to voice their views. It directs the White House advance staff to ask local police "to designate a protest area where demonstrators can be placed, preferably not in the view of the event site or motorcade route."

Kali on a cracker. This is America. The president works for us. We have a right to let him know when we're not happy with his job performance and, contrary to what George Bush thinks, he as, like every American worker, thousands of "accountability moments" -- not just one. Allow demonstrators to demonstrate only in a seclued area outside of the view of the president no more complies with the First Amendment that my boss giving me my performance review off in a secluded room out of my sight and hearing complies with good business practices. MBA president, my sweet ass. The whole point to their demonstration is to let the president know that they're not happy with the job that he's doing. And if his pissy, fragile ego can't handle that, then he really has no business in this job. (But, then we knew that. It's why we elected Al Gore. Thanks, again, Sandra Day!)

But the report makes clear that there was another reason, beyond the boyking's gentle feelings, why the WH decided to trash the First Amendment: a Leni Riefenstahl-like desire to control how the event "looked" to the press, thereby controlling the press.

The manual offers advance staffers and volunteers who help set up presidential events guidelines for assembling crowds. Those invited into a VIP section on or near the stage, for instance, must be " extremely supportive of the Administration," it says. . . .

Advance teams are advised not to worry if protesters are not visible to the president or cameras: "If it is determined that the media will not see or hear them and that they pose no potential disruption to the event, they can be ignored. On the other hand, if the group is carrying signs, trying to shout down the President, or has the potential to cause some greater disruption to the event, action needs to be taken immediately to minimize the demonstrator's effect."

If they're not visible to the press, then they don't exist. Which is why the WH tries to get them shuffled off to "Free Speech Zones" (War is Peace, Slavery is Freedom), in the first place.

I hate these fucking people.