Be Aware. A Lack of Truth Hurts Us.

From Media Matters:

...If the [Washington] Post wants to characterize criticism as "strident" or "harsh," it might better begin with the false claim, made by a "senior Bush aide" -- and reported in the September 4 edition of the Post as though it were true -- that Blanco [governor of Louisiana] still hadn't gotten around to declaring a state of emergency as of September 3. In fact, Blanco did so on August 26, a fact the Post acknowledged in a correction on September 5. But neither the Post's correction, nor any subsequent article, even hinted at a basic, and extremely newsworthy, fact: The Bush administration is spreading false information about Blanco in order to shift blame to state and local efforts...

Something to be aware of, when Bush's advisor Karl Rove takes on a smear campaign, here is what it looks like:

1. Ignore opponents' criticism
2. Attack them at a strength, rather than a weakness
3. Attempt to discredit opponent by any means possible, including lies
4. Repeat lies over and over and in many places until people assume they are the truth

Bush calls Rove "turd blossom" because he has a history of making crap smell good. Bush should know. He's given Rove plenty of loads to work with. The city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana are probably not up to fighting the Rove machine. It is frightening how powerful it is--just ask Republican John McCain. It will be up to you to look critically at statements that anyone (including people who disagree with the White House) claim as truth.