If 100 days of Barack Obama haven't been enough to make you pine for the good old George W. Bush era already, you might want to watch a new Web video produced by House Republican leader John Boehner and the House Intelligence Committee's top Republican, Pete Hoekstra. Because they clearly think the country was better off last year.
"What are Democrats doing to keep America safe?" the video asks -- over a soundtrack of eerie screeches, ominous strings and soundbites from GOP critics and TV pundits who say, basically, that the terrorists are going to kill us all.
The final 17 seconds are a true tour de force of the politics of fear: quick cuts of still photos including Obama greeting Saudi King Abdullah, shaking hands with Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez, giving a speech, standing with Vice President Joe Biden and sitting in a Cabinet meeting. Oh, and also, a few still shots of masked jihadis carrying rocket launchers, a bomb exploding, protesters stomping on a burning American flag and the exterior of the Pentagon on 9/11 are thrown in -- you know, just in case the video was too subtle.
An aide to Boehner told Salon the GOP leader's office thought the video raised "fair questions" and that it wasn't at all over the top. To borrow a slogan someone else is already using, we report, you decide. Watch the video here, and see what you think:
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