THE MAGIC SHOW

The pattern is well set. The president’s fortunes will rise with celebration over the capture of Saddam Hussein; for a period, Bush will be able to do no wrong; he will use that to advance some portion of his agenda that would otherwise be difficult, whether it’s domestic or further adventures in the Middle East.

For months I was convinced Bush’s buildup to an Iraq war was cover for his domestic agenda, because I’d never heard of the Project for the New American Century. Now I know the international agenda is just as real as the domestic for Bush’s administration, but that doesn’t change the political realities of creating a wartime presidency even when the real war -- the one in Afghanistan, in this case -- wears out.

If I was at risk of forgetting this, a reminder was fast in reaching me. I hadn’t been in the Boston Herald newsroom five minutes today before overhearing Jules Crittendon, who traveled with U.S. troops to cover the Iraq war, referring to “Howard -- no, excuse me, Coward Dean.”

There’s not much you can do to counter an attitude that makes cowardice out of opposing an unjustified war of choice against a former ally, especially since the people declaring war aren’t the ones facing death. But the magic of U.S. politics can make the capture of an enemy, even a former ally, seem like justification for war instead of simply a probable outcome, and opposition seem like cowardice instead of simply opposition.

Magic isn’t real, of course. What we call magic is actually illusion enabled by misdirection, and it is through those techniques that the Bush administration will pursue its goals, here or abroad. Opponents will have a hard time responding because some of the audience will be taken in by the trick and others simply enjoy the magic even though they know there’s a trick involved.

For Bush, who has consistently been portrayed as deeply religious, it is not magic but providence that’s at work for him. And he will proceed with the power of politics, the U.S. military and God behind him, very possibly marching right over the wishes and rights of those wary of all three.

This political pattern is so well set that I’m not sure there’s any way to break it. Especially when revealing the mechanics of illusion would only bother the audience members who were so enjoying the show.