Magical thinking

In its least clinical way, magical thinking is believing something to be true simply because we wish it to be so, believe it deeply even if there it seems contrary to actual reality, even if it appears to fly in the face of all known facts & evidence.  Logical thinking has no connection to magical thinking.  Something is true because you wish it to be so. 

Conservatives are masters of magical thinking.  Fact, not opinion.  The other day, I pointed out to a friend that under the Obama administration, the deficit has been reduced.  That wasn't a comment, it's a fact.  She flat out refused to accept - "I don't believe that."  

Few things bear out current-day experience with GOP magical thinking than their unflagging belief that the administration had shady, even dark, motives behind their response to the attack on the U.S. consulate at Benghazi.  In spite of non-partisan reports that fault the administration for its flawed talking points but found no fault with the initial response to the attack, no evidence that either Secretary Clinton or the president order forces to stand down, a House select committee keeps on meeting, keeps asserting "there are still facts to learn about Benghazi and information that needs to be explained in greater detail to the American people. And this Committee will do just that." 

Actually, both Rep. Issa & Rep. Gowdy are spot on - there ARE key, unanswered questions.  There will always be unanswered questions.  Neither committee can interrogate the personnel who were at the CIA's Benghazi outpost.   

Which brings up an interesting point.  Don't doubt for a moment that if we'd had a Republican president on 09/11/12, our conservative press would have used the CIA presence as cause to shout down any attempts at congressional hearings on the basis of national security. But it was a democrat, so we forge ahead in getting to truth no one seems able to find which they know in their bones is out there.

For years, have thought the most notorious case of Republican magical thinking was the Bush administration's insistence we had PROOF of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, blatantly magical thinking that was the motivation for going to war.  

Up until yesterday, I thought that Dick Cheney was the most flagrant magical thinker of all time.  HA!  Not even close.

That most amazing bit of magical thinking comes from none other than President Ronald Reagan, all the way back on March 4, 1987.   

President Reagan's administration was embroiled in scandal that would have sunk any Democratic president.  Thanks to the crash of an air transport in Nicaragua, it was discovered that he had approved the sale of arms to Iran, in part as a trade for hostages (something he had pledged the American people he'd never do) and to raise money so his administration could covertly & illegally provide financial support to the rebels (contras) fighting against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. 

The entire speech is drop-jaw fantastic, a well-spring of magical thinking.  But one section stands out, one paragraph is the very zenith (or nadir) of conservative magical thinking:

A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that's true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not. As the Tower board reported, what began as a strategic opening to Iran deteriorated, in its implementation, into trading arms for hostages. This runs counter to my own beliefs, to administration policy, and to the original strategy we had in mind. There are reasons why it happened, but no excuses. It was a mistake.

Wow.  My jaw dropped on reading that yesterday.  He didn't know ALL the pesky details - which at best ensured plausible deniability, at worst meant his aides had run totally amuck, which is far more alarming - but his own diary shows that he had enough & definitely gave the green light:

12/05/85  ~  N.S.C. briefing--probably Bud's last. Subject was our undercover effort to free our 5 hostages held by terrorists in Lebanon. It is a complex undertaking with only a few of us in on it. I won't even write in the diary what we're up to.

12/07/85 ~  Day opened with "Rex" (our new dog) on our bed. I then had a meeting with Don R., Cap W. and Bud M., John P., Geo. Schultz and Mahan of C.I.A. This had to do with the complex plan which could return our 5 hostages & help some officials in Iran who want to turn that country from its present course & on to a better relationship with us. It calls for Israel selling some weapons to Iran. As they are delivered in installments by air our hostages will be released. The weapons will go to the moderate leaders in the army who are essential if there is to be a change to a more stable govt. We then sell Israel replacements for the delivered weapons. None of this is a gift--the Iranians pay cash for the weapons--so does Israel. ~ ~ ~  George S. Cap and Don are opposed--Cong. has imposed a law that we can't sell Iran weapons or sell any other country weapons for resale to Iran. Geo. also thinks this violates our policy of not paying off terrorists. I claim the weapons are for those who want to change the govt of Iran & no ransom is being pd. for the hostages. No direct sale would be made by us to Iran but we would be replacing the weapons sold by Israel.

Sounds to me like he had knowledge of what was going on with the arms for hostage part.  Before reading the Tower Commission report.  Before telling the American people in November 1986, "In spite of the wildly speculative and false stories of arms for hostages and alleged ransom payments, we did not, repeat, did not, trade weapons or anything else for hostages.  Nor will we."  

But who can fault the man?  He was a conservative Republican & it was what he WANTED to be true, at least at that moment, was what he felt in his heart, what he held in his intentions.  Magical thinking.

President Reagan's 03/04/87 speech is a clear fore-runner of today's conservative thinking - completely skip over what happened to get to a more pleasant, acceptable story:
You've heard a lot about the staff of the National Security Council in recent months. Well, I can tell you, they are good and dedicated government employees, who put in long hours for the Nation's benefit. They are eager and anxious to serve their country. One thing still upsetting me, however, is that no one kept proper records of meetings or decisions. This led to my failure to recollect whether I approved an arms shipment before or after the fact. I did approve it; I just can't say specifically when. Well, rest assured, there's plenty of recordkeeping now going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.


Sheez - it didn't bother him that Oliver North & Fawn Hall shredded NSC documents, only that "no one kept proper records of meetings or decisions" which lead to his failure to remember whether he approved an arms shipment before or after the fact?  Mr. President - is it possible that those records were the documents being shredded?

(Am imagining the little smile & "aw, gosh" voice as he said, "Well, rest assured, there's plenty of recordkeeping now going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.")

Shocks me, how far back magical thinking goes with conservatives.  Shocks me, realizing that the majority of Americans seem okay with it, just an interesting quirk of the Republican party.  

Here's a hard, cold, uncompromising FACT  -  magical thinking is antithetical to effective governing.