Saddam bin Laden

Saddam bin Laden

You almost have to admire the way the administration has managed to blur (erase?) the line between 9/11-Osama-Al Qaeda and Saddam-Iraq. Just by mentioning the two in the same sentence enough times, people are beginning to believe that it’s all the same thing.

-How many Iraqis were among the 9/11 hijackers? None.
-Are Osama and Saddam working together? No. They hate each other.
-Did Saddam have anything at all to do with 9/11? No.

But we are a suggestible people. It reminds me of a great book I read in a college psychology class, “Influence” by Robert Cialdini.

Cialdini did experiments where people asked others for favors, like permission to cut in line at the copy machine. He found that if people included the word “because” in their spiel, they were much more likely to get the other person to agree. This was true even if they didn’t really give a reason: “Could I cut in line? Because I need to make some copies.” People hear the word “because,” and their brains assume there’s a good reason for the request.

Same thing with Saddam and 9/11. Mention them together often enough, and presto! Influence. Cialdini would be proud.