Frightening stuff. What it basically says is that propaganda works (which is slightly different than outright lies). And that when you get a fanatic administration that plays fast and loose with the facts, and add to that a public that's willing to play along, well ... you get scary consequences.

Ever read any Chomsky? He calls this 'manufacturing consent', when you basically lead the public by the nose in order to support your plans, without having to be bothered with telling them the truth about anything at all. And they willingly go along with it, even if you tell them otherwise!

It's almost a no-win proposition - to combat intentional ignorance, you sometimes have to play by those rules, and you can't tell people to their face that they're being stupid and wrong-headed, because that'll never fly. One thing Americans are convinced of completely is their sophistication and superiority, and it's a very hard sell to tell them they've been bamboozled for four years.