Why the Bush propaganda machine is coming apart

In the media, tools like Ajami are being challenged (recent MSNBC interview). Republicans are no longer able to imply that 9/11 was caused by Iraq, except on Fox News. Of course, the President is free to make such conflations because he only makes speeches in front of audiences that are required to avoid any critical thinking. Republicans are feeling the heat in solid Republican districts on the issue of the occupation. Public dissent against the failed occupation and the false premises of the invasion are routinely voiced in most media outlets. Why has so much crumbled so fast for Republicans?

- People no longer buy the "dissent is treason" or "dissent emboldens the enemy" line that the White House has trotted out for far too long. Former soldiers, retired generals and those who are clearly patriotic have dissented in public on the Iraq issue.
- Bush has no credibility at all, except with his 20%. These people will believe whatever he says and defend whatever he does, no matter what. Without credibility, the assurances Bush routinely makes fail to gain him traction. Years of "turning the corner", "last throes", "dead-enders", etc. have proven that the man has no grasp on reality whatsoever.
- Bush's strong support comes from two groups: The "My God can beat up their God" crowd who simply hate Islam and hope that all Iraqis will just kill each other off, and those who, like people cheering for a sports team, don't want to see "their guy" lose to the "other side". Neither of the groups appeals much to the average American.
- A continual and pervasive secrecy, facility to lie, and pattern of "taking responsiblity" for failures without actually taking any blame. It makes Bush look like a weasel surrounded by incompetents.
- No clear-cut enemy in the occupation, no clear-cut good guys among the Iraqis to cheer for.
- Soldiers dying not engaged in combat with an enemy, but from roadside bombs planted by those we "liberated". It's not a glorious enough death for those who prefer a dramatic storyline to the truth.
- It's taken far too long to wrap things up, and Americans like quick wins and neat finishes. Bush has only indicated that the occupation might last for decades more.
- The "surge" has taken far too long (five months) to get off the ground. That's the maximum attention span used up right there, just to get the "clock" started.
- Stop-loss and tour extensions of soldiers that have families. Most of these now have no job to return to, and it's becoming increasingly likely that the tours will get even longer and that soldiers who already served years ago will be called back. Bush is seen as abusing the troops, rather than supporting them.
- The people we are "fighting for" seem even more unable to make a government work than Bush.
- Scary stories from the White House (terror alerts, vague threats, dire consequences, etc.) that never seem to pan out. Crying wolf too often has its downside. It also makes our intelligence seem weak.

There are other reasons, of course. It's becoming clearer that "we" aren't going to "get the oil", our troops are dying for people believing in another religion, the huge financial costs, and the slow destruction of our military capacity for an increasingly murky goal. I'm not particularly endorsing or supporting all of these reasons, but they are factors in the abject failure of Bush's propaganda machine to spin things their way.
None of these reasons are likely to go away, either. The vast majority will not buy an upbeat assessment from Petraeus in September unless things have miraculously improved. We're not talking about the "some signs of progress" line, either. I mean the stability that will allow us to leave Iraq. That won't be happening and everyone already knows it. Things would have to look a heck of a lot better by now in order for that dream to come to pass. We're not talking about amusement parks or soccer leagues, either. The blush is off the rose, the honeymoon is over, the wink and a nudge doesn't work the way it did before.
The GOP has so closely tied its fate to Bush that it seems almost like political suicide. Too many have stood by the Bozo for too long. Another terror attack won't even help the Republicans. Bush would certainly bungle the response horribly, and it would make everyone wonder why, with all of the extreme powers this guy has taken upon himself, he couldn't have prevented it. Remember, the current polls show 40% of the country want our troops withdrawn immediately. Over half want Cheney impeached. This hardly seems like the cause or the crew a Party would want to go down with the ship for.