Starting in mid-June, President Bush started accusing his critics of applying "revisionist history" to the Iraq war. On June 17th, he said: "I know there's a lot of revisionist history now going on, but one thing is certain -- he [Saddam] is no longer a threat to the free world, and the people of Iraq are free."
In making the comment, Bush again demonstrates that which he is accused of, revising his primary intent of the war from removal of weapons to removal of oppression.
For help in understanding the President's behavior, the best place to turn is not the political pundits, but defensemechanisms.net, which provides the following motivations underpinning Mr. Bushes need for, and need to invoke revisionism:
1. Rationalization -- The attempt to provide an alternate explanation for a behavior or impulse that would otherwise be seen as unacceptable.
2. Projection -- Attributing one's own flaws and unacceptable feelings to someone else.
3. Denial -- The attempt to deal with a disturbing fact by denying its existence or refusing to accept its significance.
