Inventing Fear.

It was one thing when we were told (usually whenever there was bad news coming for the Bush administration) the terror alert system had been triggered, and we were under threat of imminent danger... well, we went to red alert or something.

It is quite another, however, when there is a concerted effort to trick the nation into believing the news media, and especially the New York Times, is giving secrets to "the enemy" by covering the news.

In this case, it's more like stating the obvious (covering the story in the first place, that is).

Now that the roots of the story have been exposed (Bush himself spoke publicly many times about the methods used to track financing as early as October, 2001), take a look at the way the news cycle worked last week.

Remember the Big Fear Story last week? The plot to blow up the Sears Tower was a story blown (pardon the pun) way out of proportion. And the arrests of the "Miami 7," or whatever catchy name they were given for the story, were premature, at best.

Fact is -- and I know several longtime Chicago cops who have told me this -- there is no way a terrorist-looking type is going to get near that building without, uh, suddenly committing suicide with several shots to the head in one of the alleys along Jackson Street. Chicago cops are on, and more than happy to introduce these fine types to Allah, personally.

Chicago Police were, in fact, on the story by Thursday morning saying no such credible threat ever existed.

Legal scholars lined up immediately following Attorney General Electrocuto Gonzales made the breathless announcement of the indictments and called bullshit on the whole thing. And then, miraculously, the story went away by the end of the day Friday.

Incredible.

But it was just another ruse, designed this time to control the content of the media. And it worked for a couple of days.

More invented fear for the American public, which by now, loves to be scared into submisison by this administration.

Now, however, the Bush administration has moved on to the next phase of their Goebbels-like plan to control our minds: using its surrogates to attack the New York Times with a charge out of whole cloth.

And it's doing a great job of controlling the media and keeping everyone under control with yet another ridiculous story. I can't wait to see what's next, with the announcement by the Supremes today that the administration overstepped its role by creating the secret "war crimes tribunal" for GITMO prisoners.