"If wishes were horses, Beggars would ride"

"We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality."
[unnamed White House aide, quoted by Ron Suskind, NYT Magazine, 17 Oct 2004]

"…my belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators."
[VP Cheney, Meet the Press, 16 Mar 2003]

"I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency."
[VP Cheney, Larry King Live, 30 May 2005]

Please note the words: "... my belief", "I think".

In anthropology, psychology and cognitive science magical thinking is causal reasoning that often includes such ideas as the law of contagion, correlation equalling causation, the power of symbols and the ability of the mind to affect the physical world.
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A common form of magical thinking is that one's own thoughts can influence events...
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Another form of magical thinking occurs when people believe that words can directly affect the world.
Wikipedia entry, "magical thinking"

W's Administration is characterized by magical thinking.

The quotation opening this post ("... we create our own reality") is an explicit statement of this worldview.

SecDef Rumsfeld's "epiphany" provides another example. If we don't call the enemy "insurgents" the battlefield is changed, presto!

W himself engages in this "causal reasoning" continually in his speeches: saying the words is sufficient; follow-up action is not required.

Examples abound. I'll use my favorite: W's May 2004 War College speech in which he outlined "five steps in our plan to help Iraq achieve democracy and freedom." Two of these have been achieved:
1) "The first of these steps will occur next month, when our coalition will transfer full sovereignty to a government of Iraqi citizens who will prepare the way for national elections.
2) "The fifth and most important step is free, national elections, to be held no later than next January."

The other three steps?

"The second step in the plan for Iraqi democracy is to help establish the stability and security that democracy requires."

"The third step in the plan for Iraqi democracy is to continue rebuilding that nation's infrastructure..."

"The fourth step in our plan is to enlist additional international support for Iraq's transition."

I note that no actions were undertaken to implement any of these three steps. Simply saying the words was sufficient.

You do not have to look very hard to find many other examples of W and his minions attempting to create their own reality by simply reciting the correct incantation, with no attempt to match words with deeds. (Can you spell "Katrina"?)

This Administration's adoption of magical thinking is fully consistent with their anti-rational, anti-science worldview.

Evidence, facts, the ability to realistically anticipate consequences... none of these is held at a premium. Just make sure you say the right words!