Alterman in 2000--Where's the Rest of Him?
"Reagan showed a similar indulgence toward the terrorists in El Salvador. The President and his equally immoral advisers consistently behaved as if they were hired public relations agents for the murderers of children, nuns, priests and peasants. Not long after these killings reached the amazing level of more than 200 per week--in a country with just 5.5 million people--Reagan mused aloud that they were not the work of 'so-called murder squads' on the right, but of 'guerrilla forces' who think they 'can get away with these violent acts, helping to try and bring down the government, and the right wing will be blamed for it.' In fact, only days later, Vice President Bush flew to San Salvador to insist that 'every murderous act' committed by 'right-wing fanatics...poisons the well of friendship between our two countries,' and that 'death squad murders' could cost the killers 'the support of the American people.' Didn't Reagan know what Bush knew? Does anyone care? After the war, the Catholic archdiocese in San Salvador documented the number of killings on each side. The tally: military and government-assisted death squads, 41,048; left-wing guerrillas, 776. Reagan was off by almost 5,500 percent. Liar or moron? You tell me."