Keep 'em dumb and pliant
Many words have been written by those trying to understand the mentality of the Bush White House. Some scientists seem to have discovered the answer:
A queen bee needs to keep her subjects calm and quiet, and she does so by secreting a scent that prevents worker bees from learning, according to new research.
The study, published Thursday in the journal Science, found that a component in the queen's pheromone inhibits the sterile worker bees' ability to learn from negative experiences.
The substance must surely be in the drinking water at 1600 Pennsylvania.
But wait -- I think it might be in the drinking water on Capitol Hill, too:
By preventing aversive learning, the queen ensures that her youngest offspring will stay in the hive and not use their stingers, even if something unpleasant occurs.
That must be what's keeping Congress from ending the Iraq occupation.