“You know, the size of protests is like deciding, well, I’m going to decide policy based upon a focus group,” said President Bush, when asked about his reaction to last weekend’s mass anti-war protests around the world. “The role of a leader is to decide policy based upon the security — in this case, the security of the people.”

Oddly enough, Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge, reacting to criticism over the duct tape/plastic sheeting madness of last week, explained that the recommendation to stock up on the useless items was the result of extensive focus group testing.

A focus group, for those of you still blissfully unaware, is where a bunch of people who desperately want others to listen to them are placed in a sterile environment and asked leading questions. These sessions are promoted as scientific by those that run them and are often employed by large organizations who are uneasy and unsure in their dealings with human beings. Such organizations are more comfortable “letting science decide” what to say and how to say it.

Of course, “science” has a tin ear, and is wont to answer sincere personal questions about protecting one’s family by belching out phrases like “duct tape and plastic sheeting.”