The Washington Post has a disturbing report today on the White House manual on how to deal with protesters during President Bush’s speeches. The worst part, I think, is this passage, which deals with how to counter those demonstrators who do get in:

To counter any demonstrators who do get in, advance teams are told to create “rally squads” of volunteers with large hand-held signs, placards or banners with “favorable messages.” Squads should be placed in strategic locations and “at least one squad should be ‘roaming’ throughout the perimeter of the event to look for potential problems,” the manual says.

“These squads should be instructed always to look for demonstrators,” it says. “The rally squad’s task is to use their signs and banners as shields between the demonstrators and the main press platform. If the demonstrators are yelling, rally squads can begin and lead supportive chants to drown out the protesters (USA!, USA!, USA!). As a last resort, security should remove the demonstrators from the event site.”

In addition to the objectionable effort to screen out and shout down all dissent, the implication is that all protesters are anti-American and that a “supportive chant” that will counter their message is to yell “USA! USA! USA!.” Also, note how “USA!” is suggested as a way for attendees to express support for President Bush.

All in all, it’s of a piece with the administration’s attitude toward dissent, which it has repeatedly attacked since 9/11. (See also Chapter 6 of All the President’s Spin on the administration’s efforts to undermine dissent after 9/11.)