Tons! Having a spacegoat is the perfect thing for an authoritarian ruler. It's an easy excuse to tighten laws and limit liberties, such as the USA PATRIOT ACT (that's all an acronym I guess?).

I don't know if it was planned by someone in the government... but it's possible it was known and allowed to happen. I mean honestly, it was like perfect for Bush. Everyone instantly rallied behind him without a second thought, and he was able to invade Iraq and finish what his father started. (Did you know the Bush family is in bed with Saudi Arabian oil royalty? Did you know said royalty hated Saddam Hussein? No joke.)