It's a little more than self-congratulation, take it from an old publicist/PR guy. It creates a headline. From the headline a legend is created through repetition and the Big Lie technique. Pretty soon the legend is 'fact,' and is even repeated by Congress-critters when they start making appropriations. The Left has used this technique as long as I've been around and it still works like a charm. Remember Alar? Yes, it was finally discredited, but it took 500 Philadelphia lawyers and a mean mule to do it. Most of these liberal lies are never even challenged.