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Today's Must Read
At least Lyndon Johnson was introspective. That's the takeaway from Peter Baker's big Washington Post exploration of George W. Bush's "tranquility" in the midst of the compounding disasters of his presidency, from Iraq to Katrina to Alberto Gonzales. Enduring what Baker calls "the most drastic political collapse in a generation," Bush holes up in the White House, turning down appearances where he might face public disapproval, as when he declined to throw out the first pitch for the Washington Nationals' opening day. Even when he calls historians to the White House to discuss precedents for Iraq war strategy or the "nature of good and evil in the post-Sept. 11 world," he remains surprisingly confident:
In public and in private, according to intimates, he exhibits an inexorable upbeat energy that defies the political storms. Even when he convenes philosophical discussions with scholars, he avoids second-guessing his actions. He still acts as if he were master of the universe, even if the rest of Washington no longer sees him that way."You don't get any feeling of somebody crouching down in the bunker," said Irwin M. Stelzer, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute who was part of one group of scholars who met with Bush. "This is either extraordinary self-confidence or out of touch with reality. I can't tell you which."
Stelzer is very generous, perhaps due to his personal audience with the president. Consider the origins of the surge. Josh Bolten, the White House chief of staff, had to "shock" Bush into recognizing that his Iraq strategy had failed after the GOP rout in the midterms. A less serene president might have interpreted Bolten's message to mean that it was time to, at the least, seek a path to extrication. Instead, Bush's "extraordinary self-confidence," in Stelzer's words, led him to... escalate the war. Bush shows every sign of believing that the GOP midterm massacre was, in reality, a mandate for him to deepen the U.S. commitment to the war.
Even the outside scholars Bush invites to the White House seem like enablers. Consider this frightening exchange:
Stelzer said Bush seemed smarter than he expected. The conversation ranged from history to religion and touched on sensitive topics for a president wrestling with his legacy. "He asked me, 'Do you think our unpopularity abroad is a result of my personality?' And he laughed," Stelzer recalled. "I said, 'In part.' And he laughed again."Much of the discussion focused on the nature of good and evil, a perennial theme for Bush, who casts the struggle against Islamic extremists in black-and-white terms. Michael Novak, a theologian who participated, said it was clear that Bush weathers his difficulties because he sees himself as doing the Lord's work.
The piece doesn't list Stelzer or Novak's reactions to the way Bush conceives of the question of the world's rejection of the U.S. under Bush. But it would be a great credit to both men if they had said that the issue isn't so much Bush's "personality" but instead the way that he's taken America on a violent, imperial course, further destabilizing the Middle East and South Asia, without any ability to mitigate or even understand the consequences.
Conservatives are starting to understand as well that Bush's solipsism turns blunders into quagmires. A case in point is the president's take on the U.S. attorneys scandal:
Bush remains convinced that his old friend did nothing wrong ethically in firing U.S. attorneys, and senior adviser Karl Rove angrily rejects what he sees as a Democratic witch hunt, according to White House officials. Yet beyond the inner circle, it is hard to find a current or former administration official who thinks Gonzales should stay."I don't understand for the life of me why Al Gonzales is still there," said one former top aide, who, like others, would speak only on the condition of anonymity. "It's not about him. It's about the office and who's able to lead the department." The ex-aide said that every time he runs into former Cabinet secretaries, "universally the first thing out of their mouths" is bafflement that Gonzales remains. ...
Beyond Gonzales, the discontent with the Bush presidency is broader and deeper among Republican lawmakers, some of whom seethe with anger. "Our members just wish this thing would be over," said a senior House Republican who met with Bush recently. "People are tired of him." Bush's circle remains sealed tight, the lawmaker said. "There's nobody there who can stand up to him and tell him, 'Mr. President, you've got to do this. You're wrong on this.' There's no adult supervision. It's like he's oblivious. Maybe that's a defense mechanism."
If a consistent thread ties these episodes together, it's that, for Bush, his poor fortunes are the faults of lesser beings. One of his last remaining allies, Rep. Peter King (R-NY), describes Bush as concerned with how "100 years from now people will decide if he was right or wrong." Bob Woodward first captured that aspect of Bush in Plan of Attack, when Bush parried a question about history's verdict on Iraq by remarking, "We don't know. We'll all be dead." Like all truisms, it missed the point: history looks most kindly on those who correct their mistakes, rather than entrench themselves. It will take an energetic approach to historical revisionism to explain away the George W. Bush on display in Baker's piece this morning.
Comments (86)
TheraP wrote on July 2, 2007 10:05 AM:Denial is a wonderful thing - gives you serenity and a good night's sleep.
Well.... it's wonderful for the one who denies, anyway. For the rest of us? Denial has got us where we are today.
Bush - the Great Denier. The Great Liar.
The man should look inside if he wants to consider good versus evil. Not to "experts" on history. He is our own worst enemy.
Billy Pilgrim wrote on July 2, 2007 10:06 AM:Easy explanation. It's the "message from a bottle."
Crust wrote on July 2, 2007 10:11 AM:On Bush and his White House: "There's no adult supervision." Indeed.
That used to be a Paul Krugman line, that wignuts used to diagnose "Bush Derangement Syndrome". Now it comes from the mouth of a "senior House Republican".
Anonymous wrote on July 2, 2007 10:11 AM:"...Our members just wish this thing would be over..."
A simple, joint legislative action could quickly make that a reality.
TheraP wrote on July 2, 2007 10:13 AM:The inability to change course is not a sign of good mental health.
Wisdom and maturity are marked by compassion and a lack of impetuosity, by an ability to adapt to changing circumstances, to hold multiple viewpoints in mind simultaneously, and to let go of a need to control.
Indeed bush's character has marked everything he has done. And the verdict is "not good."
"Snake" says the code word.
Tom Joad wrote on July 2, 2007 10:14 AM:I found three particularly remarkable things in this piece. 1) "in the midst of compounding disasters" indeed; it's all about the tragedies that "happen" to poor ol' Prez (mistakes were made...). 2) Baker lumps Clinton in with Carter and Nixon without providing the same snappy specifics of what was so telling about the other two's inner demons. 3) Baker claims that Bush avoids the rearview mirror...in his long piece about how Bush is clinging desperately to the rearview mirror, waiting for everyone to break into applause in hindsight.
poetry wrote on July 2, 2007 10:22 AM:It is frightening to have such a delusional president.
Ferruge wrote on July 2, 2007 10:31 AM:I have to admit that it's nice to the see WaPo do the research and get confirmation now in 2007 of what many of us out here in the hinterlands have considered common knowledge for the past 6 years.
Crust wrote on July 2, 2007 10:32 AM:What Tom Joad said.
OkieFromMuskogee wrote on July 2, 2007 10:33 AM:"Much of the discussion focused on the nature of good and evil, a perennial theme for Bush, who casts the struggle against Islamic extremists in black-and-white terms. Michael Novak...said it was clear that Bush...sees himself as doing the Lord's work."
This should scare everyone who reads it. God save us from people who believe they are on a mission from God.
via wrote on July 2, 2007 10:35 AM:This is truly frightening. Just imagine if we read a similar article about a president of another nuclear superpower. We would be scared shitless. I am, about this one. I truly believe that this man is psychologically incapable of carrying out his duties. I think Cheney should be impeached and Bush removed from office by any constitutional means. I think we need an intervention.
Code Word: Bell - as in, I hope to hell a little bell is ringing inside Pelosi's and Reid's heads right now. Wake up! Before it is really too late!
Billy Pilgrim wrote on July 2, 2007 10:36 AM:Bush's inner demon is spelled "EtOH."
couser wrote on July 2, 2007 10:36 AM:500 mg. of Zoloft a day and I'd be pretty calm also.
randron wrote on July 2, 2007 10:41 AM:Bush is not the "Decider." He's the "Denierliar."
litigatormom wrote on July 2, 2007 10:49 AM:George, there's a simple reason why the world hates American, and you:
YOU SUCK AT BEING PRESIDENT.
JTL wrote on July 2, 2007 10:51 AM:When I first read the initial quote "In public and in private, according to intimates..." for some reason my mind read it as "In public and in private, according to INMATES..."
I wonder what was driving my subconscious?
UhOh wrote on July 2, 2007 10:52 AM:Looks like everyone's having a swell time up at Walker's Point in Maine:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/images/20070701_2w1w0843-515h.html
gb2/tx/ wrote on July 2, 2007 10:53 AM:"Our members just wish this thing would be over"
But they'll never vote to impeach him, or even defy him regularly.
Code: glass -- as in your average congressman's spine
MasonMcD wrote on July 2, 2007 10:54 AM:Over the course of the past 20 years or so, our nation has been duped into believing that government is bad, that it isn't *us*, but something other, and inherently evil, totalitarian thing. And we bought it.
So we get these demagogic, kleptocratic yokels in high office, siphon money out of our pockets to jingoistic and "faith-based" snake oil salesmen while our infrastructure crumbles, and we spend money at 35% interest to buy the flat screen that makes us feel like everything is A-OK.
We need to get back to the idea of self-rule, and take back our government from these think tank rejects. Make government work for us.
davcbr wrote on July 2, 2007 10:55 AM:It reminds me of the addicted gambler on a losing streak. Some how, some way, it's gona turn around. He "knows" he's at a low point and things can only get better from here. This sunny optimism, determination are fronts against the truth. This is why he keeps hidden and why it all sounds like he's in a play. To be dragged to looking directly at the truth would result in a collapse of everything. You see the same thing in alcoholics, gamblers, and other addicts. He supposedly went thru this before, but that was just more BS as he transfered from one addiction to another.
We need to get him out of there. What happens if he ends up having that moment while he still has the power?
MaxGowan wrote on July 2, 2007 10:56 AM:Have people forgotten how, after Hurricane Katrina, the real Bush became unmasked? Sullen, nasty, quick-tempered, terrifying to aids, who had to make up a dvd on the effects in order to get him to focus? This guy was revealed as a thoroughly nasty, narcissistic piece of work - which we all knew along anyway. And weak. And a coward.
Mary wrote on July 2, 2007 10:57 AM:I don't think he's on Zoloft. Acepromazine, which has anti-nausea effects as well, sounds more likely and could account for his newly leaked Secret Service nickname - "Ace."
Marc wrote on July 2, 2007 10:57 AM:George Bush is an alcoholic of the hopeless variety. He's been seen drinking at the G8 caught in the act. The dude is a wet alcoholic and in complete total denial. That's one the main symtoms of the disease of alcoholism. Selfishness and dishonesty are the other principle symtoms of alcoholism. He shouldn't be impeached, he should be declared incompetant and sent to a recovery facility. We need a national intervention. Part of me is kidding, but another part of me is dead serious. We're dealing with a very sick, emotionally disturbed man. To become abuse and deriding is not really appropriate or helpful. Let's not become as those whom we abhor on the right (Ann Coulter).
r€nato wrote on July 2, 2007 10:58 AM:If GOP lawmakers are so fed up with Bush, then why not agree to impeach him?
Oh, that's right, they are a bunch of cowardly Constitution-hating idiots.
I suppose it is possible that 100 years from now Bush will be judged a good president. It's also possible that 100 years from now we will invent a perpetual motion machine powered by ponies that grow on trees.
Only idiots and losers talk like this: "You'll see that I was right someday, and you'll be sorry you said bad things about me!"
Bush will be the most hated ex-president ever, in addition to being the worst president ever. I am hoping that after his presidency, the universal hatred of him drives him to become a near-hermit on his Crawford dude ranch, where falls off the wagon, spends his final days drunk out of his mind until he finally reaches the nadir of his self-loathing and blows his brains out.
On that day, the world will rejoice that the most evil man to lead a great nation since Mao has at long last departed this plane of existence.
MonkeyBoy wrote on July 2, 2007 10:59 AM:Confident? Is Bush wearing depends in this picture? What is going on with his pants. They look really puffy.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3335737
r€nato wrote on July 2, 2007 11:00 AM:If GOP lawmakers are so fed up with Bush, then why not agree to impeach him?
Oh, that's right, they are a bunch of cowardly Constitution-hating idiots.
I suppose it is possible that 100 years from now Bush will be judged a good president. It's also possible that 100 years from now we will invent a perpetual motion machine powered by ponies that grow on trees.
Only idiots and losers talk like this: "You'll see that I was right someday, and you'll be sorry you said bad things about me!"
Bush will be the most hated ex-president ever, in addition to being the worst president ever. I am hoping that after his presidency, the universal hatred of him drives him to become a near-hermit on his Crawford dude ranch, where falls off the wagon, spends his final days drunk out of his mind until he finally reaches the nadir of his self-loathing and blows his brains out.
On that day, the world will rejoice that the most evil man to lead a great nation since Mao has at long last departed this plane of existence.
ursus wrote on July 2, 2007 11:02 AM:Bush demonstrates the result of crossing Manichaeism (seeing the world as a perpetual conflict between good and evil) and solipsism. Solipsism makes it easy for him to determine what is good - it is whatever he is and he believes. That being the premise, why would he doubt himself? He may, consciously, or unconsciously see himself in religious terms, as the champion of good suffering degradation and humiliation in order to expiate and overcome the evil (sin) that has infected his critics. Does it sound remotely familiar?
Billy Pilgrim wrote on July 2, 2007 11:06 AM:The comments about his alcoholism aren't meant to be derisive.
The man needs Alcoholics Anonymous. Now.
Steve T. wrote on July 2, 2007 11:11 AM:"There's no adult supervision."
The great irony is that the unspoken theme of Bush's campaign to succeed Clinton -- a theme trumpeted openly and loudly during the transition -- was that after years of frivolous government by Clinton and those silly boomer kids, the adults were coming back in to get serious.
But these are not serious people. They don't understand, for example, that HOW you do things is as important as WHAT you do. Oh, they love the trappings of power, and Cheney does the gravitas act very well. But that's not being serious, that's being solemn. There's a difference.
Jane wrote on July 2, 2007 11:13 AM:Bush can maintain his composure just so long as he doesn't talk to any one who disagrees with him.
His allies have done him no favor by keeping him in a bubble. Sure he's composed, everyone who talks to him tells him how great things are going.
With respect to Katrina, that would have been Brownie.
His place in history is going to be assured, the first President in this century to steal the election.
Legalize wrote on July 2, 2007 11:13 AM:For some reason I imagine W in a big empty hall, tossing a tennis ball against the wall - over and over and over and over and over. Next while find the whole family hacked up in the walk in freezer.
Steve T. wrote on July 2, 2007 11:14 AM:"There's no adult supervision."
The great irony is that the unspoken theme of Bush's campaign to succeed Clinton -- a theme trumpeted openly and loudly during the transition -- was that after years of frivolous government by Clinton and those silly boomer kids, the adults were coming back in to get serious.
But these are not serious people. They don't understand, for example, that HOW you do things is as important as WHAT you do. Oh, they love the trappings of power, and Cheney does the gravitas act very well. But that's not being serious, that's being solemn. There's a difference.
CDC wrote on July 2, 2007 11:19 AM:"There's no adult supervision."
Please, please, please can we investigate Karl now?
The guy gave up his opportunity to rake in millions of dollars doing direct mail and strategy for the Bush-Cheney campaigns and the RNC for a $161,000 government job.
Sure, vanity goes a long way, but money speaks louder. Karl needs to be investigated.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/5/2/10177/11404
gregor wrote on July 2, 2007 11:23 AM:What if the personality traits described in the artical are the reason that he was chosen by the GOP elders as the party nominee in Palo Alto prior to the 2000 election?
If that is the case, the pathology should be placed at the feet of the Republican Party rather than the individual.
Muscovy Duck For Cover wrote on July 2, 2007 11:25 AM:Code Word: expert
I bet the Bushes met with Putin to settle some type of business deal. I know the Russian government has been harrassing Exxon and Shell over the Sakhalin Island projects.
kentuck wrote on July 2, 2007 11:26 AM:What? Me worry?
GabrielOak wrote on July 2, 2007 11:26 AM:Exactly what I would expect of a psychopath.
clem wrote on July 2, 2007 11:32 AM:Does this latest article in the Post read like another installment in the Cheney series? Are the people who manage the Lost Boy looking for a way to make Cheney the goat and dress the president up like the hero (flawed! isn't that an amazing level of candor?) of a tragedy?
Bush consults selected (by whom?) outsiders who are unable or unwilling to shake his calm resolve--which is killing people and wrecking at least two countries. They testify to his surprising intelligence, inquisitiveness, knowledge, calm, self-confidence, and closeness to God. That's interesting, because throughout his adult life he has established a record of stupidity, lack of curiosity, ignorance, hysteria, self-doubt, and views that are inconsistent with those of his hero, Jesus Christ.
The article quotes these insider historians and philosophers and allows them to paint a picture of a president who is so isolated (poor George!) that even Cheney disappears from the stage.
Are we being set up for Cheney's retirement and the arrival of a new vice president who will serve as a technical advisor to the well-meaning president as he strives honorably to save his legacy?
Hank Gillette wrote on July 2, 2007 11:35 AM:Those pictures of Bush as Alfred E. Newman, saying, "What? Me Worry?" seen downright prescient now.
moi wrote on July 2, 2007 11:35 AM:There is nothing at all surprising to me about this.
I used to work as a probation and parole officer. I saw lots of people with problems (ex-cons, alcoholics, drug addicts) turn to Jesus as their way of dealing (read: not dealing) with their problems.
It was the same -- it was all about denial and waiting for the Lord to make everything all better. It was a way of avoiding responsibility. That false sense of serenity was with them -- until they finally realized it didn't work, which most did eventually. The "out of touch with reality" aspect of going about their daily lives -- the same as with Bush.
The only difference I see is that somehow (and for the life I me I still can't see how we as a people let it happen!!!) Bush got himself in a position to do great and maybe permanent damage to the world while in such a state.
Our country is dysfunctional right now in great part because somehow we made a very dysfunctional person our leader.
Joseph Propenski wrote on July 2, 2007 11:36 AM:The "scholar" that was quoted in the Post article is from the American Enterprise Institute. It really is true that this President does not listen to anyone that may disagree with him. This "introspective" Bush is just the latest Rovian spin, and I buy it about as much as I buy the idea that the President has read three George Washington biographies.
anomolous wrote on July 2, 2007 11:36 AM:lord's work indeed
who's that Tracy Lords?
NutBush has been assured he's not touchable by him's Daddy
he's been conditioned to tread water all along and everything will be taken care of
one of his predominent regrets via those to whom he is in service, is that he didnt manage to reverse Social Security soze his Daddy's friends could have a dip in contracts with our lives and our deaths
this isnt an american president by any measure
this as witnessed is the lowest filthiest crime cartel this world has ever known and recored so far
I can hear him now as people drown in New Orleans playing the guitar and accompanying himself by singing in a macabre falsetto "Please dont kill Mme, Please don't kill me" ... and alluding to look for weapons of mass destruction while Lieberman laughs and laughs in the audience along with most of the Washington Press Corp
good day for being Caliglia, Bush, hope you enjoy it ... I dont want you to choke on a pretzel you low-life bottum feeding sap sucker
DGD wrote on July 2, 2007 11:39 AM:Someone with Bush's history of personal failures - well preceeding the presidency - doesn't need to be talking to historians. He needs to be talking to a psychoanalyst. Why isn't this pattern of ineptitude a topic worthy of the MSM's scrutiny.
lower tiberius wrote on July 2, 2007 11:41 AM:lord's work indeed
who's that Tracy Lords?
NutBush has been assured he's not touchable by him's Daddy
he's been conditioned to tread water all along and everything will be taken care of
one of his predominent regrets via those to whom he is in service, is that he didnt manage to reverse Social Security soze his Daddy's friends could have a dip in contracts with our lives and our deaths
this isnt an american president by any measure
this as witnessed is the lowest filthiest crime cartel this world has ever known and recored so far
I can hear him now as people drown in New Orleans playing the guitar and accompanying himself by singing in a macabre falsetto "Please dont kill me, Please don't kill me" ... and alluding to look for weapons of mass destruction while Lieberman laughs and laughs in the audience along with most of the Washington Press Corp
good day for being Caliglia, Bush, hope you enjoy it ... I dont want you to choke on a pretzel you low-life bottum feeding sap sucker
SeeDee wrote on July 2, 2007 11:46 AM:'W' is a fitting prez for those three out of ten or so who still listen AND BELIEVE folks like Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Fox News and, oh, yeah, Joe Lieberman.
As for impeachment, those spineless GOP (and Democrat) law-makers are almost as bad as 'W' himself as far as psychological and/or personality problems are concerned.
lunz31 wrote on July 2, 2007 11:48 AM:Steve T. a couple of posts up really hits my point. I don't know the age of posters here, but I remember in the 1988 election when Michael Dukakis said the election was about "competence, not ideology" and was slammed unmercifully by GHWG and Lee Atwater for that statement (which drove Dukakis to ride in a tank with a helmet that was three sizes too large).
Lil' Bush basically said the same thing in 2000 in the most ignored irony of the entire BushI-to-Bush II mini-dynastic reign of tribulation.
I read a nice little essay in The American Prospect last night which criticized Ronald Reagan for "hating government so much that he thought about it too little." Same thing with Bushie in 2007. As Steve T. so ably said, "hows" are as important as "whats" when developing and implementing policy. The odd mixture of libertarians, authoritarians, and pious poops that has run the country on Bushie's watch are mere rank amateurs who believe their mission provides them with moral authority to ignore all semblances of decency and process.
And from his comments, Bushie still can't figure that out.
Jazzbeaux Beiderbecke wrote on July 2, 2007 11:59 AM:Baker's too easy on Bush.
Leta wrote on July 2, 2007 12:07 PM:His cocoon's creation comes not from self-confidence, not from indifference, not from daydreams, but from dry-hole-like incompetence.
He's had no equal since my friend James Buchanan, alone in the East Room, slung his head to the right, sighed about not getting enough naps, inhaled Pennsylvania Avenue's putresence and waited for the Rebels to come get him.
How sad, how unpoetic, how blank is the Bush verse.
If only he had a Whitman.
Steven T.
They got serious and down to business, making our country by big business and for big business. When Congress let Cheney flip them the bird on his "energy conference" and his claim that those corporations and energy big wigs names were under executive privy - they got their green light...the very idea that those drafting the policy would never see the light of day - is stunning. We got what we paid for - wrap yourself in the flag and throw the cross of Jesus on your shoulder - we'll elect a moran and a physocial path. See Bush Admin - you think we learned anything? I doubt it - 6 years later the sleeping Giant and facilitator of this Administration, the MSM is very, very slowly waking up. Maybe, and I'll beleive when I see - from MO.
Johnsnottoodistracted wrote on July 2, 2007 12:07 PM:At this point the "adult supervision" couldn't be happier.The profits have been so great,far greater than the grown ups had planned.
Roger Mason wrote on July 2, 2007 12:08 PM:They have all won.The biggest robbery of all time has taken place and continues.
Who cares what he says or does? As far as those who set the stage go he has done everything they have asked him to.
His beady eyes are a tad too close together for my liking. Further, I'm not sure they're both focused on the same thing at the same time. Together with the shit eating sneer/smile it conjures up a visions of Alfred Neuman.
The level of indignation I'm experiencing is akin to that visually described by many of Don Martin's cartoons. Long, oval shaped nose, at once scrunched up between the bulging eyes and extending downward to interrupt a lower than usual grimacing mouth. A man standing on the curb with terrain hugging feet and extremely pissed off.
This guy is simply a puppet. He will do whatever he's told to do...that's the frightening bit!
Roger
Jack wrote on July 2, 2007 12:12 PM:The syndrome is referred to by psychiatrists as "Dry Drunk"
Billy Pilgrim wrote on July 2, 2007 12:16 PM:moi @July 2, 2007 11:35 AM
"Our country is dysfunctional right now in great part because somehow we made a very dysfunctional person our leader."
No, the American people are not to blame for the Bush debacle.
The American pepole did not make GWB the leader. Al Gore won the popular vote in 2000 by nearly a quarter million votes. The networks declared Gore the winner in Florida, based on the exit polls which until that singular event were very reliable.
It was the SCOTUS, in their unprecedented pissing on the U.S. Constitution, that appointed GWB the leader, against the will of the American people.
Jack von Borstel wrote on July 2, 2007 12:17 PM:The syndrome is referred to by psychiatrists as "Dry Drunk"
Frank wrote on July 2, 2007 12:19 PM:Yes he has a place in history...Move over Hitler!
StatGirl wrote on July 2, 2007 12:21 PM:"Burdened by an unrelenting war, challenged by an opposition Congress . . ."
Gosh! How did those things happen?!?!?
Poor George. Random acts of the universe have conspired against him.
(The minute I saw the headline of this article, I said to my SO, "Forgive me if I don't believe a word of it". Rovian spin, indeed.)
Code word: Horse. Cowboy Bush is reputed to be afraid of them. All hat, no cattle.
johnnydoughey wrote on July 2, 2007 12:24 PM:Bush is not delusional. His entire life has been a series of "yes, George, you're right"... because he is a president's son. For the same reason, he has always had a ton of "Get out of jail" cards.
When a person actually has given all the hype and has always been surrounded by YES men, you end up with a George Bush.
Problem is... there is no one willing to give this guy a different perspective. It's the spoiled Hollywood celebrity syndrome taken to the next, and more dangerous level.
We will probably end up with more or less a clone of this guy when we next vote. It's just too bad we are not pressing the current candidates for their views on the ongoing excessive use of executive power and their suggestions (and promises) for reigning it in. This way, we can eliminate all the candidates who believe in leaving the office the way it is, without any diminishing of power. We can also eliminate those who profess they will immediately pass laws that will prevent future abuses, because almost all of us, if being honest, will agree that they are lying.
Sad that our two major parties give us these choices.
johnnydoughey wrote on July 2, 2007 12:40 PM:Last week, during the stem cell decision, Bush stood up and gave a speech. In it, he made 2 statements which gave a glimpse of his inner self.
The 1st was "It is never right to take one life in the hope of saving another". This is coming from a former governor who executed how many people?
I'll let you folks find the other.
CybScryb wrote on July 2, 2007 12:54 PM:I haven't seen the word meglomaniacal written out publicly yet. Well here it is "Meglomaniacal".
jrcjr wrote on July 2, 2007 12:55 PM:this article misses the point of the whole bush presidency, and assumes that bush hasn't achieved conservative goals. He has.
bush has been taking political hits deliberately, for the conservative cause. it's hard to imagine that he sees himself as anything other than a fighter who will be proven right some day.
Just think how unpopular he'd be right now if he'd dismantled social security--what the right has wanted for decades. even so, he'd still be pushing forward, public opinion be damned.
the katrina response was a conservative success-- so why should bush be introspective about it? he was able to limit the federal govt's involvement and pass responsibility onto the state and private individuals to a point where we didn't even expect the feds to respond after the recent tornadoes in the midwest. that was a huge leap for that to happen, and hard-core conservatives love him for it.
of course there's the danger that the ideology is unmasked, and that may be happening, which is why he's so unpopular. but bush is acting on that ideology, and is more interested in implementing it than in being popular. he's not running again.
which is why his base adores him. and why he thinks history will too.
JNagarya wrote on July 2, 2007 12:56 PM:Code Word: Bell - as in, I hope to hell a little bell is ringing inside Pelosi's and Reid's heads right now. Wake up! Before it is really too late!
Posted by: via
Date: July 2, 2007 10:35 AM
They're more awake than you appear to be, else you'd realize that they are awake, and have been all along.
There is a great deal of activity going on in Congress behind the scenes -- about which you know nothing. And yet you pretend to yourself that you know better than Congress.
Did you note the facts about whre the Republicans stand on the continuing scandal of, as example, Gonzales still being there, and wishing "this" would end? Bushit is self-destructive and in a fatal bind: he cannot win by keeping Gonazles; he cannot win be dumping Gonzales.
Meanwhile, as I've been saying, I prefer Gonzales staying right where he is: it keeps the issues alive (particularly for the Republicans) and front-and-center, and continues to damage Bushit, et al., and the Republicans.
Matters are progressing pretty much as anticipated. And, as both Pelosi and Waxman have said, it's only a matter of time; by September, Republican's -- 21 Republican Senators are facing re-election, as example -- will be falling all over themselves and each other in effort to cross the line to the side opposite Bushit, et al.
And Libby was denied staying out of prison on bail.
And Conyers-Leahy are prepared to enforce their well-grouinded subpoenas. The Democrats don't yet have sufficient votes -- especially in the Senate -- to successfully impeach. But there is a whole lot of re-election-facing Republicans who are increasingly seething at Bushit because such a fuck-up. He has put the whole party between a rock and a hard place.
And all the gratuitous bashing of the Democrats has accomplished, has contributed, is a lot of hot air, and destructiveness. Want to get rid of the Republicans -- so there is a veto-proof Democratic majority in both houses? Then go after the foot-dragging obstructive Republicans, and stop bashing the Democrats for not yet having sufficient votes.
SC = collar. As in, Libby's white collar won't save him from hanging.
TheraP wrote on July 2, 2007 12:57 PM:bush is not "treatable" - since to get help from any type of therapy, you need to recognize you have a problem - and be ready to work on changing yourself.
The therapy is needed by us! Any republicans who are in power should seek therapy if they can't see a need for impeachment.
We can only get to the treatment of impeachment if we have enough legislators sane enough to do so.
MaxGowan wrote on July 2, 2007 1:11 PM:Actually, I believe Gore won by an estimated 800,000 votes.
Himself wrote on July 2, 2007 1:25 PM:Actually these are VERY serious people, deadly serious. Look at the profits made off no bid contracts at haome and abrosd. Look at the tax giveaways to big oil, the not collecting of fines by despoilers of The Homeland.
BushCo has been very successful...for BushCo much to the detriment of the US of A.
low-tech cyclist (formerly RT) wrote on July 2, 2007 1:36 PM:the discontent with the Bush presidency is broader and deeper among Republican lawmakers, some of whom seethe with anger. "Our members just wish this thing would be over," said a senior House Republican who met with Bush recently. "People are tired of him."
And they plan to reflect this seething anger at Bush in their votes in which millennium??
No matter how mad they may be at Bush, they back him 100% on anything important. If they'd just stop supporting him, they wouldn't have to be mad anymore. Filthy hypocrites.
Billy Pilgrim wrote on July 2, 2007 1:45 PM:MaxGowen
Thank you for the correction. The number 800,000 is also a conservative estimate of the number if civilians killed in Iraq during the reign of our addled leader.
Sharon A wrote on July 2, 2007 1:59 PM:Bush left the deficits in Texas he created in his rearview mirror saying that he was headed for the White House and that the problems were for others to take care of when asked in Campaign 2000.
While everyone is parsing out the reasons for Bush's decisions, he's acting again. He sees himself as an actor, a mover and shaker, a doer. He is not concerned with either the results or opinions. We are all just left to s-t-u-d-y what these actors have done while they act again -- and again -- and again.
When Americans g-e-t this and begin acting rather than ruminating, perhaps we'll see change. By acting, I mean demanding that our Congress reverse course and impeach this illegitimate cabal asap.
BushCo are radicals. They behave in radical irresponsible ways and then accuse the rest of us of being radical when we propose remedy.
Unfortunately, the remedies will have to match the radical assaults on our country, our government, our sanity. And no one should concern him/herself much with the accusations of a criminal trying to deflect responsibility for his actions.
Got that? It is unnecessary to solicit BushCo's opinions in shaping remedies to the hell they've unleashed on our country. Act and let THEM study our decisions for the rest of their lives in PRISON.
MM wrote on July 2, 2007 2:03 PM:Everybody is missing the meta-story. Bush is serene because public opinion expressed by either government or press is irrelevant. The tyranny of our shadow government is reality. Cheney IS the new branch, the only branch, in charge and immune to any oversight, protected by a corrupt Justice Department and Supreme Court. Do you suppose for a minute that the powers abrogated will be employed by an elected Democratic President? That is assuming the electoral system hasn't been gamed to preclude that outcome. I doubt it. I don't see this junta giving up power. It may even tolerate a gelded public government (think Iran) and keep complete control anyway. Or it will replicate itself in an "election", and realize the dream of permanent power.
doug r wrote on July 2, 2007 2:04 PM:And who or what could stop them?
How about we start the impeachment process with Gonzales and see where it goes?
security code brain
sketchartist wrote on July 2, 2007 2:19 PM:Apparently we are all supposed to be shocked to learn this stuff, but the article is mostly just more soft, unskeptical pablum. Downplaying the dangerous and deceitful Bush mostly as a "victim", it still manages to helpfully perpetuate numerous administration lies, such as this line:
"Bush remains convinced that his old friend (Alberto Gonzales) did nothing wrong ethically in firing U.S. attorneys, and senior adviser Karl Rove angrily rejects what he sees as a Democratic witch hunt, according to White House officials."
Shocking! They say Bush and Karl Rove think Gonzales did nothing wrong! That must be why they are refusing to turn over all of those records. Gonzales, of course, was only doing their bidding and his current job is to take the heat for Bush and Rove, which, as we all know, is a major aspect of the current congressional investigation. Such nonsense runs throughout the article, which quote mostly sympathetic Republicans whose "criticism" amounts to saying Bush seems tired from all of his imperial burdens. (FACT: Bush has taken far more time off than all of the other presidents in history, even that old wood-chopper Ronald Reagan). He may also look tired from other things, such as possible periodic alcoholic binges, which many suspect, and all of his reported hissy fits. Now, we just don't quite know, do we?
Also, do they really expect us to believe that this English-fracturing moron, who has bragged in the past about NOT reading newspapers (The article disputes Bush himself and says he does) actually read "three books last year on George Washington, read about the Algerian war of independence and the exploitation of Congo, and lately has been digging into "Troublesome Young Men," as well as "A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900". Puh-leaze! I thought a result of reading was usually the ability to speak articulately. (And let us not forget Bush telling NBC's Brian Williams last year he had just read "a few Shakespeares").
One can find this kind of crap running all through the article. I think that most of us outside of Washington already see far more than this piece "reveals'.
Austin Cooper wrote on July 2, 2007 3:02 PM:"Easy explanation. It's the 'message from a bottle.' "
Billy Pilgrim
Heh Heh Heh. In-deedy.
And, 'Salvation in a spoon' (Code = nose).
quixote wrote on July 2, 2007 3:09 PM:"universally the first thing out of their mouths" is bafflement that Gonzales remains.
Really? Here's the man who could open the files on the sh*t he's done for Cheney/Rove/Bush. They might have to worry about more than impeachment if Gonzales decided to stop fronting for them. They can't let him go. Of course they "support" him.
JD wrote on July 2, 2007 3:16 PM:Oh that Al Gore would run for President and WHEN he is elected immediately undo the mess Bush has created. Now wouldn't THAT be ironic? Al Gore would go down as the greatest President in the history of the United States. Surpassing Washington, Lincoln, Kennedy, Reagan (sic) and yes Bill (who did more to hurt the Democratic Party than any one man) Clinton.
adkay wrote on July 2, 2007 3:42 PM:Mary said: "I don't think he's on Zoloft. Acepromazine, which has anti-nausea effects as well, sounds more likely and could account for his newly leaked Secret Service nickname - 'Ace.' "
Great. W is on the same stuff I have to give my cat before I can take her to the vet.
The Oracle wrote on July 2, 2007 4:06 PM:George W. Bush should go on a nice, long vacation with the Romney family...on the roof of their car. (Maybe there'd be room for Dick Cheney up there, too?)
john mcfadden wrote on July 2, 2007 4:07 PM:I remember Bush saying that he "slept like a baby," despite being at the helm before, during, and after numerous cataclysmic tragedies. By contrast, Colin Powell said, "I sleep like a baby too--I wake up every two hours screaming."
The implications of this contrast--that Bush is in gross denial and Powell is facing the realities with appropriate emotion--may have escaped most Americans. Because on both sides of the political spectrum, people tend to believe that apparent self-confidence trumps all other facts used to evaluate a person.
Bush is a bit like Clifford Irving of Hoax fame; he perpetrated an elaborate hoax on an amazingly inquiring, suspicious, and motivated group of business people; he conned them to the tune of millions of dollars. Those circumstances help make the case that we are suckers for self-confidence. It is one of the few qualities that make us feel safe with a person, but it may be the least reliable.
In this connection, I was struck by the Post article's authors' focus on the question whether Bush is in denial or just supremely confident. My take on that focus differs from other commentators'. Most observers used it as a springboard to charges against the authors, accusations of gullibility, self-interest, and worse.
Consider that the whole point of denial is to get rid of self-doubt and worse, horrendous guilt and shame. There's an equation here: the more horrendous the offense, the more intense the guilt and shame, the more one must repress the guilt and shame, and, therefore, the more convincing the self-confidence. Add that Bush is uncommonly rich and protected by powerful friends and family. So he can afford psychologically to lie through his teeth; he has none of the usual material threats that eventually make a sociopath anxious, or unself-confident. This is the psychology of some of the highest placed robber barons alluded to in the expose, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.
What to make of this analysis? Is it futile? It's only futile as far as it goes. A more extensive analysis, I believe, would show us that there's a Scrooge syndrome here that might play out.
A wider circle of people have to approach the subject of Bush's tragic maneuvers empathically, both showing him the horrible consequences of his violence and the tragic consequences to him of his kind of life. Empathy must be thorough enough to be intellectually credible. For instance, one must show that he was forced into his role as marrauding robber baron in chief. But much more than that, epmpathy requires some of his and his father's intimate family history that is presented in the book, Bush On the Couch. This book shows that, although Bush led a dissolute and loveless life for most of his years, wasting much of his intelligence and energy on failed persuits and empty pastimes, suffering numberous indignities, he had good reasons for living this terrible life.
Here's the heart of the empathy he needs. He messed up his life and helped perpetrate much mayhem because of what was done to him, not because of his own choosing. And the loss of his birthright of inteligent, passionate commitment to worthy pursuits and family love ought to be brought home to him in the media.
Sound farfetched? Scrooge would know how to pull this off. He was simply reminded of the salient emotional facts of his life, the things that bent him and the effects of those terrible influences. He was able to feel for himself, which is the precondition of all respect for life.
All politics is truly personal, and I wish that more commentators took up the challenge to be more personal and empathic in their attempts to influence Bush and other tragic leaders.
Duckman GR wrote on July 2, 2007 4:17 PM:The thought of Bush convening philosophical discussions with scholars strikes me as pathetically hilarious, I'm just not sure who to laugh harder at, Bush, or the Scholars.
I mean, really, we've heard the man speak extemporaneously. Maybe we need to know what kind of scholars they were, real ones or fake Heritage types or maybe grade school kids, they are, by definition, scholars as well.
Regardless of the corporate agenda he's been carrying out, or, rather, Cheney's corporate agenda, the war on government they've been waging, and all that, it remains true that Bush is a delusional sociopath who isn't very smart.
And that isn't a very good combination of leadership traits.
mo2 wrote on July 2, 2007 4:27 PM:acepromazine - A phenothiazine that is used in the treatment of psychoses.
Pharmacological action: antipsychotic agents, phenothiazine, dopamine antagonists.
Chemical name: Ethanone, 1-(10-(3-(dimethylamino)propyl)-10H-phenothiazin-2-yl)-
mo2 wrote on July 2, 2007 4:35 PM:phenothiazine - A group of tranquilising medications with antipsychotic action, thought to act by blocking dopaminergic transmission in the brain. They are used to treat mental, nervous and emotional disorders.
BA wrote on July 2, 2007 4:54 PM:re lord's work ...
Has there been much coverage about Bush hearing from God? Didn't he say this once? Isn't that really some kind of insanity?
TheraP wrote on July 2, 2007 5:10 PM:john mcfadden,
Empathy is not a treatment. This man has been given way too much leeway. And what is needed is to consider the fate of the rest of us!!!
Individuals who put the public at risk should be dealt with through the full force of the law. For the good of society, the man should be locked up!
Failing that, he should at least be prevented from doing further harm.
Spend time empathizing with the victims, not the perpetrator!
jak1 wrote on July 2, 2007 5:59 PM:OK! I'll say it.
The Emperor has no clothes!
tmb wrote on July 2, 2007 6:28 PM:Bush isn't bothered at all b/c to him and his family things are going along just fine. The evidence is clear that the Bushes have always despised and wanted to destroy the middle class, the evidence shows that family members were involved as funders of Nazi Germany during its rise who made big money on same, and now they have succeeded in destroying the United States' Republic and reduced the country to a banana republic that tortures "detainees" and has a DOJ that specializes in voter suppression, caging, and the evidence now seems to indicate outright framing of innocent people for political purposes. Their old business partners in Germany would be proud . . . .
The U.S. economy has been destroyed, sold out to China, and as the CFR recently stated, the US Dollar is an "absurdity" i.e. worthless. The USA is no longer a "super power" but is just about in the class of a thuggish bankrupt third world country with a military empire strung all over the world to attempt to muscle the local populations in the name of our corporate masters and "loyal Bushies" - - oil companies and Wall Streeter scum etc.
Why should Bush be unhappy? Everything has worked out just as planned for him and his New World Order buddies and he has a nice estate in Paraguay to head off to when the economic meltdown comes here and the Blackwater Mercs are released on the starving rioters in the streets as we saw in the preview provided by Katrina - - by the way, those people by and large are still destitute with no help from our Halliburton, er I mean Federal Government. Think El Salvador under Bush I, which I understand he views as a big victory, and you can see that Poppy must be really proud of "Sonny" - - can't wait for "Jebby" to take over in a few years and institute the Amero . . . perhaps he can bring "Fredo" back as Attorney General . . . .
DMG wrote on July 2, 2007 6:35 PM:Psychosis is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality". Stedman's Medical Dictionary defines psychosis as "a severe mental disorder, with or without organic damage, characterized by derangement of personality and loss of contact with reality and causing deterioration of normal social functioning."[1]
People experiencing a psychotic episode may report hallucinations or delusional beliefs (e.g., grandiose or paranoid delusions), and may exhibit personality changes and disorganized thinking. This is often accompanied by lack of insight into the unusual or bizarre nature of their behaviour, as well as difficulty with social interaction and impairment in carrying out the activities of daily living.
Lord Balto wrote on July 2, 2007 6:38 PM:Oh I can tell you which: the little simian bastard is delusional. Anybody who thinks he talks to god...
Roberta wrote on July 2, 2007 8:22 PM:It's so hard to wait for the Congress's work to all come together. But JNagarya keeps rightly reminding us that the Senate and House are on the case. They must follow the process laid out Constitutionally to ensure that as each aspect of the Executive Branch's crimes is documented. Then they can take whatever ultimate action is warranted.
Something of value in this WaPo article and the previous Cheney analysis is that it's not just the "fringe" media that is shouting out the truth about Bush, Cheney, et alii; it's now (finally) the paper that brought us the Watergate scandal. Of course, the die-hards will keep denying the facts. They have to, or their world will unravel.
But those people who have been on the fence about the administration can see--in print, nationally--confirmation of what they might have feared but were still hoping wasn't true: Cheney's corruption is infinite and Bush really does believe that he has been anointed by God to bring about the End Times.
So while the Supreme Court dismantles Affirmative Action, perverts First Amendment freedom of speech, and threatens women's (really, all people's) control over their bodies, the Executive Branch undoes the New Deal in favor of a hostile corporate takeover and brings us to the brink of WWIII.
But the Legislative Branch (at least many of its members) plugs along, remembering that it represents the American people and has an ethical and legal responsibility to expose crimes against the Constitution. And the Congress has to plug along, because that's the law of the land.
Please, believe that they know what they're doing, and maybe send your senators and representative a note either to encourage their work or spur them to action. Even if they have good intentions, unless they act upon them, they may not have another term to make amends.
sc: front
gjdodger wrote on July 2, 2007 11:24 PM:Consider this the Western Front, and make sure it doesn't stay quiet.
When I read the article and the list of people trooping to the White House--as far as I can tell, a bunch of neocoms in ideological sync with the President--this is what I thought of. Near the end of "The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant," Douglas Wallop's take on "The Devil and Daniel Webster" and the source of the musical "Damn Yankees!", the hero has returned to his old self, Joe Boyd, and Applegate has replaced him as the baseball star Joe Hardy. Boyd asks Applegate, "Why are you such a rat?" Applegate sighs and says he'd sought psychiatric help, but the doctor didn't tell him anything he didn't know.
And Boyd says, "But did he know about you?"
"Oh, sure," said the Devil. "He was one of us."