The Huffington Post | The Blog— Letting a woman camp out for weeks on end in front of his place is bad enough. But why exactly does Bush need a FIVE WEEK vacation during the middle of a war? This has been bothering everyone including me. Meanwhile, this analysis brings up other weird issues.
As a psychoanalyst who has been studying Bush’s words and behavior in hopes of better understanding his mind, I’m heartened that so many critics have drawn the nation’s attention to Bush’s need to repeat points and phrases — even after their inaccuracy has been established. Now critics see clearly his distaste for having to meet with the people whose lives he has forever changed.
But recognition only raises the deeper question: why, in the face of incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, does Bush persist in this way? How does it help him to continue repeating himself to a nation that increasingly believes he is lying on several fronts? How does his refusal to meet with Cindy Sheehan help him?
There is a two-part answer to this question: First, as far as Bush is concerned, he is telling the truth; as Madeleine Albright recently said to Columbia Magazine: “the most serious problem is that George Bush now believes what he says.” Like many of my hospitalized patients, Bush has created a vast, detailed but vague delusional system he feels compelled to maintain at all costs. This system helps him manage the terrifying anxiety that threatens to make his already endangered inner world more chaotic.
The second answer is made clear by his reaction to Cindy Sheehan: he believes his lies because he feels his survival depends on it. He cannot help her mourn; he cannot take responsibility for his destructiveness. If he could he would. His inner need to be right would not just be modified; his entire internal mental structure would be shattered.
found by H. Fuller
Maybe the answer to why he won’t meet this lady, and the reason behind his long vacations are –
HE SIMPLY DOESN’T CARE!
He doesn’t. He made the war to favour interest groups, not his responsibility anymore – now it’s with the army. Go get’em!
I think that the “Able Danger” story is a little more importanat than whether Bush’s vacation is excessivly long. This “Able Danger” story as the potential to go down as the biggest scandal in the history of this nation, it already is surpassing Watergate in the scope and consequences. It will probably surpass the Tea Pot Dome scandal within the year.
Better he should take a 52-week vacation. He’s done enough damage to the country already. As long as he’s picking up twigs at the “family ranch”, he’s not pushing America any closer to oblivion.
Is that a rhetorical question?
“I did NOT have sexual relations with that woman…. Monica Lewinsky.”
p.s. I do think that 5 week vacation is a bit much, but it’s probably more like he’s just away from D.C. for 5 weeks. Not like he stopped getting daily briefings, holding news conferences, etc.
Never attribute to mental illness what can be accounted for by sheer stupidity. The duhbya makes Millard Fillmore look like a spanking genius!
Based on random psychobabble I have determined the author of this piece is suffering severe angst and complete lack of mental cohesion over the fact that a richboy from New England manages to portray the ultimate redneck texan.
I am against the war, and think Cheney may in fact be the most dangerous man in America, but Cindy Sheehans son would be horrified just as I would have been if my mother ahd done the same thing. Her son was not drafted, her son volunteered. If he did it expecting to never fight a war then he was a fool.
People need to be more worried about the fact that we have not been selecting intelligent Presidents since the 50’s, preferring rabble rousers and photogenic idiot savants to solid candidates.
Geez, more liberal slanted crap. The war was based on a lie from Congress, not Bush. Bush took action as he see fit. I don’t agree with his action, but what’s done is done. Get over it.
Bush isn’t lying to anyone. It’s as simple as this. He helped to create a mess in Iraq based on a lie that wasn’t his fault, so he’s now having to see this mess through. Keep the troops in Iraq, wait for the Iraqi people to get their crap together, then slowly ship our men and women home.
The reason he shouldn’t meet with this wacko lady is because if she’s able to protest and meet with him, then every other crazy lady out there will try to do the same. Don’t set a bad example. If you don’t think she’s nuts, go talk to her family in California. They don’t really support her actions and they all want her to go home.
Michael, I agree with you about 95%; but, I spent some time in retail — next door to a recruiting center for the Army and the National Guard. Any young, unemployed dude who walked in there got more promises and lies than a donor to a second tier Congressional candidate — who thinks he should be a judge.
Not necessarily stupid. Just naive. Unfortunately, parents always believe their kids. And their kids think the government doesn’t lie.
I must protest the pic chosen for this piece. That bear has no pants.
– — The Center for Family Pride and Values
“I did NOT have sexual relations with that woman…. Monica Lewinsky.”
You know I always kinda had a thing for both Monica Lewinsky and Ann Coultier. Yeah – Monica, Ann and me in a hot tub.
It would be the best 15 1/2 seconds of their lives.
If Cheney is dangerous, Rumsfeld is just plain evil.
Perhaps they should just shoot the woman like they did with Randy Weavers wIfe and kid at Ruby Ridge. Nobody got in trouble for that and it silenced Weaver. They also shot the family dog for good measure. All in cold blood at the behest of the government. Let Rove do the shooting, he’s pretty untouchable it seems. I think maybe he should come out and do it executioner style just to show the woman who is boss.
That would be followed by a prayer meeting.
George,
“The war was based on a lie from Congress, not Bush.” – really? What lie did “Congress” tell.
George – did you loose any one you care about in this cluster fornication in Iraq? I truly pray that you haven’t. She’s hurt and wants answers – shes not alone.
I’m sorry your hero is a coward – the worst kind, one that would allow people to die for him rather then admit he’s wrong. Calling this woman names isn’t going to help this fact.
Buddy – try less crank. – Peace.
I’ve heard this same kind of theory before and I am glad Mrs. Sheehan is raising the President’s awareness. Previously the Bush administration systematically shielded the President from protestors. Which cannot be a good thing – if he doesn’t know his policies are causing harm and discontent why should he ever consider changing them? (And does anyone else find these free speech zones absolutely awful?)
No one in power or the media ever changes their message. I agree what would be the point of meeting the lady. Every nut bag and their nephew would be next (I am not calling this lady a nut bag). Presidents can’t do that type of thing no matter the party. I agree also that it is not exactly a five week vacation. The guy gets briefings and works everyday. Every President does. As far was during ‘War time, hell Churchill slept till noon, stayed up half the night and drank. The best results for the country would likely result if we sent the whole lot of them congress, president etc. to Tahiti for the whole year.
I agree, Ann Coultier is kinda sexy. She’s got a quick wit and was funny as heck when I saw her interviewed on Leno.
I’d like to see her go up against James Carville in either a debate or fistfight. If nothing else, the banter would be hilarious.
Watch yourself, George. You seem to have fallen into a writhing, hissing nest of blue staters.
Stick to tech. It suits you better.
Why should he stick to tech?. Oh wait, everyone should just shut up if they don’t agree with you, right? How does this comment contribute to the debate?
fffffffffffffttt.
These comments are great, always gives me a goog LOL in the morning.
The President affect tech policies..this is tech-related.
as for Coulter..here’s a classic from the blog
http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=137
K.Zuke – Ann would kick Carvelles ass in a straight up fist fight.
…and then we would go up to my hotel room (assuming my wife doesn’t kick mine) and i would give her the best 31/2 seconds she ever had.
Pardon my mistake. Congress should read Intelligence.
I believe that lady has gotten numerous answers from numerous people, but chooses not to listen to any of them. All answers, all statements, are fallen to deaf ears because it has personally affected her. She’s sad, she should grieve in other ways.
Bush wasn’t wrong. Bush’s decision wasn’t wrong; rather, it was a mistake. He made a rash decision based on faulty judgement. People make mistakes. Unfortunately, it’s better that we did something rather than let worse potential things happen by doing nothing. Sadaam wasn’t going to negotiate; he never has.
Bush is in no way my hero. I don’t agree how he took us to war. But, that’s the past.
He already met with her once, and now the lefties (who never had a problem with Clinton’s constant 4+ week vacations) are indignant that he doesn’t meet with people on an on demand basis!
Quick, who’s more stupid, the guy who posted as “George” or George W. Bush????
This is bull. What are you people thinking? We all know the reasoning behind going to war was superficial, and we all know American companies are making huge bank off of this war, and we all know alot of the guys benefitting are friends of Bush. Wheather you agree with her or not, I think this woman camping in Texas is doing an amazing thing.
I think if someone had asked her son if he wanted to die, he’d say no, and I think if he knew he were going to die, he would have never gone into the army. ESPECIALLY if he knew the reasons behind going were lies. The point Cindy is trying to make is that her son shouldn’t have died this way, because after all, his reasons for joining anyway were based on a lie. Every DAY we are in Iraq more Americans are DYING NEEDLESSLY. THIS MUST STOP. It is not fair to Cindy or her family or any other family who has lost someone, (which let me point out Bush family has not lost anyone).
Sure we can all be proud of the soldiers, but I am sure they would much rather prefer to live. As for this woman being crazy, for anyone who doesn’t know about the struggle for women’s rights in the 50’s it started in much the same way. Protesting women stood outside the White House with banners for months on end, even in winter. Everyone thought they would just get bored and tired and quit, but they didn’t. Eventually they were arrested for supposedly “blocking traffic” and sent to prison, where they went on a hunger strike, and were then force fed with feeding tubes.
It was only after stories of the abuse these women endured while in prison for absolutely invalid reasons did politicians take women’s rights seriously.
As for the Monica reference, C’mon, when Clinton Lied, Nobody Died.
3,000 people were killed in 9/11, how many people do we want to let die in Iraq on a worthless cause, cuz we are getting pretty close.
Not Bush’s fault? LOL…Doesn’t everyone respond in an extreme manner over things they believe might be true? For goodness sakes people, it’s only a war and who cares if we upset relations with the rest of the world. He had to act fast or major boredom might have set in and people would wonder what he was doing in his big ole White House. I mean..Bush had good reason to believe the story of WMD as he heard from a guy who heard from a guy who overheard a conversation that Iraq had WMD’s. And in response to this very trivial and small incongruity, we aren’t going to respond irrationally quick to a country like Iran who openly admit to creating NUCLEAR WMD’s! See…Bush has learned that you should be able to PROVE beyond a reasonable doubt that something like this is true before rushing to conviction. Oddly enough, he just learned that this is how our justice system works. So to make up for it, he will sit around and rest his weary head so that he doesn’t make any more stupid decisions without the guidance of his christianed magic 8-ball.
Bush has serious problems communicating his thoughts clearly. Sometimes, he sounds like an idiot. But, why would a “psychoanalyst” use the words of such a person to create an personality profile? Even though the conclusions are what many of us would like to believe, the psychoanalyst methods are based “bad” data.