George W. Bush: Commodus Reborn

[Cory]

10/12/04 - Washington Dispatch

In 180 A.D., Rome faced one of its greatest challenges as Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus (Commodus) succeeded his father in ruling the Empire . Due to his actions during a 12 year reign, he became arguably known as Rome's worst emperor.

Unlike his father who was thought to be kind and genuinely caring, Commodus was violent, short-tempered and thought to be literally insane.

In order to win the support of the people, Commodus gave large sums of money away to the masses on several occasions, demonstrating a complete lack of fiscally responsibility.

In protecting himself and his actions, the young emperor kept the Roman Senate and others at bay through the use of the Praetorian Guard, a special unit of men loyal not to Rome but to the emperor.

His foreign policy could only be described as erratic. Commodus created a peace treaty with Germanic tribes shortly after taking the throne yet waged war with the Germans regardless. He was also well known to take credit for partial victories in battle, requiring the Senate to Honor him for his accomplishments.

More: http://www.washingtondispatch.com/opinion/article_10291.shtml

[Lautremont]

1. If my understanding of karma is correct,

this clearly indicates Bush will be reborn as a commode.

[guitar man]

3. I don't think so

I don't think you can be the same thing in two consecutive lives.:crazy:

[displacedtexan]

2. I've always seen George W. as Caligula.

There is an amusing anecdote surrounding Caligula's accession to the throne. For he had a pontoon bridge built leading across the sea from Baiae to Puzzuoli; a stretch of water two and a half miles long. The bridge was even covered with earth. With the bridge in place, Caligula then, in the attire of a Thracian gladiator, mounted a horse a rode across it. Once at one end, he got off his horse and returned on a chariot drawn by two horses. These crossings are said to have lasted for two days.
The historian Suetonius explains that this bizarre behaviour was down to a prediction made by an astrologer called Trasyllus to emperor Tiberius, that 'Caligula had no more chance of becoming emperor than of crossing the bay of Baiae on horseback'.

Then, only six months later (October AD 37), Caligula fell very ill. His popularity was such that his illness caused great concern throughout the entire empire.
But, when Caligula recovered, he was no longer the same man. Rome soon found itself living in a nightmare.
According to the historian Suetonius, Caligula since childhood suffered from epilepsy, known in Roman times as the 'parliamentary disease', since it was regarded as an especially bad omen if anyone had a fit while public business was being conducted - Caligula's very distant cousin, Julius Caesar, also suffered occasional attacks. This, or some other cause, violently affected his mental state, and he became totally irrational, with delusions not only of grandeur but also of divinity.

http://www.roman-empire.net/emperors/caligula-index.html

[Lefty48197]

4. I would have said: Nero

I mean OTHER than that, how do you like my fiddle playing?

[tom_paine]

5. Great article, but Bunnypants is our Tiberius I think

Not just chronologically, but literally, too.

You think you've seen Commodus?

I don't think we've yet seen Bushevik (or whoever the Imperial Family will be then) Commodus or even Caligula.

Like Tiberius, whoever Caligula Bush is (and it won't be Jeb, owing to the pecularity of the Amerikan Empire's new eight-year switch of Emperors...an homage and part of the charade of the Old American Republic) will make us uearn even for the wretched old scum.

Poppy Augustus 1983-1992

The Last President of the Old Republic, William J. Clinton 1993-2000

Tiberius Bunnypants 2001-2008

Emperor Jeb 2009-2016

Emperor "My Name Ain't Bush so stop saying we're a hereditary Empire" Gropenfuhrer 2017-2024

Emperor George P. Caligula 2025-?

Is that an over-optimistic and hopeful interpretation?

Of course...maybe we can stop it before it gets started. GO KERRY!

[bklyncowgirl]

13. Tiberius was actually a pretty good emperor.

His sexual antics aside--and they were spectacularly sleazy--Tiberius was actually good for the Roman Empire.

Tiberius practiced a moderate foreign policy and fiscal restraint. He avoided pissing off subject nations and made many good appointments.

I could see Clinton as Tiberius and Bush as Caligula.

[Catfight]

6. I made this similarity 10 months ago! Hopefully he'll meet the same fate

[bemildred]

7. Valentinian III

http://www.roman-emperors.org/valenIII.htm

Valentinian's Reign

In the early years of his reign, Valentinian was overshadowed by his mother. After his marriage in 437, moreover, much of the real authority lay in the hands of the Patrician and Master of Soldiers Aetius. Nor does Valentinian seem to have had much of an aptitude for rule. He is described as spoiled, pleasure-loving, and influenced by sorcerers and astrologers. He divided his time primarily between Rome and Ravenna. Like his mother, Valentinian was devoted to religion. He contributed to churches of St. Laurence in both Rome and Ravenna. He also oversaw the accumulation of ecclesiastical authority in the hands of the bishop of Rome as he granted ever greater authority and prestige to pope Leo the Great (440-461) in particular.

[hatrack]

8. And why didn't the Five Good Emperors' policies survive?

From Nerva through the reign of Marcus Aurelius, Rome enjoyed as stable and honest a government as one could have expected in an imperial state of the ancient world.

And what followed nearly a century of relative peace and prosperity? The chaotic, brutal and inept reign of Commodus, who was the first hereditary emperor since Domitian.

Rather than an emperor chosen on the basis of intelligence, long study and leadership, Rome found itself saddled with an idiot who got the gig because of his dad. That kind of arrangement didn't work out very well then and it sure as hell isn't working out now.

[Laura M Hanning]

9. It all started when JFK was killed (duh)

It is my belief that everything of importance was destroyed when John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

As far as I’m concerned it all started in 1947 under Truman, with the creation of the CIA (of which GHW Bush was Director under Ford ).

For more than a decade I have done research on the evils facing our country, and believe I have connected my father to the “single bullet theory” in JFK assassination. I knew him as a salesman and an apartment manager.

If I am right about this then this is God Stuff because 1) I am still here; 2) I am still on the internet; 3) I tripped over the book that started me on this path; and 4) two years later I tripped over the magazine that led me to believe my father was not who he appeared to be.

Please see:

“Harry E. Landsberg, Jr. – resemblance to man in photo with Specter”

http://home.earthlink.net/~lhann10243/

and

“Study of Evil – A World Reappraised”

http://home.earthlink.net/~sammark4/


thanks,

Laura Landsberg Hanning

[GliderGuider]

11. blocked images?

Hi,

I'm trying to read your page.
It looks like your images have been replaced by an Angelfire logo.
When I click an image link I get an error... sort of.
The page appears blank except for the Angelfire logo and the URL in my address field indicates that it was blocked.
()

Not to be all tinfoil-hatty, but... why?

[DinahMoeHum]

10. "AM I NOT MERCIFUL ?!?!" - Commodus ( from the movie "Gladiator" )

Sheeesh, last time I rented and watched the movie, I kept picturing Bush the Blow-Monkey in the role of Commodus instead of Joaquin Phoenix.

:evilgrin:

[sam sarrha]

12. After tonight Bush will wish he could be 'Born Again" ..'Again'..somewhere

else

[CitizenRob]

14. BAH!!!

PAYGO!!!