Bush Is No Gibbering Halfwit, He's Worse ... He's A Moral Imbecile/Miller

[KoKo]

(Note: From what I saw in his WH Press Conference Yesterday the mental deterioration is severe. :eyes:)

................................
A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by Mark Crispin Miller

I've long argued that Bush is not an imbecile -- that he boasts a certain species of political intelligence which we overlook at our own peril. (Also, I agree with others who have argued that he's suffering from some kind of physical or mental deterioration, and has got much worse over the last few years. To which we'd have to add that his ostensibly unbounded power has had its utterly predictable effect on him.) The notion that he's just a gibbering halfwit is a rather pleasurable one to many who detest him. I've always argued, and still think, that the situation is in fact much worse than that.

In one sense, though -- and it's exceedingly important -- Bush is a sort of imbecile: a moral imbecile. How much of this relates to, say, his neurological condition, and how much of it relates to the condition of (what we would have to call) his soul, I don't pretend to know. But there is something definitely missing there. For one thing, he's incapable of what child psychologists call reciprocity. He can't see things from any viewpoint other than his own, which he deems always right because it's his; and if you see things differently you're wrong, and bad, because your viewpoint isn't his. (He's often made it clear that he and God see things exactly the same way.) And then there's his amazing incapacity to recognize the difference between truth and lie. Specifically, he seems to be unable to perceive that his own propaganda lies are propaganda, or -- sometimes? often? -- that they're even lies. He also seems unable to perceive that claims of which he disapproves, or with which he disagrees, are not propaganda.

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/05/03/con05091.html

[TahitiNut]

1. "He can't see things from any viewpoint other than his own"

That's a succinct way of saying "pathological Narcissistic Personality Disorder." He should be institutionalized (I vote for San Quentin) along with Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Feith, Wolfowitz, Card, Rove, Gonzales, et. al. That these criminals haven't been frog-marched into permanent custody is a disgrace. We're an outlaw nation with war criminals 'leading' it.

[FreedomAngel82]

6. Sad really

It's so sad. After the election didn't they purge the FBI of people who weren't "yes" men/women of Bush?

[TahitiNut]

8. Purging of all 'non-compliant' government employees ...

... began at the end of January 2001. My contacts within various departments (e.g. DOE and DOD) and agencies at that time told me of widespread infiltration of Bush people and elimination of 'trouble-makers.'

[gordianot]

11. Narcisstic Personality Disorder is 100% correct.

For him it is not treatable given his high position. I know several other Psycholgists who say the same. There are also strong signs of substance abuse, I suspect he is medicated.

[TahitiNut]

16. Yes, he's on some sort of psychotropic medication ...

... beta blockers, at least. His 'handlers' are truly enablers - providing him his narcissistic supply. Laura and the twins display the scars of enablers like neon signs. The managed venues without dissenters, the 'yes-man' staffing, and the overwhelming density of personal and possessive pronouns in any relatively unscripted speaking ... he might as well have Vegas-sized neon signs over his head.

[gordianot]

13. For a good description of Narcissism check out this link.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

http://www.halcyon.com/jmashmun/npd/dsm-iv.html#npd

[TahitiNut]

17. Yep. If you check back in the DU archives, you'll find

... that we discussed this at length, including various references (DSM-IV, of course) that describe Chimperor Codpiece like he's the poster boy for NPD. Virtually untreatable, he's only getting worse.

[smirkymonkey]

18. Here, here!

I second that.

[Tux]

2. NO

Bush is mentally ill, has cognitive defects, and lacks morals? No way!

[cybildisobedience]

3. I always agree with MCM

He seems to get it and he knows where we're heading. He was never fooled.

[applegrove]

4. Your president is just disgusting!! My heart goes out to you all!

[Stuckinthebush]

7. Where in the hell do you live?

And can I come live with ya?

:D

[applegrove]

10. I live in Canada. I cannot be more specific than that. Ce n'est

pas quelquechose dont je voudrez te parlez de. Mais je suis chancheuse the vivre dans un region de l'Amerique du Nord qui est bien european.

[TahitiNut]

19. Il serait plaisant de vivre à proximité d'une montagne royale.

:dunce: :silly:

[applegrove]

21. Le peuple, eux memes, sont plus gigantesque.

[maxsolomon]

5. moot. he's in till 2008.

thank god its finite.

at this point.

[SammyWinstonJack]

9. And then he becomes DICKtator for life.

:cry: :scared:

[solinvictus]

20. Dick Tater...

Did you see the Mad TV skit from 2001?

[King Coal]

12. What scares the shit out of me is that he has propaganda mixed

up with truth. He rejected the GAO request that he stop using propaganda by saying that it is acceptable as long as it is truth and not advocacy. That is so fucked up. That is so Rove. I'm really sick of this shit. This is fascism, pure and simple.

[SmileMaker]

14. Bush must be on some strong meds

He was really pasty and confused in the press conf. yesterday. I would think that his condition would be a danger to our security. Not that he's any less dangerous when he is not pasty and confused, of course.

[rustydad]

15. A rich kid

Who was a constant disappointment to his parents, his distant father and overbearing mother. He loves to lie and get away with it because it is empowering. He craves the power because he was so emasculated by his dysfunctional parents. He is one sick puppy. Bob

[Devlzown]

22. I agree.

I think many of us have "misunderestimated" him at our peril. I think he's mean, petty, and most likely insane but I don't think he's stupid. He's calling the shots and he knows exactly what he's doing to this country.