Bush Is His Own Bush

by tristero

I share Digby's opinion that these articles on Cheney's influence provide a detailed portrait of the extent to which Cheney has seized power over a weak, ignorant, and uninterested president. However, I have a concern that many readers - not Digby, of course - may read those pieces and conclude that Bush is merely a smirking flake. That's just George's day job.

As we have seen many times in the past, notably with Woodward, the press has a habit telling us it's not Bush who makes bad or heartless decisions. It's always someone else, like a frat boy caught with drugs who blames his girlfriend. Today's article, as well as the entire series, goes out of its way to push the notion that Bush's genuine "compassionate conservatism" was thrust aside time and again by the scheming machinations of The Evil Bald One. One could easily infer from the series that, if Cheney were removed (see this piece in Salon), much of the war-mongering and trashing of the America Consitution would stop, and that Bush would demonstrate a far more moderate, conciliatory streak.

Not a chance. Bush is no "compassionate conservative" for two very simple reasons, First, and foremost, there is no such thing. And if there was, Bush is far too much of a sociopath to have so much as an ounce of compassion for anyone but himself. Remember how he mocked Carla Faye Tucker to Tucker Carlson, mincing, "Please don't kill me?" And remember how hurt he was by what Rev. Coffin said to him at Yale, about his father? Despite the fact it almost certainly never happened?

Sure, maybe they wouldn't have gone after the capital gains tax the way they did. But there'd still be Katrina. And Schiavo. And the anti-family amendment. And the loss of habeas. And the overall incompetence. And the wars. And the failure to obey any law he doesn't like. And the domestic spying. And the rigged elections. And the torture. Let's never forget the torture. All this is quintessential Bush behavior, an all-too-plausible extension of the maliciously aggressive liar, cheater, and drunkard of his earlier years.

No argument: Cheney is an unspeakably vile manipulative thug who treats all around him like they were puppets. The world would be a better place if he would resign today.

But young Churchill certainly doesn't need a Dick to be himself.