In your opinion is Bush in charge?

That is a good question au. There have been times where you can actually see the information leave his head in the middle of a speech (like the fool me once speech). Then there are other times where I think he is really quite witty (like the "Cheney could be president" line).

He obviously doesn't make all the decisions by himself, that is what his cabinet and advisors are for. Wise and succesful people always surround themselves with people wiser than they are (insert: "That isn't to hard for Bush" jokes here). But if you are asking if he is just a puppet for some deep Rebublican conspiracy calling all the shots from behind the curtain...I don't think so.

Good answer JPiM.

George W.'s handler
George W's handler

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JPM
You think that Bush has the mental capacity to make the decision? I do not. What I would like to see is a series of debates and not the partisan ones of recent vintage, but real unrehearsed debates with questions asked that have not been approved beforehand. Then and only than will the nation be able to judge Bush's and Kerry's abilities. Bush of course would never agree. As a matter of fact I have heard that the scheduled debates are now down to two. Bush is boltin

I would love to see those debates as well. Forget rehersed questions, time limits and the usual "I promise" talk that comes out of the debates.

How do you propose they be set up?

What if it was just Kerry and Bush alone in a room with a tv camera and 4 hours of time blocked out. One on one, no interference, give me your best shot kind of thing.

I do not consider that Bush is in charge, nor do i consider that he has formulated the policies of the administration. I consider him an empty suit, a figure head.

I appreciate what jpinmilwaukee is saying about a knowledgeable cabinet, but I see Bush as being too unsophisticated and persuadable to be truly the decision-maker. For example, I'd imagine something like various members of his cabinet putting their own considerable spin on things, leading him towards a conclusion. Then he "agrees" with them -- it was his decision!

But there are two apparent aspects of his personality and administration that are worrisome, individually but especially in tandem. One is that he doesn't want to read or figure things out himself, he wants his advisors to summarize and filter things for him. The other is that he has actively kept people who disagree with his overall philosophies out of his inner circle. So as far as I can tell, he has very little access to the opposing view, even when the opposing view has merits that he would do well to listen to.

So, I'll amend that a bit -- I think he is an idealogue, who is unconcerned with details. As such, he has offered a great deal of power to those who agree with his ideology and also are able to actually deal with specifics.

I don't think anyone who isn't deluding themselves can watch a Bush speech and think for a minute that he is in control. I'm sure he makes some decisions but I'm equally sure that he doesn't exactly do investigative work before hand.

I think the one thing that is hard to reckon with is the fact that if you or I or most anyone else had made the life choices that he has made there is no way in hell we could be president. In fact we would likely be on a street corner somewhere begging for some Ripple.

That is a rather scary thought. Do you think this happens only with Bush? Are there instances of other presidents with cabinet members with opposite views?

I don't think there is any one person qualified or capable of being in charge of a country, there's too much to know, too much to do.

I think there are certain things which Bush feels strongly about that he can get done pretty much on his own but he has to rely on advice and service of many others, it just isn't possible any other way.

I think this is quite funny. Either the man is an idiot who doesn't know what he is doing or he is the great deceiver who fooled everyone into going to war. Which one is it? I don't see how he can be both at the same time. I happen think you guys can't make up your minds.

I think he is pretty smart. After all you can't get a masters degree and be dumb.

He was the one that said even C students could be president!

I don't consider C students smart. I consider them average.

The main thing that bothers me is that the times he is "off the cuff" and able to respond to someone quickly, it's when he is saying something cutting towards someone else or being self depricating.

The mean stuff just flies right out without a thought.

I think BrandX pretty much has it right. The problem I have with Bush is who he relies on for advise and council, that's where the"dumbness" comes in. I think he has relatively narrow perspectives and a lack of curiosity and back ground knowledge, so in many crucial areas he is manipulated by those advisors.

"We've actually misnamed the 'War on Terror.'
It ought to be 'The... The... The Struggle Against Ideological Extremists Who Do Not Believe In Free Societies Who Happen to Use Terror as a Weapon... To Try to Shake The Conscience of the Free World.'" -- Pres. George W. Bush, 8/6/04

Sorry for the cross-post

Well, what I said is that he has very little access to the opposing view -- I think that most presidents want to have cabinet members who have sympathetic views if not absolutely identical views, but I think those presidents also read the newspaper, for starters. (I looked that up to find out if it was anti-Bush propaganda, and found several references to a sympathetic interview with Brit Hume of Fox news in which Bush said so.) Bush seems to think that the people on his staff are "the most objective sources I have."

Condi and Powell balance Cheney and Rummy quite well in my opinion.

You have got to be kidding. Powell is all but neutralized and Condi is totally in with the rest of the Project for a New American Century crowd.