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Thu 3 Nov, 2005 05:19 pm
Bush's Increasing Mental Lapses and Temper Tantrums Worry White House Aide
By DOUG THOMPSON
Nov 2, 2005, 05:26
Quote:An uncivil war rages inside the walls of the West Wing of the White House, a bitter, acrimonious war driven by a failed agenda, destroyed credibility, dwindling public support and a President who lapses into Alzheimer-like periods of incoherent babbling.
On one side are the dwindling numbers of die-hard loyalists to President George W. Bush, those who support his actions and decisions without question and remain committed to both Bush and scandal-scarred political advisor Karl Rove.
On the other side are the increasing numbers of those who say Rove must go and who worry about the President's declining mental state and his ability to restore credibility with Congress, our foreign allies and the American people.
The war erupted into full-blown shout fests at Camp David this past weekend where decorum broke down in staff meetings and longtime aides threatened to quit unless Rove goes. Insiders say Chief of Staff Andrew Card now leads the anti-Rove legions and has told Bush that he wants out of the high-pressure job.
White House staff members say the White House is “like a wartime bunker” where shell-shocked aides hide from those who disagree with their actions and office pools speculate on how long certain senior aides will last.
Bush, whose obscenity-laced temper tantrums increase with each new setback and scandal, abruptly ended one Camp David meeting by telling everyone in the room to “go **** yourselves” before he stalked out of the room.
Senior aides describe Bush as increasingly “edgy” or “nervous” or “unfocused.” They say the President goes from apparent coherent thought one moment to aimless rambles about political enemies and those who are “out to get me.”
“It’s worse than the days when Ronald Reagan’s Alzheimer’s began setting in,” one longtime GOP operative told me privately this week. “You don’t know if he’s going to be coherent from one moment to the next. What scares me is if he lapses into one of those fogs during a public appearance.”
Aides say Bush, who has always had trouble focusing during times of stress, is increasingly distant during meetings, often staring off into space during discussions on the nation’s security and other issues.
Card has responded to the crisis by cutting back on the number of staff members with direct access to the President and jumping in to answer questions when Bush’s mind wanders.
“Some people say Karl Rove is ‘Bush’s brain,’” says one increasingly-concerned West Winger. “Well Andy has become the President’s voice. He’s there to speak when the President seems unable to find form an answer.”
Bush’s mental state is a hot topic on Internet blogs and has increased since this web site disclosed last year that the White House physician had placed the President on anti-depressant medication – a story the administration never denied. Others, including prominent psychiatrists like Dr. Justin Frank of George Washington University, wonder if Bush, an admitted heavy drinker who claims he quit without any professional help, is hitting the bottle again.
An increasing number of mainstream media outlets, including Newsweek, The Washington Post and the New York Daily News recently confirmed our earlier reports about Bush’s temper tantrums.
“Bush usually reserves his celebrated temper for senior aides because he knows they can take it,” the Daily News reported. “Lately, however, some junior staffers also have faced the boss’s wrath.”
“This is not some manager at McDonald’s chewing out the help," a source with close ties to the White House told the paper. “This is the president of the United States, and it’s not a pleasant sight.”
Bush loyalists claim the President can survive his current spate of political troubles and emerge stronger than ever but an increasing number of White House aides express increasing doubt. Some even go so far as to speculate if the President’s deteriorating mental condition can survive another three years in office.
“The President has lost his focus, his ability to govern and the trust of the American people,” says one longtime GOP operative. “Those are things that are difficult to recapture when you’re on top of your game and this President has taken one too many blows to the head.”
capitolhillblue
He was just as bad in his first administration. Why did people re-elect him?
The best description of GWB that I have seen, was in a newspaper, written during the election campaign.
GWB........"He looks like a cow, watching a train go past".
...and purely for political balance.....
Kerry......"He looks like a dog who is just about to be washed"
Therefore the problem is the primary system of selection.
The "smoke filled rooms" might make a comeback.
What great images my Lord.
Interesting.
Doug Thompson isn't exactly a "rag" writer, so I have to think there's some truth to what he writes.
The temper wouldn't surprise me at all. The "ramblings" are likely satanic tongues.
Lord Ellpus wrote:The best description of GWB that I have seen, was in a newspaper, written during the election campaign.
GWB........"He looks like a cow, watching a train go past".
...and purely for political balance.....
Kerry......"He looks like a dog who is just about to be washed"
At least a dog about to be washed is aware that somthing is going on.
squinney wrote:Interesting.
Doug Thompson isn't exactly a "rag" writer, so I have to think there's some truth to what he writes.
The temper wouldn't surprise me at all. The "ramblings" are likely satanic tongues.
Thanks Squinney, I was wondering about the source, although reports of temper outbursts from Bush have been pwersistent.
This would clear up if they'd stop scoring him coke.
I'm surprised that the comparison has not been made to the Nixon White House under siege . . .
Setanta wrote:I'm surprised that the comparison has not been made to the Nixon White House under siege . . .
It has been now. It does stir up the memories doesn't it? Wasn't LBJ also pretty famous for his obscenity laced tirades?
Johnson's foul mouth was the country boy variety, and did not necessary have that pathological conotation, such as was the case with Nixon, and seems to be the case with Bush. LBJ became more morose and withdrawn as the war went badly and public criticism mounted, and his staff might have relished a good, old-fashioned cuss fest as evidence of a good frame of mind on his part. Johnson had the sense to see that he was in too deep, that he had made a bad mistake. It broke his heart, and it lead him to step down, to refuse to run for reelection. I don't see the Shrub as being that reflective, i don't see him as being capable of admitting he'd ever made a mistake.
I was a bit too young during Johnson's administration to know the difference. I was somewhat aware during the end of Nixon's time though. The similarities are definitly there. As for Bush admitting mistakes, it doesn't seem to be his strong suit. I honestly believe he would have a lot more support right now if he were to once, walk up to the mic, and say, "Hey, we blew it."
From what I've read - admittedly not always the most objective sources - it seems Bush is incapable of admitting an error to the point where his stubborn behaviour is pathological. Only a fool repeats what is obviously not working.
What was that other guy's name ? You know, the one who became increasingly paranoid and delusional when his war effort was collapsing, and his government was in shambles ?
I'm sure it'll come to me...
An email friend sent me the same thing and, me who very much doesn't like bush, scented ummmmm, so I looked, and the same writer wrote something similar a year ago june, or was it july.
I wouldn't put my anti bush snowballs in this basket. Might be true, but very similar to last year's spiel.
Hello!!!!! it is capitolhillblue.
twin_peaks_nikki wrote:Hello!!!!! it is capitolhillblue.
You say that like it's a bad thing, twin_peaks_nikki....is it a bad thing??