Lao Tzu 'The Way' and Bush

Is Bush on the beam? Is the world's most churchgoing country truly following the path pioneered by sages? Or savages?

To find out, it seems appropriate to compare Dubya's most noteworthy sayings with the aphorisms of one the world's first great teachers, Lao Tzu (pronounced Lao "Tsay"). As a seeker of the Way that brings harmony to all human relationships and actions, Lao Tzu's insights have inspired millions over millennia to follow his one-line prescriptions for right action that are so simple each can take a lifetime to master.

As leader of the world's biggest rogue nation, committed to inspiring?-through aerial bombardment and invasion if necessary?-the 95% of humanity living outside its borders to find the same paths of violence, consumption, racism, graft, addiction and religious fundamentalism that has made the United States of America what it is today, Bush usually has something interesting to say on issues concerning us all. His firm grasp of logic known only to himself, his playful command of language, and his ineffable links with a bearded vengeful God who sent him to get Armageddon rolling have made him an American leader unique (many hope) in his qualifications to head an office to which he has yet to be elected.

Just because he has never fairly earned any post he has ever held has not deterred many Americans from embracing GW as a true spokesman for their innermost feelings and beliefs, which are often indistinguishable. To listen to his pronouncements is to glimpse the collective fears and fantasies of America today.

Around the globe, Dubya's policies and pronouncements have brought 10 million people into the streets, making him one of the greatest catalysts for change since, well, Lao Tzu. Listening to Bush Junior explain America's deepest-held values and views can make even real saints rend their hair and exclaim, "Why am I?"

Of course, it's presumptuous to poke fun at GW Bush when he does it so much better himself. One hundred thousand civilian murders in Iraq, planetwide radioactive contamination from DU weapons, crude ethnic cleansing in Louisiana, and the perils of extreme climate changes aside, the acting president of the United States is always good for head-shaking hysterical laughter. Or at least a nervous chuckle.

To explore the wisdom behind?-some would say way behind?-the insights of a leader armed with more weaponry than all other 110+ nations combined, one has only to juxtapose the sayings of this ex-governor and acting president (and a couple of his trusted spokesmen) with the Way of the Tao.

Pronounced "Dow" like that other form of divining called the stock market, the Tao was salvaged from the written sayings of Lao Tzu. (alias Li Erh, Li Tan and Lao Tan), which were discovered after his departure from this planet in the 6th century BC.

This original wise guy got it right a long time ago when he penned his 81-chapter "self-help" bestseller, The Way Of The Tao. Though the Way Of Pooh came later, it's essentially the same deal: Go with the flow. Be nice. What goes around comes around?-like a superstorm or hijacked airliners. You get the essential drift. Though the great sage Lao Tzu observed that it is impossible to dip a foot in the same floodwaters twice, GW has yet to do it once.

The whole point is harmony: something Dubya is teaching the world through increasingly inventive examples that ensure just the opposite.

In the classic tradition of Chinese sagacity, the emperor's quote is given first, followed by commentary from the sage. The Taoist quotations provided below are English-language interpolations performed by Peter A. Merel, based on the translations of Robert G. Henricks, Lin Yutang, D.C. Lau, Ch'u Ta-Kao, Gia-Fu Feng, Jane English, Richard Wilhelm and Aleister Crowley, of all people.

The really bad news is I did not make any of this up.

PAST AS PROLOGUE
" I think we agree, the past is over."
The motion of the Way is to return.

DUBYA "TAKES" OFFICE
" There's no question that the minute I got elected, the storm clouds on the horizon were getting nearly directly overhead."
Closely held beliefs are not easily released. So ritual enthralls generation after generation.

"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier...just as long as I'm the dictator..."
Trying to possess it, you lose it.

"I do know I'm ready for the job. And, if not, that's just the way it goes."
The sage gives without expectation.

"I hope you leave here and walk out and say, ?'What did he say?'"
My words have meaning, my actions have reason, yet these cannot be known.

BUSH VS BUSH
" I have opinions of my own?-strong opinions?-but I don't always agree with them."
The sage wanders without knowing, sees without looking.

THE SEPTEMBER 4TH ATTACKS
" September the 4th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin Towers. It's a day I will never forget." The follower of the Way forgets as much as he can every day.

OSAMA BIN LADEN
" The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." Rhetoric is not honesty.

"He's on the run, if he's running at all. So we don't know whether he's in cave with the door shut, or a cave with the door open?-we just don't know." [1 year later] "I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority…I am truly not that concerned about him."
There is no worse disaster than misunderstanding your enemy.

TRUST US TO LIE
" Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness." Trust those who are trustworthy.

"The truth is that for reasons that have a lot to do with the US government bureaucracy, we settled on the one issue that everyone could agree on, which was weapons of mass destruction as the core reason." -Paul Wolfowitz Rhetoric is not honesty.

TURNING THE OTHER CHEEK
" We cannot let terriers and rogue nations hold this nation hostile."
How can I live with the world? By accepting.

EVERYONE LOSES IN WAR
" It's the opposite of optimistic when you're thinking you're going to war."
The sage goes by harmony, not by hope.

NOT U.S.
" We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire."
Those who wish to change the world according with their desire, cannot succeed.

SPEAKING ON ARAB TELEVISION TO A NODDING ARAB AUDIENCE
" Iraqis are sick of foreign people coming in their country and trying to destabilize their country." Even the strongest force will weaken with time.

AN ERECTION IN IRAQ
" Who could have possibly envisioned an erection?-an election in Iraq at this point in history?" The soft overcomes the hard.

"Saddam would still be in power if he [Gore] were the president of the United States, and the world would be a lot better off." The sage is bright but not blinding.

"I'm not the expert on how the Iraqi people think, because I live in America, where it's nice and safe and secure." Disaster lurks within good fortune.

"…a free Iraq will be a major defeat in the cause of freedom."
An inflexible force will meet defeat.

DANGERS OF DECEIT
" The true threats to stability and peace are these nations that are not very transparent, that hide behind the?-that don't let people in to take a look and see what they're up to." Honest people use no rhetoric.

"Redefining the role of the United States from enablers to keep the peace to enablers to keep the peace from peacekeepers is going to be an assignment."
When neither you nor your demons can do harm, you will be at peace with them.

"We're making the right decisions to bring the solution to an end."
Who ignores his limitations is sick.

PROMISES, SHROMISES
" Younger workers have been promised benefits the government?-promises that have been promised, benefits that we can't keep. That's just the way it is."
Profit or loss: which is more troublesome?

HOW DUBYA PLANS TO SAVE SOCIAL SECURITY
" Because the?-all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those?-changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be?-or closer delivered to what has been promised. Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the?-like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate?-the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those?-if that growth is affected, it will help on the red." The perfect speaker leaves no question to be answered.

BUSH TO A DIVORCED MOTHER OF THREE
" You work three jobs?…Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that." Reveal your naked self and embrace your original nature.

WHEN JUSTICE IS JUST US
" Justice ought to be fair." When justice is lost, there remains ritual.

"In a changing world, we want more people to have control over your own life."
Bind your self-interest and control your ambition.

WE WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO HARM AMERICA
" Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
Create order before there is confusion.

BUSH ADMITS HIS DISGRACE
" Like you, I have been disgraced about what I've seen on TV that took place in prison."
Armies are tools of violence. They cause men to hate and fear.

IF YOU DON'T SUCCEED THE FIRST 999 TIMES, PULL THE LEVER AGAIN
" If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure."
The world is shaped by the Way. Trying to possess it, you lose it.

REGARDING THE MANY DEATH SQUAD DICTATORS LIVING IN FLORIDA
" Any person, organization or government that supports, protects or harbors terrorists is complicit in the murder of the innocent and equally guilty of terrorist crimes."
Easy agreement builds harmonious relationships.

U.S. TO UNILATERALLY DISARM
" I was proud the other day when both Republicans and Democrats stood with me in the Rose Garden to announce their support for a clear statement of purpose: you disarm, or we will." He does not contend, and no one contends against him… Compassion is the finest weapon and best defence.

MOTHERHOOD IN BUSH'S AMERICA
" Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child."
Embrace the child, and you embrace the mother.

FUTURE PERFECT
" I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future."
In order to lead people, one must follow them.

I STAND BY MY ERRORS
" People that are really very weird can get into sensitive positions and have a tremendous impact on history." When rulers take action to serve their own interests, their people become rebellious.

"I stand by all the misstatements that I've made."
Who understands does not preach. Who preaches does not understand.

FISHING FOR MEANING
" I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
Manage a great nation as you would cook a delicate fish…Fish should not leave their depths, and swords should not leave their scabbards.

ON GUARD FOR Y'ALL
" We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur."
A lone traveler will journey all day, watching over his belongings. Yet once safe in his bed he will lose them in sleep.

AMBITION AND SUCCESS
" I hope the ambitious realize that they are more likely to succeed with success as opposed to failure." Trying to change the world, you damage it.

BUSH ON www.willthomas.net
" I hear there's rumors on the Internets that we're going to have a draft."
When a man gains power, do not honour him, only remain impartial and show him the Way.

REVENGE IS MINE SAYETH GW TO WRITER AL HUNT
" You ******* son of a bitch. I saw what you wrote. We're not going to forget this."
The sage attends to the smallest details.

WHICH WAY IS UP?
" For NASA, space is still a high priority."
Well established hierarchies are not easily uprooted.

"[It's] time for the human race to enter the solar system."
Fill a cup to its brim and it is easily spilled.

"Mars is somewhat the same distance from the Sun, which is very important. We have seen pictures where there are canals, we believe, and water. If there is water, that means there is oxygen. If oxygen, that means we can breathe." Do not hold fast to appearances.

POLLUTION DOES NOT EXIST
" It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."
Who knows when to stop does not continue into danger and so may long endure.

BUSH TELLS WHY HE TRASHED WORLD CLIMATE ACCORD
" We would not accept a treaty that would not have been ratified, nor a treaty that I thought made sense for the country."
Cultivate harmony within the world, and harmony becomes ubiquitous.

FOREST VISIONARY
" It's good to see so many friends here in the Rose Garden. This is our first event in this beautiful spot, and it's appropriate we talk about policy that will affect people's lives in a positive way in such a beautiful, beautiful part of our national?-really, our national park system, my guess is you would want to call it."
Nature flourishes at the expense of no one.

"It would be helpful if we opened up ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge). I think it's a mistake not to. And I would urge you all to travel up there and take a look at it, and you can make the determination as to how beautiful that country is."
Exceeding nature creates calamity. Controlling nature creates violence.

PEACE WARS
" I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace."
Slaughters must be mourned, and conquest celebrated with a funeral.

"Peace will come to the Middle East only after everyone stops fighting."
Who delights in slaughter cannot content himself with peace.

"My administration has been calling upon all the leaders in the…in the Middle East…to tell the different parties involved that peace will never happen." Who can say how things will end?

"We will fight them there, we will fight them across the world and we will stay in the fight until the fight is won."
Powerful men are well advised not to use violence, for violence has a habit of returning…lean years follow a great war.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE ONCOMING LOCOMOTIVE
" The insurgency is in the last throes." -Dick Cheney
Belief is a colorful hope or fear, the beginning of folly.

GW ON THE TRADE IMBALANCE DESTROYING US ECONOMY
" It's very important for folks to understand that when there's more trade, there's more commerce." Great eloquence seems awkward.

"More and more of our imports come from overseas."
Accepting the world, you embrace the Way.

ST. JOHN'S WARTS
" I would strongly reject that assumption?-that John Ashcroft is a open-minded, inclusive person."
Deal with the difficult while it is yet easy.

HARRIET MIERS TO LEARN LAW ON SUPREME COURT BENCH
" I think it's important to bring somebody from outside the system, the judicial system, somebody that hasn't been on the bench and, therefore, there's not a lot of opinions for people to look at." Experience is a riverbed…draw upon it; it will not run dry.

HURRICANE KATRINA AFTERMATH FROM AIR FORCE ONE
" It's devastating. It's got to be doubly devastating on the ground."
The more he gives, the more he receives.

WHO, ME ATTACK IRAN?
" This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. And having said that, all options are on the table."
If no action is taken, harmony remains.

BUSH ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS REIGN
" There is a legacy, but I'll never see it." The sage gives without expectation.

WE WILL SHOP ?'TIL THE WORLD DROPS
Press query: "Does the President believe that, given the amount of energy Americans consume per capita, how much it exceeds any other citizen in any other country in the world, does the President believe we need to correct our lifestyles to address the energy problem?"
Ari Fleischer: "That's a big no. The President believes that it's an American way of life, and that it should be the goal of policy makers to protect the American way of life. The American way of life is a blessed one. And we have a bounty of resources in this country. What we need to do is make certain that we're able to get those resources in an efficient way. . .The President also believes that the American people's use of energy is a reflection of the strength of our economy, of the way of life that the American people have come to enjoy."

Wearing fine clothes,
Bearing sharp swords,
Glutting with food and drink,
Hoarding wealth and possessions -
These are the ways of theft,
And far from the Way.