[cross-posted at And, yes, I DO take it personally]
denial and delusion are never pretty in the best of circumstances but when they involve the need to maintain feelings of invincibility and absolute control, the ever more complex web of lies and deceit necessary to maintain them becomes increasingly arrogant, hubristic, and, yes, bizarre…
several years ago, i heard bush described as a “dry drunk…” as a veteran of 12-step programs, that term conjures up a very specific image – someone who, even though he or she has given up the substance of choice, still exhibits all of the behaviors of the addiction… i thought at the time it was an apt description… little did i know how it would continue to manifest down the road… the current scenarios playing out on our national stage are pages taken directly from the “diary of a dry drunk…”
[…]
It was all a lie. Many of us have said for a long time it was a lie. But here it is in black and white [referring to the Downing Street Memo]: Lies from a president who has taken a sacred trust to uphold the Constitution of the United States.
just in the past week, the dysfunctional behavior seems to be popping up everywhere…
the situation in iraq…
guantanamo…
[…]
“This administration eagerly cites Amnesty International research when we criticize Cuba and extensively quoted our criticism of the violations in Iraq under Saddam Hussein in the run-up to the war,” protested William F. Schulz, executive director of Amnesty International USA.
as our president and his team are increasingly challenged to face reality, they, and bush in particular, react very much like an addict when faced with the harsh realities of the addiction…
-the level of defensiveness increases dramatically
-the level of denial becomes shrill
-all the stops are pulled out to keep the delusion intact (usually some form of “everything’s ok, don’t worry, everything’s ok”)
generally speaking, the only thing that succeeds in breaking through the denial/delusion wall is, in 12-step terminology, “hitting the wall…”
so, what would “hitting the wall” look like for a president of the united states…? for nixon, it was the white house tapes… for clinton, it was the stain on a dress… i think for bush, because of the intensity of the delusion and the depth of the denial and because it is shared not only by the white house team, it is also mandated behavior for cabinet members, executive appointees, and congressional republicans, the impact of whatever wall is going to be hit must be correspondingly higher…
What does it mean? It means that everyone in this administration should be impeached.
these are harsh words but i don’t believe they are in any way inappropriate… oftentimes, when a loved one is struggling in the depths of an addiction but can’t break through the denial and delusion, friends and family, usually together with a mental health professional, will collectively confront the addict in what is called an “intervention…” we desperately need that intervention now…
Good diary-nice laying out of how dry-drunk bush continues his delusional ignorance. I remember seeing him, I think during first presidential election(?)on Oprah and she asked him some question pertaining to his making decisions and does he rethink decisions? His answer to that was very telling as he said he doesn’t do introspection or have any self doubts-once he makes up his mind that’s it.
That’s not being decisive, that’s being shortsighted, ignorant, narrow minded-don’t bother me with the facts-and just plain scary for someone who is President to believe and practice.
Good analysis of the “dry drunk”
In Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President by Justin Frank
There is an excellent description of this along with Bush’s entire vast array of psychological problems.
The man is very very ill.
presently dry for 8 months, but the only thing missing in much of his ‘defensive, non-communicative, verbally abusive self is the booze- He doesn’t remember much from his drunk-days so either takes no responsibilities or uses his black outs as an excuse..
sounds like Bush to me…not responsible for anything.
Bush is just the front man, way over his head.
Inept, incompetent and unfeeling. He squeezes
out a few maudlin tears once in a while in
public, but basically he is a sociopath.
My dear friend, you have laid it all out so well. YES,YES,YES an intervention is desperately needed. The sad truth though is that you cannot help someone that doesn’t want or feel they need it. I feel it is more now bigger than BushCo…it is 51 percent of the country that is in denial. You see, once a drunk realises they have a problem isn’t necessarily the point they finally seek help. I know it took me a good three more years after saying this is a problem before I saught out treatment. We must be patient because I do believe the other half of the country is startint to recognise there is a “problem” but they just don’t know what to do about it just yet.
Yup.
Some years ago, well, after the Iraq vote to be precise, I wrote a diatribe which began “Would someone please get Dick Gephardt a copy of Codependant No More?” The saddest part of this tragedy is that congress and the press have turned out to the codependant enablers of Bush’s wildest dreams. So who will conduct this intervention, since the checks and balances that should serve in that capacity, have become completely dysfunctional? Who will name the elephant in the living room? Anyone? Anyone?