President George W. Bush claims that God did so.
Having given the order, the president walked alone around the circle behind the White House. Months later, he told Woodward: “As I walked around the circle, I prayed that our troops be safe, be protected by the Almighty. Going into this period, I was praying for strength to do the Lord’s will. I’m surely not going to justify war based upon God. Understand that. Nevertheless, in my case, I pray that I be as good a messenger of his will as possible. And then, of course, I pray for forgiveness.”
more…
Did Mr. Bush ask his father for any advice? “I asked the president about this. And President Bush said, `Well, no,’ and then he got defensive about it,” says Woodward. “Then he said something that really struck me. He said of his father, `He is the wrong father to appeal to for advice. The wrong father to go to, to appeal to in terms of strength.’ And then he said, `There’s a higher Father that I appeal to.'”
Beyond not asking his father about going to war, Woodward was startled to learn that the president did not ask key cabinet members either. CBS News, Woodward Shares War Secrets
“I’m driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, ‘George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan.’ And I did, and then God would tell me, ‘George go and end the tyranny in Iraq,’ and I did.” Independent, 7Oct2005
After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the former official said, he was told that Bush felt that “God put me here” to deal with the war on terror. The President’s belief was fortified by the Republican sweep in the 2002 congressional elections; Bush saw the victory as a purposeful message from God that “he’s the man,” the former official said. Publicly, Bush depicted his reëlection as a referendum on the war; privately, he spoke of it as another manifestation of divine purpose. The New Yorker: Fact
I bolded the *megalomaniacal God statements.
*megalomania
1 : a mania for great or grandiose performance
2 : a delusional mental disorder that is marked by infantile feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeur
[This was originally a long DKos comment searching for backup on the Bush “God told me to go to war” quote.]
The President’s belief was fortified by the Republican sweep in the 2002 congressional elections; Bush saw the victory as a purposeful message from God that “he’s the man,”
Anyone that sees an event as a “purposeful message from God” is by defition insane.
Insanity manifests in the need to see any event as a vindication of your beleif that “God put me here”, “I’m driven with a mission from God.”
“God would tell me, ‘George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan.’ And I did, and then God would tell me, ‘George go and end the tyranny in Iraq,’ and I did.” is just icing on the cake.
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● Not of This World :: GOD’s DECISION!
In the interview PM Tony Blair says of his decision to send troops to Iraq in March 2003: “I think if you have faith about these things then you realise that judgment is made by other people.”
Asked to explain what he meant, Mr Blair replied: “If you believe in God, it’s made by God as well.”
“But I will not let myself be reduced to silence.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
my diagnosis of Tony Blair is similar. He is a megalomaniac. He is much more intelligent and articulate than GWB but whacko just the same. I often wondered whatever they had in common and now I know, they both live in LaLa land.
It would be funny but they are very dangerous men, their hands are dripping with blood.
In the world outside his head, not so much, but as someone whose spent a lot of time dealing with a schizophrenic I have to say that internal and external realities are not always what you might call in sync.
Bush is simply mistaking the voices inside his head for the word of god.
Bush is simply mistaking the voices inside his head for the word of god. But seriously, the fact that he is disclosing this to a prominent journalist indicates to me that these statements were merely intended to pacify the religious right. I don’t believe that the man is mentally impaired, I believe that he moves deliberately in a fashion calculated to accomplish his goals of reviving feudalism. He seeks to have a ruling class and us serfs. Nothing more.
When beating down the masses its always nice to delude yourself into believing its gods will. Whether he literally hears god or not he is convinced he is doing god’s work. Just like every king since the beginning of history.
of saying that for the nine squillionth time. And I especially admire how you said it in so few words.
It ususually takes me a minimum of 500.
the “king” was actually a sacrifice. He sacrificed himself for his people. Now that may be one of the many problems with Bush. He is unwilling to sacrifice. He’s always been looking for comfort, surrounding himself with loyal sycophants and continuing his regime of going to bed early and taking naps, along with getting plenty of vacation time. No ‘all nighters’ for this guy, no sleepless nights to solve a national crisis and remember his Katrina response? Oh, I’m sorry if I am making you sick.
that could be anything, like tinnitus for example.
He’s one sick puppy. IANA psychiatrist, but sounds like you’ve hit on the diagnosis.
God don’t talk to Scrubya.
It’s called wet brain!
when it comes to Bush.
Fear because this country is in the hands of this madman.
Pity because he is in need of psychological help, but he’s too proud and “strong” to get it.
Disgust because, as a Christian and an American, he is giving the rest of us Christians and Americans a bad name.
And when I hear these types of things, that “God told me to invade” or whatever, I’m reminded of the last verse of the song by Bright Eyes:
When the President talks to God,
Does he ever think that maybe He’s not?
That that voice is just inside his head?
When he kneels next to the Presidential bed,
Does he ever smell his own bullshit?
When the President talks to God?
I doubt it.
Dear sybil, when I first read your diary a thought crossed my mind – can we compare George Bush with Joan of Arc? Although it may sound ridiculous, I find a lot of similarities between them. They both have claimed that God talks to them, which is certainly unusual. Back in the medieval times, the Church put Joan on the marketplace to burn alive to death just because of her claim that she spoke with God. But now we live in the 21st century and the American President is claiming to have established a contact with God. What should we do with him? Burn him alive at the stake? Put him in a madhouse? I do not think so!Furthermore, he is even arguing that God has given him a divine mission on the Earth, which boils down to the invasion of Iraq! Excuse me, but this sounds ridiculous. Looking back at Joan of Arc, I find another similarity. In Besson’s movie, Joan claims that she is the drum on which God is beating out His messages and actually, this is exactly what President Bush is trying to make people believe: that he is God’s messenger. However, I do not really think that even Bush, himself, believes in that. I do not think he has mental problems, either. Rather, I think that he is trying to excuse the invasion of Iraq, he is looking for something grandiose that will at least explain his grandiose mistake – the invasion of Iraq.I am afraid, however,that God is not a good idea. In today’s dynamic world, religious concepts and beliefs have turned out to be pivotal in the shaping of people’s lives and views. But, it is unthinkable that a President explains and excuses his decisions and actions with God; it is unthinkable that he claims to have spoken with God, it is unthinkable that God has ordered,in a way, the invasion of Iraq! So, I guess, Bush should find another, more plausible explanation of his policy regarding Iraq.
God statements before things become so terrible in Iraq, when his poll numbers were up and when most Americans felt that he was keeping them safe from terrorists.
I must confess, I do not believe in any mono-theistic religion. I accept that their literature is acquired by revelation from their Gods. But I don’t submit to their Gods although I am not totally atheist because I suspect that there are gods and a spiritual world.
Joan of Arc is an archetype of a human sacrifice. I don’t find a similarity in Bush except for the ‘God told me’ part. Bush is incapable of noble sacrifice because he continues a comfortable lifestyle while in the seat of global power.
This is all God’s fault.
I don’t think anything is going to stop him. He’s going all the way, he likes to bet everything on a no chance possibility for success.
He’s going all the way to iran and then beyond. He figures, what the fuck, I might as well go for it all as it looks like I’m going to lose.
In reality ….he’s programmed to lose. That’s what he’s all about….being the biggest failure he can be.
He’s not a man luck smile on.
Well, it is exactly the “God told me” part that I find similar to Joan of Arc. Certainly, one cannot compare Bush and Joan of Arc on any other level, thus I never mentioned that Bush was capable of human sacrifice. I just claim that his statements remind me a lot of those of Joan. So, all the similarities I find between them, dwell on these strange and unusual “conversations with God” and on the fact that they both claimed to be God’s messengers.
One more point to make, although the President’s statements date back from the time when things were not so terrible in Iraq, Bush still used them as an explanation of his policy and actions there. At least, this is how I see it!