James Carroll wrote a coumn in the March 6, 2006 Boston Globe that so captured the essence of George Bush. He opened with the revelation that President Bush had indeed been warned about the possibility of the levees failing in New Orleans and related that to a artistic character. Carroll absoutely nails it with the line below that I have highlighted. The inner-workings of George Bush have fascinated me for years and Carroll captures such in just 15 words.
…If this were a novel or a play, we would watch with a certain empathy, alert to revelations of our own inevitable implication in deception and self-deception. None of us is innocent, and it is to wrestle with that fact of our condition that we read books and buy theater tickets.
But the present American story is not a work of literature. From all appearances, the president is not a candidate for the role of ”Bush” because a narrative that unfolds across the terrain of an inner life requires an inner life, and Bush shows no sign of having one.
Even a character flaw presumes a depth of character that the president seems to lack. What interior conflict can there be for a man who attributes all failures, all mistakes, all crimes to those around him, as if he himself (alone of all humans) is blameless? **Where there is no capacity for shame, there is none for insight, much less transformation.** Without the secret struggle against the self, there can be no drama, only pathos…”
My take: curiously, George Bush consciously or unconsciously has endured internal strife for years as he lacked any sort of core. Falling short of others in his family.also bedeviled him tremendously. He drowned these troubles in alcohol, drugs.and the resulting less-than-illustrious behavior. I would argue Bush felt shame then, whether he was aware of it or not.
But since his cessation of drinking and acceptance of Christian fundamentalism, his development of a ‘foundation’ has simply resulted in an angry, shameless and sober individual. Rather than evidence of any sort of individual growth or expression of genuine personal humbleness, he is no more at ease with himself (or others) than before. And like too many upon a religious embrace, he has succumbed to grandiosity, with his Higher Power directing him to run for the presidency and ‘rearrange’ the Middle East.
My thesis: the truly transformed, those who deeply and sincerely tackle their inner demons, need not great offices or immense power to feel whole or complete. They perform unnoticed individual acts of selflessness that demonstrate their change. Those who skim the surface of metamorphosis and renewal still need the bright lights and the acknowledgment of others to convince themselves of worthiness. Their private conflict still rages unabated, a la George Bush.
To read Carroll’s entire column, go here:
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/03/06/bush_lies_and_videotape/