First, I undertook to capture the essential character of George W. Bush rather than characterize his missteps. In other words I was trying to draw out the character of the man from his actions rather than characterize his actions. Second, I was writing at a time contemporaneous with his incumbency for the most part and did not have the benefit of hindsight, hence the plea to today's reader to place the comments in the context of the time.
When we undertake to psychoanalyze anyone, especially a president of the United States, we embark on treacherous waters. Why do it? Because it gives us a frame of understanding to know what we are getting in a candidate and it tells us how to stimulate or frustrate the predilections of the incumbent in office. We are after all about political power here. So when we examine the narcissism of Bill Clinton I think we come reasonably close to understanding the man. When we identify the radical leftism and/or anticolonial and Islamic roots of Barack Obama we accurately predicted what we would be getting as and when he gained office and exerted power over us. As to George W. Bush, I think the explanation I put forward stands because it is consistent with the decisions he made in office but, as I was at pains even at the time to point out, it does not excuse him from the harm he has done.
I believe, even more so in hindsight, that George W. Bush was a disaster for the Republican Party, conservatism and for the country. I believe Barack Obama is an even worse disaster but I believe George Bush conducted himself with an empty head and a white heart but Barack Obama conducts himself with real malice.
But I also believe that even Barack Obama has constructed a web of rationalizations to justify every repugnant measure he has taken because that is human nature. Did George Bush similarly excuse himself by having resort to Christian faith? Perhaps, or perhaps he was motivated by it. I have no hesitation in saying that Obama is motivated by malice yet even he believes he is doing right by the world because his twisted ideology tells him so.
I am grateful that you two have responded even some time after the original post.
