Another psychologist weighs in on B*sh's pysche (he's nuts):

[npincus]

http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-opsie105088567feb11,0,7521616.story?coll=ny-wintrtrck-headlines&track=mostemailedlink

My 75 year-old mother clipped this out of her newspaper (Long Island's Newsday) and mailed it to me!

Paul Siegel, an assistant professor of clinical psychology at the State University of New York, Westchester, writes that "the president's persistance in the face of reality represents a disturbing state of mind" and more:




Dissociation is a more complicated defense mechanism than denial. It doesn't just pretend that reality isn't there. It replaces reality with a fantasy world. We dissociate when we daydream. But when we repeatedly live in our own world, we do so at our peril. A gambling addict buried in debt is sure that next time he is going to win, but he almost never does. Despite his wife's expressions of unhappiness, a husband believes he is in a good marriage, and is shocked when she announces she wants a divorce. A patient avoiding childhood memories of sexual abuse tells her therapist she had a happy childhood when it couldn't possibly have been.

<snip>


Imagine for a moment that you are he, and the possibility of failure is dawning in your consciousness. How would you cope? Acknowledging the possibility of failure could be tantamount to committing psychological suicide - unleashing enough guilt and shame to demolish your identity as commander-in-chief. Dissociation, however, would allow you to absorb the blows that reality has dealt to your dream of a new Iraq, and to devise a plan to rescue it. Hence the troop surge.

Were he not dissociated, the president could acknowledge, as most military experts have suggested, that a far larger presence of U.S. troops is necessary in Iraq. Or he might face up to the full degree of ethnic conflict and begin to withdraw our troops. I believe the president is being genuine when he says that sending 21,500 additional troops will make a real difference. Psychological magic tricks work when people believe them.

A psychotherapist, were Bush willing to see one, or a wise counselor might be able to help the president to understand his deepest wishes and see how he dissociates on behalf of them. Bush might then arrive at the conclusion that too many Shia, Sunnis and Kurds seem more interested in killing one another than in building a democracy, and that democracy is his dream, not theirs. For this president, what a frightening thought that would be.

[WinkyDink]

1. Except democracy is not Bush's "dream", either; oligarchy is.

[CJCRANE]

2. This takes at face value

"that democracy is his dream". I don't believe that * cares about creating a liberal democracy in Iraq (or America for that matter). It's possible that he's delusional but in a different way.

[Mandate My Ass]

3. NPD is *extremely* difficult to treat

because malignant narcissists like the way they are. They unabashedly use and abuse people and think if they change, they will be treated the same way.

[npincus]

5. very interesting

are you in the mental health field? What are your thoughts as far as psychologists/psychiatrists coming forward to speak on B*sh's mental (un)fitness and mental disorder(s)?

We are in very scary times.

[Mandate My Ass]

7. Not in mental health

but I was married to someone later diagnosed with NPD. Apparently after I left him he went on a spree. Luckily for me I was far away and had warned relatives that if anything should happen to me, he was the culprit and I made sure he knew this.

Many years later I stumbled on a site about serial killers, many of whom had the same traits as my ex. Most strikingly, a feeling of grandiosity, entitlement and a belief that anybody they hurt had it coming. They are notoriously difficult to treat for this reason. You are either hunter or prey in their eyes, and they know what happens to prey so they do not want any shrinks messing with their heads.

I think any psychiatrist familiar with NPD would recommend that Bush be removed from office. Even if he was treatable, it would take years to accomplish anything with regard to his recklessness and denial of reality. They bully, it's the only thing they know.

[sofa king]

17. Not a head shrinker either, but....

My reading suggests that NPD is rarely treatable. The only time an NPD patient checks in with the psychologists is when the patient realizes what a useless asshole he is. He then suffers from depression and nervous breakdown.

But once the patient rebuilds his self esteem with the help of a psychologist, he invariably goes back to his delusions of grandeur and leaves treatment. Once an asshole, always an asshole.

This would explain the President's long stays away from the public eye. I think he's cracking up about every nine weeks or so now, and may rely on booze and/or drugs to actually prevent himself from remembering that he's the Worst President Ever.

Once he's out I suspect he'll hate himself for the rest of his miserable life. Unfortunately, we'll still be picking up the pieces long after he's gone.

[Morgana LaFey]

33. No, I don't think he has the capacity -- familiarity with Reality --

to hate himself. For Narcissists -- the little, benign ones and the great big evil ones -- NOTHING is ever their fault. Nothing. Everything is someone else's fault. So there'll be no reason for him to hate himself, you see.

[sofa king]

40. I suppose we'll see.

But here's my prediction for 2008:

[Hawkowl]

41. You forgot the bars on the windows

and the prison orange jumpsuit

[all.of.me]

46. i agree.

i have dealt with a narcissist. everything was always everyone else's fault. he was verbally abusive, and those of us that stood up to him, questioned him, were 'dismissed' as friends. i have watched this with him for years. i am heart broken over what he is subtly teaching his young children....

narcissists don't think they do anything wrong. that is why bush keeps on with his agenda - it is right, in his eyes. i don't believe they all sit in the back room and consciously try to screw people over. i think this is just the way they see the world through a skewed psyche. they are not capable of change, because they don't think they are wrong. WE need change, not them, in their eyes.

narcissism, sadly, is the result of extremely low self esteem. 'i am great! you suck!' that comes from feelings of self-hatred that are not expressed. that hate is turned outside towards others.

[leveymg]

19. There aren't any NPD-specific medications available.

Did a quick search and didn't see mention of drug therapies specific to this disorder. Seems that whatever meds Bush might be put on would be those drugs, such as mood stabilizers or anti-depressants, developed for co-morbidities. See below: http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/personality_disorders/narcissism/faq77.html

Here are some hard facts:

There are gradations and shades of narcissism. The difference between two narcissists can be great. The existence or lack of grandiosity and empathy are not minor variations. They are serious predictors of future dynamics. The prognosis is much better if they do exist.

There are cases of spontaneous healing and of "short-term NPD" .

The prognosis for a classical NPD case (grandiosity, lack of empathy and all) is decidedly not good IF we are talking about LONG-TERM AND COMPLETE HEALING. Moreover, NPDs are intensely disliked by therapists.

BUT…

Side effects, co-morbid disorders (such as OCD) and SOME aspects of NPD (certain behaviours, the dysphorias, the paranoiac dimensions, the outcomes of the sense of entitlement, the pathological lying) CAN be modified (using talk therapy and, depending on the problem, medication). We are not talking about SHORT-TERM solutions – but there are partial solutions and some of them do have long-term effects.

[npincus]

24. NPD definition

I never heard of this until reading posts on this thread... but it's Chimp to a tee. Shit.


Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)

(definition from from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, 1994, commonly referred to as DSM-IV, of the American Psychiatric Association.)

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a pattern of self-centered or egotistical behavior that shows up in thinking and behavior in a lot of different situations and activities. People with NPD won't (or can't) change their behavior even when it causes problems at work or when other people complain about the way they act, or when their behavior causes a lot of emotional distress to others (or themselves? none of my narcissists ever admit to being distressed by their own behavior -- they always blame other people for any problems). This pattern of self-centered or egotistical behavior is not caused by current drug or alcohol use, head injury, acute psychotic episodes, or any other illness, but has been going on steadily at least since adolescence or early adulthood.

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy. The disorder begins by early adulthood and is indicated by at least five of the following:

1. An exaggerated sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements). The simplest everyday way that narcissists show their exaggerated sense of self-importance is by talking about family, work, life in general as if there is nobody else in the picture. Whatever they may be doing, in their own view, they are the star, and they give the impression that they are bearing heroic responsibility for their family or department or company, that they have to take care of everything because their spouses or co-workers are undependable, uncooperative, or otherwise unfit. They ignore or denigrate the abilities and contributions of others and complain that they receive no help at all.

2. Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal faith or love. Narcissists cultivate solipsistic or "autistic" fantasies, which is to say that they live in their own little worlds (and react with affront when reality dares to intrude).

3. Believes he is "special" and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions). Narcissists think that everyone who is not special and superior is worthless. By definition, normal, ordinary, and average aren't special and superior, and so, to narcissists, they are worthless.

4. Requires excessive admiration. Excessive in two ways: they want praise, compliments, deference, and expressions of envy all the time, and they want to be told that everything they do is better than what others can do. Sincerity is not an issue here; all that matter are frequency and volume.

5. Has a sense of entitlement. They expect automatic compliance with their wishes or especially favorable treatment, such as thinking that they should always be able to go first and that other people should stop whatever they're doing to do what the narcissists want, and may react with hurt or rage when these expectations are frustrated.

6. Selfishly takes advantage of others to achieve his own ends. Narcissists use other people to get what they want without caring about the cost to the other people.

7. Lacks empathy. They are unwilling to recognize or sympathize with other people's feelings and needs. They "tune out" when other people want to talk about their own problems. They are aware that their feelings are different from other people's, mostly that they feel less, both in strength and variety (and which the narcissists interpret as evidence of their own superiority); some narcissists report "numbness" and the inability to perceive meaning in other people's emotions.

8. Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him.

9. Shows arrogant, haughty, patronizing, or contemptuous behaviors or attitudes. They treat other people like dirt.

[bdamomma]

28. all those symptoms point to *

we have a very big problem here. He is totally unfit to hold office, any office for that matter.

[leveymg]

34. Yep. That's him. But, also showed mild FAS and adult CD.

Only, I think it's further complicated by FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) of which he also shows mild symptoms that have often been attributed to ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).

www.fetalalcohol.com/what-is-fase.htm
What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effects?
How FAS/FAE occurs | Behavioural/Learning Difficulties | Statistics | History | Links
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a birth defect syndrome caused by the mother's intake of alcohol during pregnancy. The spectrum of alcohol-related diagnoses includes Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE), PFAS (Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome), ARND (Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder) or ARBD (Alcohol Related Birth Defects). All of these birth defects are entirely preventable and can happen to anyone, regardless of age, race or socioeconomic status.

In order to receive a diagnosis of FAS from a physician, three criteria must be present:

1) Characteristic facial features include - a flattened midface, thin upper lip, indistinct/absent philtrum and short eye slits







1) Growth retardation - lower birth weight, disproportional weight not due to nutrition, height and/or weight below the 5th percentile.

2) Central Nervous System neurodevelopmental abnormalities such as - impaired fine motor skills, learning disabilities, behaviour disorders or a mental handicap (the latter of which is found in approximately 50% of those with FAS)

In order to receive a diagnosis of PFAS, only two of the three above criteria must be present and must include some facial features and brain differences. To receive a diagnosis of ARND, only one of the above three criteria must be present and must be a brain difference. These fetal alcohol effects are often thought to be less damaging than the "full-blown" syndrome, however, they are often more debilitating to the person's quality of life.


Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effects are PERMANENT and cannot be outgrown.

FAS/FAE babies and young children may have other specific distinguishable features:
· short stature
· small and thin
· physical problems, including hearing defects, organ imperfections or bone problems
· difficulty with eating
· difficulty developing a regular sleeping schedule
· difficulty learning how to walk
· difficulty learning toilet training
· impulsivity (ie. running out into the street, going off with a stranger)
· hyperactivity


FAS/FAE children have learning disabilities, which can include difficulties in:
· learning language and language use, especially receptive language
· generalizing information
· mastering new or recently learned skills
· memory (ie. remembering something from a year ago but not from yesterday)
· predicting outcomes or cause and effect
· distinguishing fact from fantasy
· distinguishing friends from strangers (ie. may think someone they met five minutes ago is a friend)
· lack of learning from experience because they do not understand cause and effect, behaviour and experience


FAS/FAE adults continue to have the same learning difficulties they had as youth, and also often have difficulty with:
· the legal and court system, due to lack of understanding of cause and effect
· controlling alcohol consumption
· maintaining custody of their children
· mental health issues



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How FAS/FAE occurs:
Alcohol's effects are more harmful to a fetus than those of all other drugs, including cocaine. When a woman drinks alcohol, it reaches the placenta in a few moments and passes through the growing fetus. The mother's body can break down one drink in approximately three hours, but alcohol stays in the fetus for much longer.

One drink = ½ ounce of absolute alcohol, which is contained
in one 12 oz. beer, one 4 oz. glass of wine, or one mixed drink as
poured in a bar. Most people drink at home where alcohol is not measured, so "1 drink" may actually be 2 drinks or more.

Alcohol is a teratogenic drug, which means it can cause birth defects when taken after conception. Different types of drinking affect the fetus in different ways. Binge drinking (consuming a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time) is more harmful than drinking the same amount over the course of a week because the mother's blood alcohol content is much higher. The mother's health, amount of alcohol consumed, time during the pregnancy during which the alcohol was consumed, and her metabolism all affect the fetus in various ways. In addition, the regions of the developing brain and body that are affected by alcohol vary, depending on when the alcohol was taken into the mother's system. Women who drink during pregnancy may give birth to a child with FAS/FAE, and may also have problems with their pregnancy, such as a miscarriage, a stillborn or premature baby.

Drinking during breastfeeding is also harmful for the baby.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Behavioural/Learning Difficulties:
Children with FAS usually reach their intellectual peak around Grade 4 and begin to notice the differences between themselves and peers.

Teenagers with FAS often have low self-esteem because of the learning and social differences between themselves and their peers. They may do unsafe things in order to be accepted, such as take a dangerous dare or engage in sexual activity to get love and attention. They have a very poor understanding of consequences and may feel depressed or even suicidal.

Adults with FAS are at high risk for mental health problems. They are often socially isolated, have difficulty with interpersonal relationships and may have difficulty functioning in many environments. Adults with FAS have spotty memories and often have difficulty distinguishing fact from fantasy. They need supported housing and employment programs because independent living is rarely an option.

This disability is PERMANENT -
people with FAS/FAE do not 'get better.'

Other Disorders Commonly Diagnosed with FAS:
People with FAS/E often have dual diagnoses or co-morbidity, but they are not necessary for an FAS/E diagnosis.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
ADHD is different with FAS/E- while it looks like an attention deficit or distractibility, in actuality it is a deficit in information encoding and perception.

Conduct Disorder
Depression
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
Attachment Disorder

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
What is it?
ODD is a psychiatric disorder that is characterized by two different sets of problems. These are aggressiveness and a tendency to purposefully bother and irritate others. It is often the reason that people seek treatment. When ODD is present with ADHD, depression, tourette's, anxiety disorders, or other neuropsychiatric disorders, it makes life with that child far more difficult. For Example, ADHD plus ODD is much worse than ADHD alone, often enough to make people seek treatment. The criteria for ODD are:

A pattern of negativistic, hostile, and defiant behavior lasting at least six months during which four or more of the following are present:
1. Often loses temper
2. often argues with adults
3. often actively defies or refuses to comply with adults' requests or rules
4. often deliberately annoys people
5. often blames others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior
6. is often touchy or easily annoyed by others
7. is often angry and resentful
8. is often spiteful and vindictive
The disturbance in behavior causes clinically significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning.


Conduct disorder
In some ways, conduct disorder is just a worse version of ODD. However recent research suggests that there are some differences. Children with ODD seem to have worse social skills than those with CD. Children with ODD seem to do better in school. (1). Conduct disorder is the most serious childhood psychiatric disorder. Approximately 6-10% of boys and 2-9% of girls have this disorder.

Here is the Definition.

A. A repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or major society rules are violated. At least three of the following criteria must be present in the last 12 months, and at least one criterion must have been present in the last 6 months.
Aggression to people and animals
often bullies, threatens, or intimidates others

often initiates physical fights

has used a weapon that can cause serious physical harm to others (a bat, brick, broken bottle, knife, gun)

physically cruel to animals

physically cruel to people

has stolen while confronting a victim ( mugging, purse snatching, extortion, armed robbery)

Destruction of property
has deliberately engaged in fire setting with the intention of causing serious damage

has deliberately destroyed other's property other than by fire setting

Deceitfulness or theft
has broken into someone else's house, building or car

often lies to obtain goods or favors or to avoid work

has stolen items of nontrivial value without confronting a victim (shoplifting, forgery)

Serious violations of rules
often stays out at night despite parental prohibitions, beginning before 13 years of age

has run away from home overnight at least twice without returning home for a lengthy period

often skips school before age 13






B. The above problem causes significant impairment in social , academic, and occupational functioning.
So how are ODD and CD related?
Currently, the research shows that in many respects, CD is a more severe form of ODD. Severe ODD can lead to CD. Milder ODD usually does not. The common thread that separates CD and ODD is safety. If a child has CD there are safety concerns. Sometimes it is the personal safety of others in the school, family, or community. Sometimes it is the safety of the possessions of other people in the school, family or community. Often the safety of the child with CD is a great concern. Children with ODD are an annoyance, but not especially dangerous. If you have a child with CD disorder in your home, most likely you do not feel entirely safe. Or, you do not feel that your things are entirely safe. It is the hardest pediatric neuropsychiatric disorder to live with as a sibling, parent, or foster parent. Nothing else even comes close. It is worse than any medical disorder in pediatrics. Some parents have told me that at times it is worse than having your child die.

Conduct Disorder and comorbidity
It has been common in the past for people to think that conduct disorder is just the beginning of being a criminal. Up until the last few years, children with conduct disorder were often "written off". It is now clear that this is true only with a minority of cases. It is very easy to focus on the management of the CD child and forget to check the child out for other neuropsychiatric disorders. A careful examination of children with CD almost always reveals other neuropsychiatric disorders. Some of the most exciting developments in this area of medicine involve understanding these phenomena. It is called comorbidty, that is the tendency for disorders to occur together.

It is very common to see children with CD plus another one or two neuropsychiatric diagnoses. By far the most common combination is CD plus ADHD. Between 30-50% of children with CD will also have ADHD (1). Another common combination is CD plus depression or anxiety. One quarter to one half of children with CD have either an anxiety disorder or depression (3). CD disorder plus substance abuse is also very common. Also common are associations with Learning Disorders, bipolar disorder and Tourettes Syndrome. It is exceptionally rare for a child to present for evaluation by a pediatric psychiatrist to have pure CD. Here are some examples of the comorbid presentations.

[npincus]

36. a textbook case of ODD and CD

Has it been documented anywhere that the MOTHER of the THING drank during her pregnancy?

great post.

[TahitiNut]

30. The basic reason NPD is effectively untreatable is that the treatment itself is a 'supply' to them.

So, the very act of responding and reacting to the pathological narcissist is enabling the pathology. In the throes of such a pathology, they'll select behavior which elicits the 'flavor' of narcissistic supply their appetites demand.

IMHO, the only way to deal with Smirk is to lock him in a padded cell with a life sentence of solitary confinement. In that context, he'll create for himself more of a hell than anyone could inflict on him.

[Pale Blue Dot]

37. 2 questions about NPD, if anyone knows the answers...

1. Are instances of this disorder on the rise? I can't tell you the number of my customers who fit this profile.

2. Have any studies been done on the political leanings of people with NPD? It seems to me that this would be a peculiarly Republican phenomenon.

[MamaBear]

4. He's in a dissociated state.

I think Siegel is saying that * doesn't recognize his true state because he is dissociated from reality -- including the reality of his true state. It means his true motives may be masked even from himself. His stated goal is democracy, but as we've often discussed here on DU, his true goals are many and varied.

The addict does not recognize his addiction because that would require action on his part and interfere with his self-image. The gambler does not see himself as a loser even when he loses almost every time.

Perhaps Siegel could have made it clearer that "democracy" is *'s stated goal. His true goals are open to speculation.

[goforit]

45. kick

[Connonym]

6. While I don't disagree with the assessment, I have a hard time respecting the clinician

I don't think a real professional should/would give a professional diagnosis without having ever met the diagnosee. While I agree 100% that there's something not right about W, I think the psychotherapist damages his credibilty by making a diagnosis like this. Two words, Bill Frist.

[niyad]

9. slight difference being that we have bush's behaviour in plain view 24/7, and have had since he

stole the office. frist made a diagnosis based on 45 minutes of carefully selected video.

[Laurab]

21. 24/7 for 6+ years, in fact

that combined with the devastation he has inflicted upon the world, and his continuing refusal to deal with the reality of it, in fact working to make it worse, should be enough for anyone to diagnose him.

[npincus]

11. Dr. Justin Frank wrote a whole book about B*sh's pysche,

http://www.amazon.com/Bush-Couch-Inside-Mind-President/dp/0060736704

"B*sh on The Couch" using a method he called applied psychoanalysis: "applying psychoanalytic principles to anybody outside one's own consulting room".

With all the objective factual biographical material on B*sh, and, observing his behavior, statements and response to unfolding events, I believe it is appropriate that professionals with experience and knowledge of the human mind and mental disorders have an opinion about what is driving him. In this case, considering he literally holds the fate of most of us (and the world, as he launches his next crazy war) in his hands, and that his descisions are not being made by a sound mind, it is their moral imperative to come forward and call attention to his unfitness to serve.

I ask all mental health professionals to come forward and sound the alarm.

[Pacifist Patriot]

13. Applied psychoanalysis has its problems, but...

it wouldn't necessarily damage a psychotherapist's credibility.

[ShortnFiery]

31. Excellent Point.

Very few people have the bucks or the patience to undergo traditional psychotherapy. I've always subscribed to Cognitive Behavioral theories underlying mental illness.

Most everything that I've observed about Dear Leader suggests an underlying personality disorder. IMO mostly Antisocial with a smattering of Narcissistic on the periphery. :shrug:

Psychopaths, Secret Societies and the New World Order by Jerry Russell and Richard Stanley

http://www.911-strike.com/psychopaths.htm

"Regarding our current President, George W. Bush, how much clearer could it be that we are dealing with a psychopathic, insane individual? Elsewhere on this website, we argue that the events of 9/11 were a cynical hoax, intended to provoke America into fighting aggressive wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands if not millions of innocents, in a quest for Imperial power. If this is agreed, then it really should not be necessary to offer any further evidence of the psychopathy of George W. Bush. But there is much more: in this essay by Bev Conover of Online Journal, Bush isn't a moron, he's a cunning sociopath, we learn that in his youth, George W. "enjoyed putting firecrackers into frogs, throwing them in the air, and then watching them blow up." Reporter Richard Gooding of the tabloid STAR stated, in a well-referenced article, that Bush was the president of Yale's Delta Epsilon Kappa fraternity -- which "barbarically branded its new members on their backsides with a red-hot metal rod as part of a sadistic hazing practice." Reportedly, the branding resulted in a second-degree burn that left a half-inch scab in the shape of the Greek letter Delta."

[Annces]

8. I don't think he is disassociated - I think he is a sadist and psychopath

He is going to be so lost when his presidency is over.

[Mandate My Ass]

10. Yes, his critics must be punished more harshly than anybody

so he will sadistically send people to needless death to show his critics what happens when they say anything against him.

[Iwasthere]

14. He loved killing small animals for fun as a kid

His childhood buddy also said that * put firecrakers inside of frogs and gleefully watched blow up!

[npincus]

15. Chimp invented IEDs for frogs!

excellent fun.

[CoffeeCat]

12. Whatever is wrong with him...

...it's clear that his handlers understand that he lives in a parallel universe--
and that pricking holes in that universe could cause damage.

Look at how Junior is sheltered from protesters. Look at how they briskly usher
him away from anyone who might hold up an anti-Bush sign. When he campaigned
for pResident, it was pathetic. Those staged audiences that were comprised only
of loyal BushCo fans. You had to sign a waver pledging your allegiance to Junior,
just to get in the door.

All of this is manufactured reality--is intended to prop up Junior's artificial world.

His handlers understand that he lives on fantasy island. They know that if he
experienced reality (what America really thinks of him) that he would come unglued
and say things that everyone would regret.

His handlers--and those who surround him--spend their lives nodding their heads
in agreement, chuckling at his nonsense and patting him on the back. They treat
him like a lunatic with a hand grenade--because they know that the unraveling will
begin if he's not convincingly placated 24/7.

Also, his perfectionist/delusional/psychopathic mother also plays a severe hand
in all of this. How many times have we heard that Barbara thinks Georgie is
perfect, and that she spins out of control if anyone dares to criticize him.
She's got serious mental issues too. If her children aren't perfect, then she's
not perfect---so she demands an illusion of perfection from everything around her--
and that includes Georgie.

[valerief]

16. He knows what he's doing. He's getting what he wants and that's the war chest. nt

[enough]

18. A much greater problem than Bush's insanity is the fact that

the ruling establishment of our nation has allowed him to do everything he wants to do.

[malaise]

20. Bush is madder than a

cuckoo bird

[Marie26]

22. Right

He dissociates to avoid facing exactly what he's done. But it's become harder for him to maintain the delusion, forcing him to take more drastic measures in order to ward off reality. Eventually, Bush won't be able to dissociate anymore, and then he'll decompensate into frank psychosis. IMO he is very close to that now.

[femrap]

23. He's nuts and this idea must gain believers until

it reaches critical mass/tipping point. This is the quickest and cleanest way to rid ourselves of him....the 25th Amendment.

Spread the word...he's nuts to the point of being dangerous. He is putting our military in harm's way.

[ShortnFiery]

27. Our only hope is if he melts down completely at a news conference.

I swear, at the last news conference our Mad King George was a hair away from slurring his words, i.e., he was heavily sedated. I think that the person on the other end of his ear-piece comms was yelling, "Enunciate, you buffoon!." :wow:

No joke, I've only made the lowly masters level in the field of Psychology but I honestly believe that Dear Leader is "on the edge." If he melts down and spews the venomous feelings that are truly his, the Mask of Sanity will fall. <hope! hope!> :hi:

[femrap]

39. I agree with you...

If we could just get one reporter who would push him on a specific question, I think he could erupt and/or melt.

I would like to see a reporter question his religious 'faith' and how his actions are so far removed from the teachings of Jesus. That could get him!

[bdamomma]

25. We need more of these psychologists, psychiatrists and

psychotherapists come out now, and explain how this lunatic needs psychiatric and psychological help now.
* is a threat to himself and us.

[bdamomma]

26. this symptom caught my attention.

this is him all the way:

9. Shows arrogant, haughty, patronizing, or contemptuous behaviors or attitudes. They treat other people like dirt.

[bdamomma]

29. too bad we couldn't get our fair and balanced media to focus on his

mental state, like maybe have Keith have a Dr. Frank on for an interview, put it out there for everyone to digest and to know we have sick SOB in office. Even Bill Maher should have a medical professional on his show to discuss this. This is the only way to make other people (not us of course) know we are dealing with a man with mental health disorders.

[liberal renegade]

32. he's

crazier than a bedbug and nobody needs to enlighten me of that fact.....

[calimary]

35. Yeah, but then again, YOU are among the Enlightened. You can't be

conned, spun, or lied to. You're already immune. But SO many others are not. They're the ones who need to hear more of this. I think it's a pretty good analysis myself.

And, whoever just gave me that fifth heart - WOW - THANKS!!!!!

:hug:

[Larry Ogg]

38. Here’s another recent post on DU I think everyone should take a look at.

The Science Of Evil And Its Use For Political Purposes
?http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x262414

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

42. I personally think armchair psychoanalysis DOES damage the credibility of the

person engaging in it, as they have no therapeutic relationship with the target. My opinion.

There's plenty to dislike and criticze in the actual actions and poor leadership of Bush without having to resort to this.

There's no end to it; the other team could as easily get their partisan psychiatrists or psychologists to right hit pieces about what's mentally wrong with any leading Democratic candidate, and it would be as invalid.

[Poiuyt]

43. Kick

[goforit]

44. Well, maybe to a small degree. But, special interests like Oil Gods and Halib

burton, Carlyle are the real forces that motivate his ass. He knows he has already failed. He is there to
please "his friends" and to make them rich. So if chaos is the key to making his friends wealthy, than
so be it. He chooses to deny failure and deliver the fantasy of victory in Iraq to push back the threats to him
personally from the public. He also knows that he can break any law on the books without retribution. Our Congress and Supreme Court allows him.
George W. Bush is a wanted man by the public here and abroad, and he knows it, and relishes that he gets away with it.
This is why he continues to pretend, at the command of his special interest, that "he is the decider and the war is not finished yet - we will still win'.
It is a scam to the max.
Quite frankly, the Bush Cabal has even fooled the psychologists ....as being "dissociative." LOL!!!
quite frankly I do believe he falls on the Personality disorder of Antisocial........defined:
-low frustration tolerance
-impulsive behavior
-Inability to delay gratification
-poor judgement
-conflict with authority
-difficulty following the rules
-lack of feelings of remorse
-socially unacceptable behavior
-dishonesty
-Ineffective interpersonal relationships
-manipulative behavior
-failure to learn or change behavior based on past experience or punishment
-failure to accept or handle responsibility.