Monday, November 14, 2005

Bush Derangement Syndrome

Sorry that I haven't been posting for a while, but I had to have an extra hole added to my head, and the effects of general anethesia take a while to wear off.
But this link above by a psychologist, explains better than anything else why so many people hate Bush, and why the meme that Bush lied about pre-war intelligence has gotten so much traction.
Some good quotes:
This psychological defense mechanism is referred to as "displacement".

One way you can usually tell that an individual is using displacement is that the emotion being displaced (e.g., anger) is all out of proportion to the reality of the situation. The purpose of displacement is to avoid having to cope with the actual reality. Instead, by using displacement, an individual is able to still experience his or her anger, but it is directed at a less threatening target than the real cause. In this way, the individual does not have to be responsible for the consequences of his/her anger and feels more safe--even thought that is not the case.

This explains the remarkable and sometimes lunatic appeasement of Islamofascists by so many governments and around the world, while they trash the US and particularly Bush. It explains why there is more emphasis on protecting the "rights" of terrorists, rather than holding them accountable for their actions (thier actions, by the way are also Bush's fault, according to those in the throes of BDS). Our soldiers in Iraq are being killed because of Bush--not because of terrorist intent and behavior. Terrorist activity itself is blamed on Bush no matter where it occurs.

and:
Bush becomes the "criminal mastermind", so devious, so evil, that everything he says is a "lie", everything he does is part of a vast global consipiracy. His family has intimate ties to Bin Laden and the Saudis; He is trying to enrich his oil business friends; He is trying to avenge the insult to his father by getting rid of Saddam; He plans world domination etc. etc. I could go on an on, but you get the point.

What is most funny is that these psychologically naiive individuals simultaneously think of Bush as this "criminal mastermind"--a genius of evil; and also as a complete moron who isn't capable of uttering a sentence without making a hash of it; or that his brain is controlled by the equally evil Karl Rove.

The cognitive dissonance required to have all these contradictory beliefs swirling around in one's brain is astonishing. But besides the primary function it serves to erase from consciousness what is happening in the world today, it is serving a secondary purpose--it makes them feel in control of what might come.

They can predict with the complete accuracy of the delusional mind that whatever happens--whatever horror is unleased by Al Qaeda or Hamas or Islamic Jihad--was caused by President Bush's actions/inactions/intentions (take your pick).

and finally:
As I said at the beginning of this piece, those who are mindful and deliberate in their attacks and are using them for personal political gain; or to advance a totalitarian agenda are simply evil.


I have not questioned anyone's patriotism before, but I have had enough of Senators Rockefeller and Kennedy saying that Bush manipulated intel prior to the war and withheld contradictory information. Rockefeller in particular should know better. All intel is contradictory, the trick is to try and sift through all the chaff and find the nuggets that are real. As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Rockefeller had all of the access to intel that the Bush administration had. In 2002, Rockefeller was even more strident than Bush about the threat that was posed by Saddam's Iraq. Now, Rockefeller is saying that it was none of his fault.
Even going so far as in this exchange to say:
SEN. ROCKEFELLER: Chris, there's always the same conversation. You know it was not the Congress that sent 135,000 or 150,000 troops.

WALLACE: But you voted, sir, and aren't you responsible for your vote?

SEN. ROCKEFELLER: No.

WALLACE: You're not?
Trading temporary partisan advantage for personal integrity is bad enough. Trading national security by declaring that we are defeated for political advantage is Unpatriotic. There, I said it. I am not saying that everyone who disagrees with the war is unpatriotic, just those who know better, and are seeking to assist our enemies in order to capture more seats for their side are.

1 comment:

The Viceroy's Fuguestate said...

Brilliant post. I hope the hole in your head is closing up. Senator Rockefeller's is getting larger.