I think Bush has Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

[Th1onein]

This syndrome is caused by a depletion of thiamine. It can be treated with supplements of thiamine, but some of the deficits (such as memory loss) never go away. Here's a website on it: http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/topic100587057

[Sperk]

1. I posted the same thing a short while back....one of the hosts on AAR

keeps saying * has Korsakoff Syndrome. NO doubt the * has got some kind of mental illness.

[Eric J in MN]

3. Sam Seder of "The Majority Report" radio show

Sam Seder of "The Majority Report" radio show on Air America
www.airamericaradio.com

shares that theory.

[rfranklin]

2. My mother was an alcoholic....same difficulty with language...

Of course, I haven't seen him in a private setting, but the public behavior looks very similar.

[starroute]

4. This has been mentioned before -- and it's very plausible

It could explain why Bush makes these outrageous statements -- that he saw the first plane hit the WTC, or that Saddam refused to let the inspectors back in -- with every appearance ofr believing them himself. If there are big holes in his memory that he's accustomed to fill in with any likely story, these whoppers almost start to make sense.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

5. Bush* and Dry Drunk Syndrome .....

http://www.counterpunch.org/wormer1011.html

Ordinarily I would not use this term. But when I came across the article "Dry Drunk" - - Is Bush Making a Cry for Help? in American Politics Journal by Alan Bisbort, I was ready to concede, in the case of George W. Bush, the phrase may be quite apt.

Dry drunk is a slang term used by members and supporters of Alcoholics Anonymous and substance abuse counselors to describe the recovering alcoholic who is no longer drinking, one who is dry, but whose thinking is clouded. Such an individual is said to be dry but not truly sober. Such an individual tends to go to extremes.

It was when I started noticing the extreme language that colored President Bush's speeches that I began to wonder. First there were the terms-- "crusade" and "infinite justice" that were later withdrawn. Next came "evil doers," "axis of evil," and "regime change", terms that have almost become clichés in the mass media. Something about the polarized thinking and the obsessive repetition reminded me of many of the recovering alcoholics/addicts I had treated. (A point worth noting is that because of the connection between addiction and "stinking thinking," relapse prevention usually consists of work in the cognitive area). Having worked with recovering alcoholics for years, I flinched at the single-mindedness and ego- and ethnocentricity in the President's speeches. (My husband likened his phraseology to the gardener character played by Peter Sellers in the movie, Being There). Since words are the tools, the representations, of thought, I wondered what Bush's choice of words said about where he was coming from. Or where we would be going.

First, in this essay, we will look at the characteristics of the so-called "dry drunk;" then we will see if they apply to this individual, our president; and then we will review his drinking history for the record. What is the dry drunk syndrome? "Dry drunk" traits consist of:

Exaggerated self-importance and pomposity
Grandiose behavior
A rigid, judgmental outlook
Impatience
Childish behavior
Irresponsible behavior
Irrational rationalization
Projection
Overreaction
Clearly, George W. Bush has all these traits except exaggerated self importance. He may be pompous, especially with regard to international dealings, but his actual importance hardly can be exaggerated. His power, in fact, is such that if he collapses into paranoia, a large part of the world will collapse with him. Unfortunately, there are some indications of paranoia in statements such as the following: "We must be prepared to stop rogue states and their terrorist clients before they are able to threaten or use weapons of mass destruction against the United States and our allies and friends." The trait of projection is evidenced here as well, projection of the fact that we are ready to attack onto another nation which may not be so inclined.

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