Anyone else reading Bush on the Couch?

[Strawman]

I am. What do you think of it? I don't agree with everything. I think it assumes Bush is a little more in control of things than he really is. A couple times I thought the author was reaching a bit and drawing conclusions from some innocent behaviors, but all in all I think it provides a pretty good insight into why GWB is not intellectually or emotionally intelligent enough for the job. The basic point is that GWB was stunted in his development by an emotionally cold mother and absent father and is unable to view the world in anything other than simplistic black-and-white terms. He splits the world into good and evil. Anything bad he projects out of himself onto an evil enemy. He is unable to admit wrongdoing, or to integrate any negative behavior into his fragile self-concept which is why he had such a hard time remembering any mistakes he had ever made at his horrid press conference in April. His emotional need to reject any knowledge that might cause him pain inhibits his ability to see things in their true complexity. That's probably why he can't read the newspapers. The book goes along way toward explaining why we have a Presedient who is often psychologically unable to deal with the truth.

There is some weird biographical shit in here too, Almost hard to believe, like how he had no idea what was going on when his three year old sister was sick and dying and how his parents played golf the day they buried her with no funeral.

[wryter2000]

1. Haven't read it

I heard the author on one of the AAR shows recently, and I was impressed. Usually, psychological interpretations of * are of the kitchen sink variety. They have him with every pathology known to psychology, which is clearly impossible. This guy seemed to have narrowed the man's messy mind down to a couple of plausible things. I thought his interpretation of why * can't say Abu Ghraib was especially insightful.

[wryter2000]

2. Welcome to DU, btw

:hi:

[iconoclastic cat]

3. Phhhht---Why spend money to find out he's nuts?

Save your money for the next book fair.

[LittleApple81]

4. No, I use my couch for more constructive endeavors. n/t

[jean]

5. I am, after hearing the author, Justin Frank, on AAR a few weeks ago.

Although he barely got a word in edgewise (Al Franken kept interrupting), Dr. Frank made a case for his diagnosis of bush.

The first chapters deal with analysis and explanation of mother/child psychology and are a bit tedious. But the author makes the point that bush's current psyche and thought processes are a result of early childhood relationships and probable ADHD - so it's important to wade through and get a basic understanding.

After this basic explanation, Frank launches into all things bush - the smirk, his alcoholism, twisted tongue, his religiosity, his lawlessness, his relationship with and competition against his father and his affability and disability (some of these are chapter titles).

The book is very interesting, easy to read and has given me a better insight into just how crippled and even sick bush really is. It is frightening.

What do you think of the book so far, pse517?

:hi:

[Strawman]

6. I like it

And I agree that it is both interesting and frightening. I think it goes along way toward explaining why he is unwilling and in a way psychologically unable handle unpleasant truths. It is a very convinvcing take on the root causes of his behaviors and how much we are all in danger as a result. I really think that above all else GWB wanted the Iraq war because in his mind Saddam was the baddest guy around and he was the guy tried to kill his dad. I think he was mad that good ol' boys thought his dad was a "pussy" for not "finishing the job." Other people like Cheney/Wolfowitz/Rumsfeld, the far-right wanted the war for other economic, political, and/or religious reasons. But for Bush I really think he was just acting out his black and white thinking and his need to assert his masculinity. I think it's important to understand the psychological motivations of GWB because this is a man who doesn't think he has to answer to anyone and feels he is perfectly justified in using the power of the presidency to act out his issues to our collective detriment.