Was Bush a Bully?

[kokopelle]

I need a sanity check on this. Maybe there is another perspective to this. Ok... this is what I see. Growing up, I was the object of bully attention. I very much know what the bully dynamics look like, if only from a 'victim's' perspective.

I am a believer in the honest villain or hero. Say what you will do, stick by it, and live with the consequences of your beliefs. I've written on this before. The bottom line is that everyone can scramble to survive, do things their own way, but darn it, accept the results of life while being 'honest' to your beliefs.

Bush said that he didn't care about polls. He was a man of conviction and resolute direction. This is fine. He said that he had the right people beside him, and they were going to stay there until the end because they shared his vision. This is fine too. Very very scary, but fine.

So, the Republicans loose both houses. What happens? Bush jettisons Rumsfeld. He then says that he wants to play-nice. What happened? Where is the conviction? One conclusion I can draw is this: Bush is a Bully. He was big and bad when his guys had his back. Now that he is alone, facing the world without the fists of Republican controlled House and Senate, Bush loose his resolute direction.

I asked my lovely gf about this. She was in the military, had worked in Washington, and knows about how things flow in politics. I asked, “why has Bush changed his tune? If the convictions were good enough then to ignore the polls, the sentiment of the population are large, why are they not good enough now?”. Her answer was that Bush needs the Congress to fund his initiatives. He needs their support to make things happen. This was a good answer. However, it only reinforces my feeling that Bush is a Bully. Why couldn’t he be a pragmatist? Well, perhaps a repenting bully is a pragmatist. I would not have the bully to start with.

Your feelings please... Is there another way to look at this

Comments

[franciscan.livejournal.com]

That kind of power is illusory - And when the props are no longer there, crumbles in its own frailty.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

Agreed! So many of our society's structures are based on fear. It was sad when politics (more so than normal) also became that place of fear and division. I pray that things have shifted.

[iskender.livejournal.com]

Well, there are political angles, too. Don't get me wrong--I think psychology is an important perspective in analyzing politics, but there are some basic ones that are good to consider.

First, analyze Rumsfeld's departure as a sacrifice. Bush uses Rumsfeld as a scapegoat, a minor offering but one that distracts and makes him look willing to compromise. How does that fit into the bully mindset?

Also consider this--Rumsfeld and Cheney go way back. To the Nixon administration, in fact. And Cheney has vowed consistently that Rumsfeld would stay. So for Bush to fire Rummy, that means that for the first time in six years, the President and the VP have disagreed. Bush has distinguished himself.

There are other angles, too, but there are two possibilities that you might like to chew on.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

I believe that the repentant bully has the opportunty to be the pragmatic realist. Bush's challenge will be to stand and 'do what's right' instead of whimpering or running like a defeated bully. I have to say, he's done good so far.

I believe that the pragmatic real-world (if it can be called that) reality of group politics did catch-up with Bush. He has been removed from his fantasy world of convicting dogmatism. In place of the Realm of Bush is a Congress not ready to play into his version of the world.

You mentioned Cheney. Cheney can't be fired. He's in there for the rest of the two year ride. Some editorials are portraying Bush Jr. now being in a position to receive advice from Bush Sr. I can almost see current conversations between Bush Jr and Cheney. Cheney: "I think we should do X (stay the course, etc)." Bush Jr: "Shut the F**K up." Anyway... a bit of delusional thinking on my part.

[iskender.livejournal.com]

Cheney can't be fired, but he can be attacked. With Rumsfeld gone, Cheney is the easiest target, as the ranking cheerleader for the war. Think about it. Powell's gone, Rumsfeld's gone, Dr. Rice has been promoted to a wider post. The next in line, when it comes to blame for Iraq, is Cheney. And no, he can't be fired, but he can lose face. He's an old man. He doesn't want to be disgraced.