George Bush almost deserves our sympathy. That's because he suffers from a chronic sickness: presidential bulimia. Unlike the eating disorder usually afflicting razor-thin catwalk models, Bush's bulimia is characterized by a psychological need to purge.
What gets upchucked here on a regular basis are opinions that he doesn't like or understand, subordinates who disagree with him, and military commanders who won't toe his line in the sand. He can't stomach criticism--from any quarter.
So when he talks surge, he really means purge. Last week's rearranging of the military command chessboard witnessed new willing-to-please generals arriving on the scene and the old this-ain't-working guard prematurely exiting. These naysayers have been reassigned. The purge before the troop surge.
By rejecting the good common sense and midterm electoral will of the American people, Bush is basically sticking his finger down our throat. Yuck.
Bulimia is often associated with control, identity and body-image issues. The exercise-prone Bush uses the body politic to play out his own unresolved family issues. (Dubya isn't the first Bush prone to barfing. His dad unceremoniously spilled his guts on the Japanese Prime Minister during a 1992 formal dinner.)
Plagued by deep-seated feelings of insecurity, Bush over-compensates by presenting this false macho front. He's driven to excess, which is marked by a limitless appetite for war and running up the debt. Yet as a presidential bulimic who is surrounded by loyal Oval Office enablers, he maintains the troubling illusion that his actions actually make the nation stronger.
Ultimately, some bulimics harm their bodies from repeated self-abuse. Likewise, Bush's bulimic presidency continues to weaken from within.. Despite his repeated efforts of being cheery and optimistic in front of the camera, the Decider remains in Denial.
So think of the unfortunate troop surge as yet another Bush eating binge. And when this strategy proves ineffective in say, six or twelve months, we'll see new benchmarks and military solutions being offered and dressed up in new catchy euphemisms.
And as matters in Iraq continue to deteriorate, he'll again purge dissenters and critics from his administration. That predictable course of action will then be followed by another feast of stale recycled ideas and neo-con nonsense. In this case, the Decider becomes the Regurgitator.
It's the cyclical nature of a presidential bulimic to never learn from past mistakes while repeating bad habits. It also goes without saying that Bush bit off more than he could chew when he first became president.
When one considers his bulimic presidency, well, it's enough to trigger a gag reflex--in all of us.