George Bush's Unseemly Response to the Suffering He Has Caused

How has George Bush reacted to the hell he created in Iraq, to the thousands of lives that have been lost in the war, and to the enormous and endless suffering that the survivors of the victims -- their loved ones -- have had to endure?

I've always felt that impressions are very important in life, and other than "first impressions," they are usually right. Why? Because impressions, we know, are formed over a period of time. They are the accumulation of many words and incidents, many or most of which one has forgotten, but which are nonetheless assimilated into the observer's subconscious and thus make their mark. In other words, you forgot the incident, but it added to the impression. "How do you feel about David? Do you feel he's an honest person?" "Yeah, I do." "Why do you say that about him? Can you give me any examples that would cause you to say he's honest?" "No, not really, at least not off the top of my head. But I've known David for over ten years, and my sense is that he's an honest person."

I have a very distinct impression that with the exception of a vagrant tear that may have fallen if he was swept up, in the moment, at an emotional public ceremony for American soldiers who have died in the war, George Bush hasn't suffered at all over the monumental suffering, death, and horror he has caused by plunging this nation into the darkness of the Iraq war, probably never losing a wink of sleep over it. Sure, we often hear from Bush administration sources, or his family, or from Bush himself, about how much he suffers over the loss of American lives in Iraq. But that dog won't run. How do we just about know this is nonsense? Not only because the words he has uttered could never have escaped from his lips if he were suffering, but because no matter how many American soldiers have died on a given day in Iraq (averaging well over two every day), he is always seen with a big smile on his face that same day or the next, and is in good spirits. How would that be possible if he was suffering? For example, the November 3, 2003, morning New York Times front-page headline story was that the previous day in Fallouja, Iraq, insurgents "shot down an American helicopter just outside the city in a bold assault that killed 16 soldiers and wounded 20 others. It was the deadliest attack on American troops since the United States invaded Iraq in March." Yet later in that same day when Bush arrived for a fund-raiser in Birmingham, Alabama, he was smiling broadly, and Mike Allen of the Washington Post wrote that "the President appeared to be in a fabulous mood." This is merely one of hundreds of such observations made about Bush while the brutal war continued in Iraq.

And even when Bush is off camera, we have consistently heard from those who have observed him up close how much he seems to be enjoying himself. When Bush gave up his miles of running several times a week because of knee problems, he took up biking. "He's turned into a bike maniac," said Mark McKinnon in March of 2005, right in the middle of the war. McKinnon, a biking friend of Bush's who was Bush's chief media strategist in his 2004 reelection campaign, also told the New York Times's Elisabeth Bumiller about Bush: "He's as calm and relaxed and confident and happy as I've ever seen him." Happy? Under the horrible circumstances of the war, where Bush's own soldiers are dying violent deaths, how is that even possible?

In a time of war and suffering, Bush's smiles, joking, and good spirits stand in stark contrast to the demeanor of everyone of his predecessors and couldn't possibly be more inappropriate. Michael Moore, in his motion picture documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, captured this fact and the superficiality of Bush well with a snippet from a TV interview Bush gave on the golf course following a recent terrorist attack. Bush said, "I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you." Then, without missing a single beat, he said in reference to a golf shot he was about to hit: "Now watch this drive."

Before I get into specific instances of Bush laughing and having fun throughout the entire period of the inferno he created in Iraq, I want to discuss a number of more indirect but revealing incidents that reflect he could not care less about the human suffering and carnage going on in Iraq, or anywhere.

1. The first inkling I got that Bush didn't care about the suffering or anyone, not just those dying in Iraq, was from an article in the September 22, 2001, New York Times just eleven days after 9/11. Though 3,000 Americans had been murdered and the nation was in agony and shock, the man who should have been leading the mourning was, behind the scenes, not affected in the tiniest way. The article, by Frank Bruni, said that "Mr. Bush's nonchalant, jocular demeanor remains the same. In private, say several Republicans close to the administration, he still slaps backs and uses baseball terminology, at one point promising that the terrorists were not 'going to steal home on me.' He is not staying up all night, or even most of the night. He is taking time to play with his dogs and his cat. He is working out most days." So right after several thousand Americans lost their lives in a horrible catastrophe, behind the scenes Bush is his same old backslapping self, and he's not letting the tragedy interfere in the slightest way with the daily regimen of his life that he enjoys.

In fact, he himself admitted to the magazine Runners World (August 23, 2002) that after the Afghanistan war began: "I have been running with a little more intensity . . . It helps me to clear my mind." (In other words, Bush likes to clear his mind of the things he's supposed to be thinking about.) Remarkably finding time in the most important job on earth to run six days a week, Bush added: "It's interesting that my times have become faster . . . For me, the psychological benefit [in running] is enormous. You tend to forget everything that's going on in your mind and just concentrate on the time and distance." But even this obscene indulgence after 9/11 and during wartime by the man with more responsibility than anyone in the world wasn't enough for Bush. He told the magazine: "I try to go for longer runs, but it's tough around here at the White House on the outdoor track. It's sad that I can't run longer. It's one of the saddest things about the presidency." Imagine that. Among all the things that the president of the United States could be sad about during a time of war, not being able to run longer six days a week is up there near the top of the list.

A New York Times article not long after 9/11 (November 5, 2001) reported that Bush had told his friends (obviously with pride) that "his runs on the Camp David trails through the Maryland woods have produced his fastest time in a decade, three miles in 21 minutes and 6 seconds." USA Today (October 29, 2001) reported that Bush used to run 3 miles in 25 minutes and now he was "boasting to friends and staffers" about his new time, and was "now running 4 miles a day."

So with his approval rating soaring to 90 percent in the wake of 9/11 -- and with his being the main person in America whose job required that he be totally engaged every waking hour in working diligently on this nation's response to 9/11 -- Bush, remarkably, was working diligently on improving his time for the mile. I ask you, what American president in history, Republican or Democrat, would have conducted himself this way?

2. One thing about Bush. He's so dense that he makes remarks an intelligent person who was as much of a scoundrel as he would never make. They'd keep their feelings, which they would know to be very shameful, to themselves. On December 21, 2001, just a few months after 9/11 -- a tragedy that shocked the nation and the world in which 3,000 Americans were consumed by fires, some choosing to jump to their deaths out of windows eighty or more stories high -- Bush, who could only have been thinking of himself, told the media: "All in all, it's been a fabulous year for Laura and me." He said this because that is exactly the way he felt. What difference does 9/11 make? I'm president. I love it, and Laura and I are having a ball.

Indeed, on January 20, 2005, right in the midst of the hell on earth Bush created in Iraq -- when the carnage there was near its worst and American soldiers and Iraqi citizens were dying violent deaths every day -- Bush, referring to himself and his wife, told thousands of partying supporters at one of his nine inaugural balls: "We're having the time of our life." Can you even begin to imagine Roosevelt in the midst of the Second World War, Truman during the Korean War, or LBJ and Nixon during the Vietnam War, saying something like this?

3. Does it not stand to reason that if Bush were suffering over the daily killings and tragedy in Iraq, he would be working every waking hour to lessen the mounting number of casualties as well as find a way to satisfactorily end the terrible conflict? I mean, as president, that's what you'd expect of him, right? Isn't that his job? Yet we know that although Bush is still in office, he has already spent far more time on vacation than any other president in American history. For instance, by April 11, 2004 (he was inaugurated January 20, 2001), he had visited his cherished ranch in Crawford a mind-boggling thirty-three times and spent almost eight months of his presidency there.

Although the office of the presidency follows the president wherever he goes twenty-four hours a day, and at least some part of every day on vacation, no matter how small, was spent by Bush attending to his duties as president, we also know that Bush's main purpose when he goes on vacation, obviously and by definition, is to vacation, not work. CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller, who travels with Bush and keeps track of such things, told me that as of January 1, 2008, in Bush's less than seven years as president, he visited his ranch in Texas an unbelievable 69 times, spending, per Knoller, "all or part of 448 days on vacation there." As amazing as this is, Bush also made, Knoller says, 132 visits to Camp David during this period, spending "all or part of 421 days there," and 10 visits to his family's vacation compound at Kennebunkport, Maine, spending "all or part of 39 days there."

So the bottom line is that of a total of approximately 2,535 days as president, most of them during a time of war, Bush spent all or a part or 908 days, an incredible 36 percent of his time, on vacation or at retreat places. Hard to believe, but true. Nine hundred and eight days is two and a half years of Bush's presidency. Two and a half years of the less than seven years of his presidency in which his main goal was to kick back and have fun. You see, the White House digs, with a pool, theater, gymnasium, etc., weren't enjoyable enough for Bush. He wanted a more enjoyable place to be during his life as president. *

My position in life is infinitely less important than Bush's, yet during the above same period of Bush's presidency, I not only worked much longer hours every day than Bush, I worked seven days a week, never took one vacation, and only took three days off to go to the desert with my wife to celebrate our fiftieth wedding anniversary. If it had not been for the anniversary, I wouldn't have even taken those three days off. I realize I take working to an extreme, living by the clock each day, always looking up to see how much time I have left, working from morning to morning (retiring usually around two in the morning and starting my day at ten in the morning). Still, it is striking to consider that in seven years, I took 3 days off and Bush, the president of the United States, took 908. Even Americans who lead a more normal life than I, even fat-cat corporate executives, haven't taken anywhere near the time away from their work that Bush has. Indeed, I think we can safely say that even though Bush has the most important and demanding job in this entire land, he has irresponsibly taken far more time off from his job to have fun during the past seven years than any worker or company executive in America!!! Is Bush, or is he not, a disgrace of the very first order?

*Remarkably, during his campaign for reelection in 2004 Bush very frequently spoke of the "hard work" he and his administration were engaging in. This was the first time I had ever heard an American president speak of the "hard work" involved in his job. I have heard them speak of the immense "burden" of the office of the presidency being responsible for the destiny and welfare of millions of people. But you see, for someone like Bush who was born on home plate and thought he had hit a home run, anything he does, any effort at all, he considers "hard work."

The above is an excerpt from the book The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder by Vincent Bugliosi Published by Vanguard Press; May 2008;$26.95US/$28.95CAN; 978-159315-481-3
Copyright © 2008 Vincent Bugliosi

Vincent Bugliosi received his law degree in 1964. In his career at the L.A. County District Attorney's office, he successfully prosecuted 105 out of 106 felony jury trials, including 21 murder convictions without a single loss. His most famous trial, the Charles Manson case, became the basis of his classic, Helter Skelter, the biggest selling true-crime book in publishing history. His forthcoming book, The Prosecution of George W. Bush For Murder, is available May 27.

For more information visit www.prosecutionofbush.com

Comments

[joanjourne]

researcher...
First of all, gw bush was never elected: the supreme court stopped the counting of votes in florida in 2000 & 'awarded' him the presidency. He was never re-elected, either: in '04, he only retained the presidency through the manipulation of our voting system, which at this point is about as crooked as my grandma's arthritic fingers.

Secondly, I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't put us all in one basket, as if we all agree on everything.
Even if bush's approval rating was as high as 30% (it isn't) that still leaves 70% of us who want him & his cronies impeached, indicted & incarcerated. It's actually a lot higher than 70%.

"...in their hearts most americans are imperialists.... they still think they are the good guys in the world...".

Wrong. We've got lots of faults, but most of us are not imperialists, far from it. And we don't all think we're "the good guys in the world".
Most americans are truly & deeply horrified by Bush and his arrogant and ---yes, you're right, imperialistic --- cabal of criminals. They've rained death & misery down on the world & are doing a lot of harm here as well. They belong in jail.

[Honza]

At a county fair in the year 2000, I went into the republican booth, that had all placards and pictures of Bush and Cheney. There sat two lovely women and I asked them who could have possibly picked this alcoholic unstable man to be president of the country I fought for during WW2. The ladies could not answer, because they were members of the republican organization, that now has this country so mired in War, death and poverty for years to come.

[researcher]

ok let the evangels elect a president and you get a sociopath.

look at history when you let the religious folks elect your leaders.

he dances on the white house steps and sings while two wars are going on.

this guy is a true blue sociopath.

every republic deserves its leaders. america gots theirs.


in their hearts most americans are imperialists and dont have a clue they are. they still think they are the good guys in the world trying to save the world. the world looks at them as the biggest threat to peace in the world. big disconnect.

many are out and out war mongers. ie 30% bush supporters .


until they come to grips with that reality nothing will change.

right now americans want a saviour to bail them out. president.

wont work americans must change their paradigm of imperialism. ie mega industrial military complex for offense not defense.

politicans are only a reflection of the majority of voters. bush was only a reflection of the pride and arrogance of most americans. ie everthing american is the best in the world.

[sweetgreensnowpea]

if there ever was a case to justify the psychological testing of potential presidential candidates (and corporate ceos) george would be the poster boy.
i respected mcain as a maverick 7 years ago. his desperation now makes me cringe. hillary said she misspoke when she related her tale of being strafed in bosnia -- she lied.
who ya gonna vote for?

[Soulsurfer]

I have to say, the video he made about looking for WMD's around the WH for the Correspondent's Dinner was about the most callous, tasteless, and unbelievably clueless acts he has committed. Any military member or family should have been outraged, but they continued to support him. Go figure.

[mydogshakespeare]

Fvckin' Bush: Worst "President" ever. He gives lazy dogs and Pinnochio a bad name.

[ClarkJensen]

On the spectrum of psychological pathology does Mr. Bush display traits of "malignant narcissism", a personality theory of "Otto Kernberg" a psychoanalyst who pioneered modern theories of personality pathology?

Malignant Narcissism is characterized by a sense of seeing others from a God-like perspective, and a sense of his "rightness" and his superiority and power in relation to other people - living in a bubble that separates him from others.

Wikipedia: "They know the difference between what societies considers “right” and “wrong,” but do not experience, and cannot empathize with, the feelings of suffering, remorse, elation and love that are normally part of the human experience."

Mayo.com describes it as: "Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration. They believe that they're superior to others and have little regard for other people's feelings. But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism. "

Could this pathology also characterize some of the most notorious figures in history such as Nero and Caligula?

[comebackid]

And W? Yes!

[NelsonJohnson]

It occurred to me that Bush was a sociopath shortly after he was elected. Prior to that I just thought he was a joke, but unfortunately a privileged aristocratic one. I didn't know that he had never pardoned a single person among 200 on death row in Texas during his governorship, and even joked about a woman who was condemned to die as having said "Please don't kill me!", mocking her voice as he joked about it. That was one of the clues, among many. He had no understanding of how sane people would perceive him.

Future presidential candidates should be given a battery of psychological assessments to be put on record and used by the court if such candidates display pathological behavior.

If our government does not recognize the obscene nature of this President, and his severe mental illness, and at least condemn what he has done, our nation will be vulnerable to more like him. I agree that George W. Bush should be tried for murder. His crimes have gone well beyond impeachment, and he does not deserve to get away with them. Let this be the end of the beginning of tyranny in America. We must be more decent than Rome in ridding our society of a latter-day Caligula, and employ the rule of law to demonstrate to future occupants of the White House that our people will not tolerate lawlessness and criminal behavior, especially on the part of our first citizen.

[janvoght]

it is no wonder, i hope, to anyone, why GWs approval rating is in the 20s. (lowest in history) we were asleep, and are embarrassed...the only way to redeem ourselves is to make the right choice, this election opportunity. hillary, is another steeped in these old school tactics, that's how the clinton's survived in the 90s. barack will bring those together..he will not sell us out, he has two little girls that he wants to create a future for, which we do not have right now! if the super-delegates, who are on the inside, do not make their stance clear by this next caucus...they will be in unison with the clinton's and in part, responsible for taking down the democratic party, thus making victory for the "same ol republicans" that have controlled the last 7+ years possible...when it should be near impossible.
obama '08

[fedupnburnin]

If I remember right, Bob Woodward said he wasn't reflective, had no imagination, wasn't a thinker. I don't see how he can feel anything. He's been sheltered by his parents great wealth. The most he can be is a puppet.

[EFC]

Great post. One other incident worth mentioning here is the unbelievably callous slide show presented by Bush at the 2004 Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner. The show consisted of Bush conducting a mock search for weapons of mass destruction in the Oval Office. This “humorous” skit was, no doubt, concocted by Karl Rove, with the wholehearted approval of Bush. Again, this is presented at a time when hundreds of U.S. military personnel and thousands of Iraqi citizens had been slaughtered during the disastrously botched occupation of Iraq hatched by Bush and Co. This type of mindless cavalier disregard for human life and suffering has become the trademark of the criminals that are the principals in this horror show administration. As Mr. Bugliosi has asked “Are there no consequences for committing a crime of colossal proportions?”

[tulsey]

I too was outraged by this disgusting performance,and don't forget his air guitar show at McCain's birthday party while New Orleans flooded out.

[flatus]

Vincent, I think you would be able to understand dear leader a bit better if you could also see our soldiers as armed peons and iraqis as cowpies steaming in the summer sun. See how much easier that is on the conscience?

[ApolloSpeaks]

CHILDISH BUSH BASHING

The decision to invade Iraq was a collective one supported by a majority of Americans-most of whom faulted Bush One for not completing the job in Iraq; a majority in Congress-many of whom believed Saddam had WMD before 2000-and over 35 countrys-who joined the coalition rightly believing that the terror master of Baghdad was an unredeemable menace to the world. Mr. Bugliosi's book is nothing more than a childish excercise in Bush bashing: a catharsis for his anger and not worth the read.

[gorgol]

Two names for you..Chalabi..and Curveball...

ENOUGH SAID...NOW GO READ FOR CRAPS SAKE...

[ProudLiberalDan]

Or, his book is an exercise in truth telling and reality-challenged conservatives don't want to hear it.

I think that's it.

George W. Bush may have misled the nation into war under false pretenses against the wrong county and gotten away with it. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't tell the truth about him just because conservatives don't want to hear it and want to cling to their delusions.

[luziannagirl]

Apollo

Incorrecto-mondo.

The decision to invade Iraq was unilateral on the part of the executive office, and planned from the beginning (if not before) of the Bush II presidency.

One can discount Congress' support , which was given only because they were lied to and backed into a political corner, despite what they might have thought about Saddam Hussein and his role in stirring up trouble in the Middle East. It's been revealed now that top military did not support the invasion of Iraq either, and the CIA.... well, considering the sorry Plame affair, a good guess is that they and other intelligence agencies and entities probably weren't even asked.

And as for a majority of the American public supporting it...that's especially a stretch. Counting all who voted Bush into office in 2004, that's only a maximum of 49 percent or so percent of voters, no matter how legitimate (or not) one considers the election to have been. No public majority, either, and if you discount those who believed Colin Powell, it's probably just down to the core 30% Republican voting base who believes they're voting (and torturing) their way into heaven.

The invasion and war upon Al Qaeda in Afghanistan is another matter. A majority of Americans supported ,and still support it.

[theconsigliere1]

Apollo, you are one of the 28% who will believe anything. Can you not see, hear, or speak the truth? Mr. Bugliosi's [article] is nothing more than a childish excercise in Bush bashing? I disagree completely and so does most of the sane world. I think it is exactly on point and illustrates only a fraction of the sociopathic mind of the 43rd President of the United States. It will take decades to get us out of this mess GWB has created. May God help us.

[Strayker]

As a fellow runner I have to say Bush has been one of the most impressive and talented runners we have had as a President. As a fellow citizen I say Bush has been one of the most destructive and worst President this country has ever seen.

[urweatherman]

Can you say Jimmy Carter?

[janvoght]

i almost can not believe you even go there, from the statement about bush! he is guilty of having over 4,000 soldiers blood on his hands! and that is just for starters, carter...is still trying to redeem his legacy, bush will never be able to undo these irreparable mistakes, will he?
obama '08

[knighthowl]

Ignorance unbound. I seem to have forgotten the unnecessary, illegal war that Carter got us into. Please enlighten.

[Decipherer]

I, too, don't have a serious problem with George W. Bush's exercise regime. It does a body and mind a great deal of good, and sets a good example for a nation of seriously overweight couch potatoes.

That may in fact be the only good example that Bush exhibits.

Where it becomes a problem is that it along with a vacation schedule that would have made Ronald Reagan green with envy apparently means that he is either disengaged almost completely from affairs of state or feels so confident as the nation's "CEO" that his staff, cabinet, and Dick Cheney are "doing a heckuva job" that he and Laura can kick back and have the time of their lives.

God knows there are any problems to worry about!

On the flip-side of the Bush exercise regimen, what if he WASN'T running, biking, working-out, etc.? Can you imagine what a complete madman he would be? Isn't it possible he'd be back in the bottle again (if he isn't already) and after seven years becoming even more mentally or emotionally unstable?

Scary thought, but I have to conclude we're all a bit better off -- at least until January 20, 2009 ar noon -- with George W. Bush getting those workouts.

[gorgol]

AHH..AND lets not forget to quotes of Bush.."God talks to me" and "God speaks through me"..and NO ONE asked him what in hell he was talking about. These almost eight years have been a "perfect storm" in almost Biblical proportions...and sometimes, as I search for a reason..I think it may be Biblical. How could such people come together under one administration to do such harm and get away with it. How could so many follow them, support them. How could so many be blinded. We've seen it in other countries, but those usually have regimes with "junta police" to keep the citizens in line...WHAT excuse do we as Americans have for this horror, and STILL let it continue. We were warned during the creation of our Constitution, that without care, we can lose what we have. Our forefathers were right. We're at the tipping point now.

[Liberoservative]

And...
I have met Putin and have seen into his soul