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Bush chafes at any thought that those he considers his father's cronies could rein him in. Bete noire number one is the fella the president calls "Jimmy Baker." Negotiate with Iran? Draw down troops? George W. Bush will instinctively do the opposite. If Baker says Guantanamo should be shut down (as he did, joining five other former secretaries of state last week), then keep it open.But, most of all, enjoy the last ten months of "unitary executive" power.
That is perhaps most disturbing of all. George W. Bush is tap dancing through it all. And the worse things get, the more jocular he seems to become. Commenting on Bush's recent manic behavior, Justin Frank, MD, author of Bush on the Couch, suggests that Bush is "acting like a kid planning to make a real mess as only he knows how—given his comfort with sadism, his lack of shame or conscience, and his propensity to take delight in breaking things."
Eight months ago, Dr. Frank and Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) collaborated on an article we called "Dangers of a Cornered Bush." [http://www.consortiumnews.com/2007/072707a.html ] The president and his imperial court now have ten more months to act out. The scenarios we explored in that memo are still worth pondering.
Let me close with a remark Seymour Hersh made last year, even though it may seem flippant and in no way conveys the enormity of the danger we face in the coming months:
"These guys are scary as hell...you can't use the word 'delusional,' for it's actually a medical term. Wacky. That's a fair word."
With so much destructive power at the disposal of George W. Bush, we need to be increasingly alert to signs that additional delusionary policies are about to be executed.
Ray McGovern works with Tell the Word, the publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in inner-city Washington. During his 27-year career as a CIA analyst, he worked closely with George H. W. Bush when he was C.I.A. Director and later at the White House. Ray is co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS).
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