The Gospel According to George (Fineman/Lipper - Newsweek)

[VolcanoJen]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4767275/



Disturbing images: Public attention to casualties in the Iraq war could complicate Bush's reelection strategy

Excerpt:

April 26 issue - In the Oval Office, George W. Bush's aides warned him that the press conference he was about to hold would be contentious. Reporters "will brother-in-law this," one aide predicted, using a golf term for a type of teamwork on the course. They'll follow each other's questions, the aides said, serially demanding apologies and specifics on the tumult in Iraq and the findings of the 9/11 commission. "Really?" the president replied, as in: so what? Back from Crawford, Texas, he knew he had to show he could take a few rounds from the press corps. But he had another goal: to use prime time (the "American Idol" time slot, no less) to deliver a secular sermon on the strategic value of bestowing freedom upon the planet.

Mike Gerson—author of Bush's best spoken moments, master of the Biblical cadence—had crafted an unusually lengthy opening statement, which began with a sober military "sitrep" and ended with Bush's mantra that "freedom is the deepest need of every human soul."

And so, in the glittering East Room, the "presser" came to pass. The postevent punditry was predictably withering. The president had ducked and dodged, it was said, and had suffered a deer-in-the-headlights moment when asked to name a mistake he had made after 9/11. His Democratic rival for the presidency, Sen. John F. Kerry, complained that Bush hadn't spelled out a realistic Iraq exit strategy and had failed to prove that removing Saddam Hussein was central to the war on terror. But afterward, Bush's lead political aides expressed satisfaction. "There were a few rocky moments," one conceded. "But I'll trade them any time for the chance to give that 'freedom' speech at the start. In wartime, voters want the guy with resolve."

There it is, encapsulated in prime time: the Bush campaign, presidency and world view. This is a president who often would rather preach than answer questions—or ask them. He leads and runs unapologetically on faith, dividing the world and the presidential campaign into two discrete spheres: one for patriots who believe in his policies and vision, and one for everyone else. Whether he can win re-election that way is unclear. The race is a tossup; the press conference didn't appreciably move the polling needle. But if Karl Rove is the guru, the strategy is pure Martin Luther. "Here I stand," Bush seems to declare. "I can do no other."

[freetobegay]

1. Lets not also forget that

He's a complete fucking idiot!

[NMDemDist2]

2. George Bush and the Rise of Christian Fascism

http://www.opednews.com/lang040804_bush_christian_fascism.htm

<snip>

The point I'm trying to make is that we are not dealing simply with politics when it comes to the Bush administration. The progressive left, which often pays little attention to Christianity, will be making a huge mistake if they overlook the religious ideology at the core of Mr. Bush personally and the movement he represents. And we are talking about a "movement" (a movement of 'the people' not just the elites). We are seeing today the emergence of a "fascist movement". It is bankrolled and organized by Corporations, articulated through the ideology of neo-conservativism. but is fueled by the right-wing church drawing upon Holiness/Holy War Biblical narratives.

[fearnobush]

4. There is a large and never mentioned Left wing Christian movement

I experienced during Easter when I attended my cousin's church. Her husband just happens to be the minister of the Episcopalian church and is very anti-Bush. He said that "Bush is a very immature Christian." I was quite enlightened by this mans sermon and especially after when I asked him several questions on choice, faith, and Kerry. He is an avid Kerry supporter and supports his church's decision of backing a gay bishop.

[fearnobush]

3. And gives no shits about the victims.

As Rove put it, their just PAC groups.

[MikeG]

5. W obviously never read Abraham Maslow.

Physical needs and security come before "freedom"

[pscot]

6. Is irony, yes?

the idea of Bush reading Maslow is hilarious. Make a good SNL skit. If SNL were still funny.

[baby_bear]

7. I'm not so sure about the Maslow analogy

It's been a long time since I studied his pyramid of needs theory, but I don't recall if or how religiosity fit into it, and in particular religious zealotry.

And since Bush has cast this terror war as a Crusade, in other words, one religious zealot vs. Islam, I am just not sure how Maslow fits in.

I do know *Bush has never had any unmet security needs for his own person, ever, in his life, so I think he is less dimensional than most people. I guess that makes his mind a triangle rather than a pyramid??

s_m

[smirkymonkey]

10. Different types of religious expression manifest themselves

at each of Maslow's level of needs. For instance (boldface, mine):

"Impoverished people respond to a vision of heaven as a large banquet table that satisfies their physical needs. Believers on the safety level of the hierarchy are predisposed to favor pastors who preach about eternal security from the terrors of Hell. Those who are fortunate enough to have risen above the safety level tend to look down on adherents of "that old-time religion." They want assurance that God is love. But that warm message strikes many worshipers on the esteem level as self-indulgent. Faith to them means a sense of worth that comes from doing something of lasting value in God’s world. And finally, individuals who feel tugs toward self-actualization respond most to calls for meditation and study."

(- From the First Edition of A First Look at Communication Theory by Em Griffin, 1991, McGraw-Hill, Inc.) http://www.afirstlook.com/archive/hierarchy.cfm?source=archther

Since Bush is a Chimp, and clearly insane, none of these various levels apply to him. However, I believe that his followers, and most of the Xtian Fundies are at the 2nd level, which has to do with security, once basic physiological needs are met.

They need Big Daddy and Big Weapons to protect them from "evil". Therefore, Big Daddy and Big Weapons are "God".

[DemoVet]

8. Possible Kerry campaign ad: "I don't have to explain myself"

Didn't he say something like this to an interviewer, that one of the nice things about being the president was that he didn't have to explain why he did things? Least of all, to the citizens of this country, and apparently also to his cabinet. I think this would be a great Kerry campaign commercial, something along this theme of not needing to be accountable to the American people, whether it's his energy policy, 9/11, Iraq, or the Medicare bill. Do the citizens of this country want 4 more years of increasing secretive and non-representational (Unless you're Halliburton et al) government?
I think there are also clips of him saying something about "too much freedom" and "It would be easier if I were a dictator". Work it! Show the mindset of this group of usurpers: They don't want to govern, they want to rule, and Iraq, a growing deficit, a budget-breaking Medicare bill, and a less-secure America are the result. Their work must be done in the dark, it couldn't thrive in the light. And it would only get darker if this group stays in power past November.

[teryang]

11. Right, Bush v. Bush

Just keep publishing the Bushisms that the press so carefully avoids. The man is the poster boy of his own demise.

[reprehensor]

9. Good article. *bump*