Sullen, Depressed President Retreats Into Private, Paranoid World

[indigobusiness]

Bush Walks Alone


A sullen President George W. Bush is withdrawing more and more from aides and senior staff, retreating into a private, paranoid world where only the ardent loyalists are welcome.

Cabinet officials, senior White House aides and leaders on Capitol Hill complain privately about the increasing lack of “face time” with the President and campaign advisors are worried the depressed President may not be up to the rigors of a tough re-election campaign.

Snip

White House aides say Bush has retreated into a tightly-controlled environment where only top political advisors like Karl Rove and Karen Hughes are allowed. Even White House chief of staff Andrew Card complains he has less and less access to the President.

Snip

“Too many make the mistake of thinking Dick Cheney is the real power in the Bush administration,” says one senior Homeland Security aide. “They’re wrong. It’s Ashcroft and that is reason enough for all of us to be very, very afraid.”

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_4930.shtml

[hlthe2b]

1. Unlike the earlier CHB articles, this one at least has some

sourcing... and seems much more detailed....I wouldn't be surprised, frankly. Heaven (and John Kerry) help us!

[indigobusiness]

2. The story is beginning to seem more credible...

and frightening.

[hlthe2b]

3. yes... getting a little bit hard to totally discount....

I just hope we don't get destroyed in the process...

[AmyDeLune]

4. Is it just me?

...or is Bush starting to seem more and more like Michael Jackson? (I mean the withdrawing from public view and surrounding himself with comforting Yes-Men, not, I hope, MJ's other current problems...)

[indigobusiness]

5. Yes

but Bush has always surrounded himself with yes-men.

[Green Lantern]

6. Withdrawal by Bushwa

is very reminiscent of the pattern Nixon went through as impeachment approached. Moodiness, withdrawal, fits of anger, and news of an ever narrowing circle of advisors became common news publicly, and outbursts were reported regularly.
There were serious questions about the "balloon" going up because an unhinged President could lose it. Military personnel on duty in the DC area were advised to take orders only from officers anbd senior enlisteds known to them. (this I know for a fact, as I was one of those on duty in the area at the time.)

If there is credibility to the reports on Bush's emotional problems, it will show up in his campaign and the public tactics taken by his handlers.

Watch for the red, wired eyed look he frequently appears with on TV.

And hold on.

Dissent is patriotic, and a duty.

[KoKo]

7. Something BIG is coming down the pike,then. No other reason for Bush

for this "leaking" that Bush is so depressed, on meds, or otherwise incapacitated.

I saw a speech of his repeated on CNN over and over today, where he seems to be reading from sheets of paper by rote..and grimacing and making other inappropriate facial expressions, all the time looking like it's his "duty" to read this crap...but in the last paragraph (when he knows the speech he was given to read is almost over) he picks up his tone and becomes more forceful and articulate. The "forceful and articulate" part get's picked up by Networks and Cables repeat the last part every half hour in their updates, while the disfunctional first part of the speech where he is "rote reading" and semi-coherent only get played on CNN (Media Whore Network of the Year..outplacing Faux, imho) and only those who caught the first part see that he's obviously "out of it," doesn't care what he's reading, or out of it and on heavy meds.

I believe these CHB reports, because he's never seemed stable, and never wanted the job in the first place but was railroaded into it by his Poppy's handlers and the BFEE to get their Empire in order and do the final touches on the dismatling of socially progressive reforms which were fought for since FDR. The Chimp never wanted to be where he is..so only heavy meds keep him there.. Just MHO...like CHB..but figure those folks might just have some inside info unlike my 2 Cents psychoanalytical view of his performance.