[NYTr] Dry Drunks: Is Bush's Past Now Present?

[nytr at olm.blythe-systems.com]

[This is from the "solidly Bush" state of Alaska. According to the
polls. We'll see how accurate those polls are this year. People
may be keeping their cards very close to the chest.]

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - July 15, 2004
http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7252~2273761,00.html

Is Bush's past now present?

by Douglas Yates

Thursday, July 15, 2004 - Smoke from the nearby forest fires was so thick
it obscured the sun and horizon. Not only was Fairbanks at the mercy of
fickle winds, but even the experts were stymied. Plotting the fires'
direction and extent was impossible because pilots were unable to map the
perimeters. The smokescreen effectively crippled people's ability to gauge
what was happening on the ground.

Similarly, the smokescreen rising from the White House has blocked many
Americans from seeing the true dimensions of George Bush's crimes.
Arguably the least experienced of any president, Bush and his gang of
neocons cynically exploited anger and confusion over the Sept. 11 attacks
by illegally invading Iraq.

In the process, the United States has killed more than 12,000 civilians
and 7,000 of Iraq's military. U.S. wounded total more than 6,000, while
nearly 900 have been killed.

Since Americans expect foreign policy to be based on truthful assessments
and rely on the press to inform and analyze, we might as well have been
wearing blindfolds. Lately, however, dirty air is giving way to
transparency.

Unable to fool all the people all the time, gaps in the smoke are now
revealing the extent of Bush's deceptions. Following on the failure to
locate weapons of mass destruction, photos of U.S. troops abusing Iraqi
prisoners toppled claims of moral high ground. Michael Moore's film,
"Fahrenheit 9/11," goes further, exposing the lies and misdirection that
is at the heart of Bush's rush to war.

Unlike lap-dog journalists, experts in diverse fields are reviewing how we
came to this point.

By his own admission, Bush was a heavy drinker for more than 20 years.
While more than 10 million Americans are similarly afflicted, only one has
been elevated to the presidency. Though it is reported that he stopped
drinking in 1986, at the age of 40, Bush's policies and judgment appear
linked to alcohol addiction.

A growing number of professionals in psychopathology and alcohol
counseling claim that Bush exhibits characteristics of "dry drunk"
syndrome. A term adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous, a dry drunk is a person
who shows impaired behavior, although not actually imbibing. While
technically "dry," such individuals are not truly sober. Dry drunks tend
to extremes while also displaying increased anxiety, irritability,
resentment, impulsive anger and lack of empathy. They are rigid,
judgmental and often present an inordinate sense of entitlement.

Katherine van Wormer, a professor at the University of Northern Iowa and
co-author of "Addiction Treatment: A Strengths Perspective," points to
Bush's language as a way to see through the smoke.

"First there were the terms--'crusade' and 'infinite justice.' Next came
'evil doers,' 'axis of evil,' and 'regime change' ... the polarized
thinking and the obsessive repetition reminded me of many of the
recovering alcoholics/addicts I had treated," van Wormer writes.

Other researchers cite the president's black-and-white view of the world.
Although one of the first principles of leadership is the ability to
consider opposing points of view, Bush can't muster such perspectives. In
regard to foreign policy, Bush has said, "... my job isn't to try to
nuance. I think moral clarity is important ... this is evil versus good."

Mark Crispin Miller, a professor of communication at New York University,
examined Bush's language for evidence of distorted thinking. Author of
"Dyslexicon: Observations on a National Disorder," Miller initially
intended an amusing catalog of Bush's verbal gaffes. Played for laughs by
many, some view Bush's stumbling speech as an endearing tic.

However, in reading the transcripts of his speeches, Miller realized
something more serious was going on. Bush's garbled and confusing
sentences may actually reveal a hidden personality disorder.

Miller builds the case that Bush's gaffes occur only when he's speaking
about things that mean little to him. Topics such as the poor, idealism or
compassion are often twisted beyond meaning.

However, writes Miller, "He has no trouble speaking off the cuff when he's
speaking punitively, when he's talking about violence, when he's talking
about revenge. When he struts and thumps his chest, his syntax and grammar
are fine. This is a guy who is absolutely proud of his own inflexibility
and rectitude."

Now that the smoke is clearing, the obvious is visible. The future of the
republic is threatened from within. Fueled by prejudice and a
single-minded pursuit of power, a demagogue warped by alcohol occupies the
White House.

Recovery is possible, but it will take years to regain what is lost. In
the meantime, like charred skeletons of houses lost to wildfire, the
tattered remnants of American honor and justice twist slowly in the wind.

[Douglas Yates, a Marine Corps veteran, is a writer and photographer
living in Ester.]