Juan Cole: Bush's Arab Dream Palace. Is it Narcissism?

[leftchick]

I believe Juan is on to something.....

http://www.juancole.com/

But what strikes me about Bush's Monday appearance is how consistent it is with what I understand of the symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder. Let's look at it this way:


'1. An exaggerated sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements).'



Bush is not content to be the most powerful man in the world. He thinks he is on a mission from God, and has decided that he is going to "reform" the Middle East, and turn Middle Easterners into something else. He is the Great Transformer of these other peoples' lives. The reason he has to stay in Iraq until the end of his presidency (it is all about him) is that he cannot admit that he did not succeed in being the great Transformer of the Middle East, that in fact he screwed up the Middle East royally. Because such an admission of any slightest mistake, much less a major series of failures, would fatally threaten his sense of grandiosity. Thus, he can't pull troops out of Iraq not because of practical military considerations, but because it would send the wrong signal to regional "reformers," i.e. Bush's mini-me's, the people fulfilling his sense of grandiosity.

Nobody else is in the picture here, just Bush. He doesn't ask any sacrifice from the US public for the war, as Bill Maher and others have noted. The heroics are his alone. The rest of us should go shopping (so as not to interfere with his self-image as Atlas of the Middle East.)

' 2. Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love. '

<snip>


Bush, like Lawrence before him, imagines that he is inspiring a people to accomplish things they couldn't do without him. (That is why he can't admit that the Lebanese have been having elections for decades, and has to pretend it all started with him.) And all he gets for his inspired Transformation of others' lives is carping about the expected oil contracts in Iraq not being there. There is even prickliness from the French. Lawrence might have sympathized.

[babylonsister]

1. My take is that he's a scared little man who, having made

the decision (with help, no doubt) to go into Iraq and spill so much blood, has no other recourse. If he deems it necessary to withdraw, it will mean he has failed. And this guy never admits mistakes or defeat, damn the consequences or 'collateral damage'. If there's a hell, he's well on his way.

[leftchick]

5. he is the "Transformer"

<snip>

8. Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him 9. Shows arrogant, haughty, patronizing, or contemptuous behaviors or attitudes. '



Saying that he can understand that having over 2600 of our troops come home in body bags and over 8,000 come home seriously wounded, with limbs gone or brain or spinal damage, is a cause of "anxiety" to the American "psyche" is patronizing. He knows better about why this has to be. The inferior people are a little upset, but that is because they don't understand that he is the Transformer. What they're upset about is just the side effect of the Transformation. They don't believe. They can't see the Transformation before their eyes. They are inferior.

[Douglas Carpenter]

2. recommended --- a VERY * VERY important article

[Junkdrawer]

3. Yes, Bush is a narcissist. But, Bush is also a sideshow. The policy...

is set elsewhere. Whatever the idiot son uses to rationalize his acquiescence to policies set elsewhere is not the main point.

[alfredo]

10. That policy is set in Cheney's office. bush is just the salesman.

That is a role he has played all through his professional life.

Read John Dean's "Conservatives Without Conscience" to see what he says about that.

[Marr]

12. Exactly. His narcissism makes him an eager player, but he did not

write the play.

[ChicagoRonin]

4. Avoidance of Failure

Another thing to note is the fact that W is a fan who has never had to truly deal with the consequences of his past decisions, particularly mistakes. Though he was a "C" student, family money and connections got him into (and probably through) places like Andover and Yale. The same connections got him a cushy non-combat role during the Vietnam War. Although he repeatedly failed as a businessman, he always could go back to the family pot to pick himself up. I'm even willing to bet that it is only money and merciless family management (probably via mama Barbara Bush) that has kept his marriage intact. Iraq, however, is a big problem for him. He can't just walk away; he can't just dump it to the side. He can't pay off all the Iraqis to say nice things, even when it's completely FUBAR. And therefore, he doesn't have a single coping mechanism for facing his problems.

[leftchick]

15. you said that well

welcome to DU!

:)

[ms liberty]

6. Happy to be the 5th Rec...

Juan Cole gives excellent analysis

[seemslikeadream]

7. The result of his exaggerated sense of self-importance

[Az_lefty]

8. Arab Palace for the modern day King of Babylon.

the little narcissist is hearing voices all right, but it's no God speaking to him.

[alfredo]

13. Not the King of Babylon

"the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." (Rev. 17:1-2 KJV)

[librechik]

9. Juan Cole, spot on as usual

the trouble with NPD is these people lash out grandly in unexpected and disastrous dramatic ways. Gives new meaning to the term Lame..."DUCK!!!"

[sinkingfeeling]

11. Sure is a part of it!!

[warrens]

14. This gives Bush too much credit

All this transforming the Mideast crap only came up after he fucked up Iraq, couldn't find WMD, couldn't tie Iraq to Al Qaeda, etc. It's just a cover for totally fucking up, lying, covering up, etc. It's the only way the fascists can think of to make a totally ignoble, moronic idea into something at least arguably not totally evil. It ain't washing; no one believes the punk, and all he does by trying to create this cover story is get his ass into the quicksand deeper and deeper.