The Madness of King George: Dangerous and Unstable

In his farewell speech to the White House staff in 1974, Richard Nixon said “…only if you have been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.”

For George W. Bush, the opposite is true. Only if you have been on the highest mountain can you ever know how tragic it is to be in the deepest valley.

No matter how evil we think he is, he must know his position. He must be in the dark valley of his failure. He must feel the pain of seeing his world crashing around him. This makes him the most dangerous man in the world.

He must feel it all slipping away. His war is a disaster. The people have turned against him. His closest aides are being arrested. Even his father doesn’t approve. God knows what Barbara has said to him.

The world is collapsing around him. Only three years ago, he was triumphant, at least in his own mind. He stood in uniform, Commander-In-Chief, on the deck of that aircraft carrier, surrounded by men who were under his control, and declared he was King of the Hill. Number One. He did everything but raise his index finger.

Can you imagine what was going through his mind? Yes, of course he was set up by his handlers and put into that situation, but that has nothing to do with how he thought of himself and his world at that moment.

Bush is a classic bully. The website “Kids Health” says, “Some kids who bully realize that they don't get the respect they want by threatening others. They may have thought that bullying would make them popular, but they soon find out that other kids just think of them as troublemaking losers.” Have you ever heard a better description of the President of the United States? But does he yet realize?

We’re not talking about the actions of his administration, those are directed by others. We’re talking about HIM. What happens when a bully is defeated? I’ve never been a bully, so I can’t tell you. Perhaps they learn a lesson. Perhaps they strike back.

What must he think when he’s alone? Is there a level of insanity creeping in? He isn’t an evil genius. He is no Stalin or Hitler. He was a rich kid who bullied is way through life. But really, he is a weak boy who thought he had finally proven to his mom, his dad and brother and to all the Yalies who had made fun of him that he had beaten them all. Has he ever understood anything about himself? Has he ever been in therapy? What is the real level of self-awareness in this man?

It’s all darkness and defeat for him now. If we think his remaining time is a long two year nine-month sentence, how does HE feel? I wonder if he wouldn’t just chuck it and get back to Texas and have it over with?

Or is he ready to strike back, an unrepentant super-bully?

How would we deal with such a defeat? Would our despair overwhelm us? Can you imagine that feeling? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have sympathy for him. His evil will outlive him and he deserves ever moment of his misery. The question is: what does his potential instability mean for us?

This also appears on huffingtonpost.com