OK, if you think that you can reason with Bush, if you believe that he has the best interests of the United States at heart, I beg you to read Glenn Greenwald's column in Salon, found by way of Attaturk's post at Atrios' blogspot: Well there's one thing we know Bush sure loves him those historians
Glenn Greenwald's article: The president receives "lessons" from his neoconservative tutors
Greenwald demonstrates that Bush's mind is closed to common sense and the will of the American people. Bush is the creature of the neocons, and welcomes the poison they continue to pour into his ears. Greenwald uses several different accounts of a "literary luncheon" written by the neocon attendees to prove that Bush is lost to the real world, and that the danger to the world is incalculable.
[Irwin] Stelzer's account provides truly illuminating insight into what neoconservatives have been filling the President's head with for years now, and demonstrates how they have managed to keep him firmly on board with their agenda. The most critical priority is to convince the President to continue to ignore the will of the American people and to maintain full-fledged loyalty to the neoconservative agenda, no matter how unpopular it becomes.
To do this, they have convinced the President that he has tapped into a much higher authority than the American people -- namely, God-mandated, objective morality -- and as long as he adheres to that (which is achieved by continuing his militaristic policies in the Middle East, whereby he is fighting Evil and defending Good), God and history will vindicate him
Greenwald provides these insights, among others, on how Bush sees the world:
- God has informed him that he is engaged in a war between absolute evil and good principles, although he admits the principles are practiced by imperfect men
- He feels no pressure due to the problems in Iraq because he KNOWS he is right.
- He is somewhat bewildered by anti-American attitudes around the world, but dismisses them as unimportant if he gets his policies right. (ie. He is fighting absolute evil)
- He thinks that he should focus his attention on the English-speaking peoples. The others aren't as important to the United States.
- He cites the French withdrawal from Algeria as an instance where withdrawal came too soon.
- History will judge him on the basis of whether he prevented Iran from getting nuclear weapons. Period.
Please, please Blue Dogs, educate yourselves on this president. He is not thinking like a rational man. He is a fanatic who thinks it is fine that the majority rejects his "mission from God." He will pursue it no matter what. No wonder he thinks that lying is OK. You can lie to the Nazis about whether there is a Jew in your attic, right? Only he isn't protecting anything but his own idea of himself as the lonely Moral Superman. There is NO LIMIT to the sacrifices he will force others to make for his holy cause. Do you think he would hesitate for one nanosecond to lie to Congress about benchmarks?
He needs to be stopped, and I'm utterly convinced that only impeachment will do it. But controlling how he can use military funds would be a great start.
Please go read all of Greenwald's excellent column.