More on why W is such a nightmare

By Heraclitus

The title of this post references one I wrote last year on W, "Why W is such a nightmare." But it's been such a long and awful nightmare, I'll repeat the idea. Glenn Greenwald has a very good and sobering post up today about how Bush's presidency is in a downward spiral and how dangerous that is. Greenwald begins by noting that Bush's approval ratings took a hit after his televised address last week.

It really is striking that whenever one is convinced that Bush's unpopularity ratings have reached their nadir, the one thing that can always drive them even further downward is Bush's appearance on national television to explain himself to the country (or, to use Jules Crittenden's classic formulation: for the President to "address us . . . and show us the way forward"). Even after six years, the more Americans see and hear from George Bush, the more they dislike him.

But it's all fun and games until someone gets illegally detained and tortured.

The reason Bush violated the law when eavesdropping is the same reason Lithwick cites to explain his other lawless and extremist measures -- because he wanted purposely not to comply with the law in order to establish the general "principle" that he was not bound by the law, to show that he has the power to break the law, that he is more powerful than the law. This is a President and an administration that are obsessed first and foremost with their own power and with constant demonstrations of their own strength. Conversely, what they fear and hate the most is their own weakness and submission to limitations.

For that reason, the weaker and more besieged the administration feels, the more compelled they will feel to make a showing of their power. Lashing out in response to feelings of weakness is a temptation most human beings have, but it is more than a mere temptation for George Bush. It is one of the predominant dynamics that drives his behavior.

In short, Bush is, in the words of Amanda Marcotte that I frequently quote, a sociopathic brat. Greenwald's whole post is well worth reading, as is his review of John Dean's book Conservatives Without Conscience, to which Greenwald links in the penultimate paragraph of his post.