www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_4636.shtml
President George W Bushs increasingly erratic behavior and wide mood swings has the halls of the West Wing buzzing lately as aides privately express growing concern over their leaders state of mind. In meetings with top aides and administration officials, the President goes from quoting the Bible in one breath to obscene tantrums against the media, Democrats and others that he classifies as enemies of the state. Worried White House aides paint a portrait of a man on the edge, increasingly wary of those who disagree with him and paranoid of a public that no longer trusts his policies in Iraq or at home. It reminds me of the Nixon days, says a longtime GOP political consultant with contacts in the White House. In interviews with a number of White House staffers who were willing to talk off the record, a picture of an administration under siege has emerged, led by a man who declares his decisions to be Gods will and then tells aides to fuck over anyone they consider to be an opponent of the administration. What I dont know anymore is just who the enemy might be, says one troubled White House aide. We seem to spend more time trying to destroy John Kerry than al Qaeda and our enemies list just keeps growing and growing. Aides say the President gets hung up on minor details, micromanaging to the extreme while ignoring the bigger picture. He will spend hours personally reviewing and approving every attack ad against his Democratic opponent and then kiss off a meeting on economic issues. The President got hung up on the weapons of mass destruction and an unproven link to al Qaeda. We could have found other justifiable reasons for the war but the President insisted the focus stay on those two, tenuous items. Aides who raise questions quickly find themselves shut out of access to the President or other top advisors. Secretary of State Colin Powell has fallen out of favor because of his growing doubts about the administrations war against Iraq. The President's abrupt dismissal of CIA Directory George Tenet Wednesday night is, aides say, an example of how he works. "Tenet wanted to quit last year but the President got his back up and wouldn't hear of it," says an aide. "That would have been the opportune time to make a change, not in the middle of an election campaign but when the director challenged the President during the meeting Wednesday, the President cut him off by saying 'that's it George. Tenet was allowed to resign "voluntarily" and Bush informed his shocked staff of the decision Thursday morning. One aide says the President actually described the decision as "God's will." God may also be the reason Attorney General John Ashcroft, the administrations lightning rod because of his questionable actions that critics argue threatens freedoms granted by the Constitution, remains part of the power elite. West Wing staffers call Bush and Ashcroft the Blues Brothers because theyre on a mission from God. The Attorney General is tight with the President because of religion, says one aide. They both believe any action is justifiable in the name of God. But the President who says he rules at the behest of God can also tongue-lash those he perceives as disloyal, calling them fucking assholes in front of other staff, berating one cabinet official in front of others and labeling anyone who disagrees with him unpatriotic or anti-American. The mood here is that were under siege, theres no doubt about it, says one troubled aide who admits he is looking for work elsewhere. In this administration, you dont have to wear a turban or speak Farsi to be an enemy of the United States. The White House did not respond to requests for comment on the record.
|
http://csua.com/feed/