Great topic, rb. I finally had the chance to read through the linked article and another Newsweek article concerning Bush's response to Katrina. In both, I saw evidence that Bush encourages the "bubble" in his discourse with others. Staffer's are relunctant to bring "bad" news to this president because he becomes "surly". Those that watched the first presidential debate with Kerry, saw a side of Bush not seen before, and that was before a national audience. Given that lack of self-control in public makes me wonder what "surly" might be in a private audience. Another piece of data that he discourages open discussion is in this quote from the article:
Quote:
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In subtle ways, Bush does not encourage truth-telling or at least a full exploration of all that could go wrong. A former senior member of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad occasionally observed Bush on videoconferences with his top advisers. "The president would ask the generals, 'Do you have what you need to complete the mission?' as opposed to saying, 'Tell me, General, what do you need to win?' which would have opened up a whole new set of conversations," says this official, who did not want to be identified discussing high-level meetings. The official says that the way Bush phrased his questions, as well as his obvious lack of interest in long, detailed discussions, had a chilling effect. "It just prevented the discussion from heading in a direction that would open up a possibility that we need more troops," says the official.
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I have been trying to understand where his "certainty" comes from and perhaps that has been the precondition for his chosen insularity. Bush's animosity to disagreement or alternative opinions might be explained, if he sincerely believes, as a "born again" Christian, that his choices and actions are being guided by God. I have a hard time getting my head around this one, because of the many obvious contradictions he presents that challenge my notion of a loving God. Belief in a vengeful God might better explain his decisions, such as supporting the torture of prisoners.
I suspect we are decades away from fully understanding what makes #43 tick, but I have come to believe that the "bubble" is of his own making. I consider that a very dangerous flaw in a president.