The title of this diary is a sarcastic riff on this headline, Dobson on Bush: Greatest president or greatest president ever? (June'09)
No information in this diary is new, but it simply reflects my need to cathart after hearing an interview about military families being told their loved ones died in Iraq, and then reading about Bush's "joyousness" every day while he was president. Bush is such a sick individual. It wouldn't cure him but he should be forced to listen to that interview several times a day, every day, for the rest of his life.
If I would encourage any reader of this diary to do one thing, it would be to listen to the podcast interview linked below.
The interview was a Fresh Air podcast (from last year), A 'Final Salute' to Fallen Marines.
Never leave a Marine behind. The tradition began in 1775, and continues today via officers like Marine Colonel Steve Beck, whose job it is to notify the families of the loss of a loved one in Iraq.
Beck's mission, called "casualty notification," is one for which he received no training. It begins with a knock at the door, and continues through the funeral and beyond. It involves standing watch over the caskets of the fallen, comforting those left behind and, at times, choking down his own tears.
That story synopsis is so sterile compared to the deep pathos of the interview. It was perhaps the most sober and moving interview I've ever heard. The interview was predicated on a book by Jim Sheeler, Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives. (Paraphrasing the book review,) Beck walked up to houses, delivered the knock on the door so dreaded by military families, and tried to comfort distraught spouses and parents.
Just his presence at their front door signaled that the lives of these families would be changed forever. As the review says,
The children left behind are often the most tragic figures: the young son of army PFC Jesse Givens asks if he can be a little boy again when he goes to heaven so that he can play with his dad. Dedicated to everyone who opened the door, Sheeler's book is a devastating account of the sacrifices military families make and should be required reading for all Americans.
As we know, over 4,000 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq. That's over 4,000 visits to families by soldiers like Major Beck delivering (in his words), "the most horrible news that can be delivered to someone."
And then I read what Bush said this week about being President,
I can tell you some days were great, some days not so great. But every day was joyous," he said.
Poor, poor George Bush. He had some days that were "not so great."
It's not like additional evidence is needed that Bush is a sociopath, but his daily "joyousness" is way over the top. No mistakes, no remorse. He is incapable of having the range of emotions of most normal human beings, especially empathy.
deceitfulness, as indicated by repeatedly lying,
impulsivity or failure to plan ahead;
irritability and aggressiveness,
...and especially for Bush...
lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another.
It is well beyond my scope of comprehension how someone could create such a wreck of a legacy, cause tremendous suffering and pain through his mistakes (over 4,000 front-door visits by soldiers like Major Beck), yet go on a "motivational" speaking tour and describe his joyousness every day of his presidency.
As to a possible question of how Bush manages to avoid facing the truth about himself, one needs only read the sycophantic Dobson interview linked at the top, and realize that Bush is probably surrounded by people like Dobson. In a nutshell: God guided Bush to attack Islam, Bush is the most pro-life president ever, and never changing one's mind is a sign of strength and integrity.
As I said, nothing in this diary is new, but writing it helped me deal with (my most recent) anger towards Bush.
"Motivational tour"...sheesh. That he's on that tour is no different than any other part of his career--he's there because of his connections, not for his competency.