George Bush lost the confidence of the Reagan official turned political pundit over the immigration debate, being the xenophobe that she is. But she made a good observation about the President and his delusional state of mind yesterday in the Wall Street Journal (of all places). It is getting so bad for Bush that he is now being consistently attacked on both the left and the right. Despite the attacks and the realities of war, Bush doesn't seem to mind, and that is exactly what Noonan makes light of.
From The Wall Street Journal:
....I'm not referring to what used to be called Bush Derangement Syndrome. That phrase suggested that to passionately dislike the president was to be somewhat unhinged. No one thinks that anymore. I received an email before the news conference from as rock-ribbed a Republican as you can find, a Georgia woman (middle-aged, entrepreneurial) who'd previously supported him. She said she'd had it. "I don't believe a word that comes out of his mouth." I was startled by her vehemence only because she is, as I said, rock-ribbed. Her email reminded me of another, one a friend received some months ago: "I took the W off my car today," it said on the subject line. It sounded like a country western song, like a great lament.As I watched the news conference, it occurred to me that one of the things that might leave people feeling somewhat disoriented is the president's seemingly effortless high spirits. He's in a good mood. There was the usual teasing, the partly aggressive, partly joshing humor, the certitude. He doesn't seem to be suffering, which is jarring. Presidents in great enterprises that are going badly suffer: Lincoln, LBJ with his head in his hands. Why doesn't Mr. Bush? Every major domestic initiative of his second term has been ill thought through and ended in failure. His Iraq leadership has failed. His standing is lower than any previous president's since polling began. He's in a good mood. Discuss.
Is it defiance? Denial? Is it that he's right and you're wrong, which is your problem? Is he faking a certain steely good cheer to show his foes from Washington to Baghdad that the American president is neither beaten nor bowed? Fair enough: Presidents can't sit around and moan. But it doesn't look like an act. People would feel better to know his lack of success sometimes gets to him. It gets to them.
The first thought that comes to mind is that maybe Bush isn't human, but that might be reaching a bit much. Is it his alcoholism perhaps? Nah, that would take a lot of booze to create that much numbness and Bush doesn't appear to be drunk all the time (at least not yet). I think the issue is that he just thinks that he is the greatest thing since sliced bread, that he will be remembered as one of the greatest Presidents despite the overwhelming disapproval that the nation gives him. He perceives that he leads for a higher calling, on a mission from god and that he will be exonerated long after he is gone.
That kind of arrogance can get to anyone, even arrogant conservatives like Noonan.
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