Bob Burnett: 'He's got the whole world in his hands'

Bob Burnett

George Bush's inept handling of the Israeli invasion of
Lebanon--particularly his gauche performance at the G-8 summit--brings to
mind the famous scene in The Great Dictator, where Chaplin's version of
Hitler bounces a large inflatable globe. We're sliding into World War III
and Dubya's playing with the whole world in his hands.

As the situation in the Middle East spirals out of control, as it becomes
ever more apparent that we have lost the war in Iraq and are losing the war
on terror, it's vital that we understand this strange man who's our 43rd
President. Why did George make the dreadful decisions that have brought us
to the brink of chaos? The decision to ignore warnings about Al Qaeda before
9/11; to abandon pursuit of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and instead invade Iraq;
to attempt to occupy Iraq on the cheap in the face of a burgeoning
insurgency; and to let Israel do whatever it wants in Lebanon and Palestine.
What was Bush thinking?

Explanations for Dubya's bizarre behavior fall into four categories:

1. "Howdy Doody" Dubya: A common speculation is that Bush is not calling the
shots; that he is a puppet President manipulated by Dick Cheney, Karl Rove,
and other sinister characters that lurk in the White House shadows.
According to this view, Doody Dubya doesn't make any independent decisions
and the White House has no planning mechanism; every Administration decision
is made in reaction and the most important consideration is the political
consequences.

From this perspective, Bush had no input to the four major decisions of his
administration; they were made for him. He didn't pay attention to warnings
of an imminent Al Qaeda attack because his handlers didn't give any credence
to this threat. He didn't consider an evenhanded approach to Israel and
Hezbollah, because those who pull the strings maintain a close relationship
with the most conservative elements of the Israeli government.

2. Christian Dubya: Another popular theory is that George Bush is an
apocalyptic Christian who believes that the end-of-the-world is coming soon
and is obsessed with preparation for the rapture. It's well known that the
White House maintains a close relationship with apocalyptic Christians.
Occasionally their language creeps into Bush's public statements: "I'm
driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, "George, go and fight
those terrorists in Afghanistan." And I did, and then God would tell me,
"George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq ..." And I did." From this
perspective, Bush favors Israel because it's consistent with his brand of
Christianity. "It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine."

3. Mogul Dubya: Another interpretation is that Bush is following an agenda
dictated by powerful business interests. This logic argues that the
President is not shiftless, but venal. This perspective observes that while
Iraq may have been a failure in terms of American foreign policy, it has
been a windfall for firms such as Halliburton and Bechtel. Similarly, the
Israeli action in Lebanon has benefited American firms; it's forced Israel
to buy more bombs from us, as well as specialized resources such aviation
fuel. Dubya makes decisions that are in the best interests of a
multinational cabal; it's "show me the money."

4. Emperor Dubya: The final explanation is that George Bush is obsessed with
power. His behavior is the convergence of a grandiose vision of himself as
emperor of America leading a crusade against evildoers, the political
designs of the Republican Party, and the foreign policy objectives of the
Project for the New American Century (PNAC) Washington think tank. PNAC
argues that the US should use its military preeminence to insure that
American interests prevail throughout the world. There's a close
relationship between the principals in PNAC and the key players in the
Administration; most argue that Israeli and American interests are
equivalent in the Middle East. Bush seeks absolute power and in the process
has been absolutely corrupted.

So what? A cynical observer of American politics might argue that it makes
little difference whether George Bush is a puppet, zealot, moneygrubber, or
tyrant; the consequences are all equally bad. The reality is that in the
words of the gospel song, "He's got you and me, brother, in his hands."

Yet, if Bush is a puppet or a tool of powerful business interests, there's a
chance of changing America's suicidal course before the good ship USA goes
over the falls. From those perspectives, the possibility remains that the
bosses in the shadows can be brought to their senses and that at least some
of Dubya's dreadful decisions can be reversed. If we're dealing with
Christian Dubya or Emperor Dubya, then we have a dreadful problem: Bush is
bouncing the whole world in his hands and it's not clear how to stop him.

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"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson