The author's use of Franklin's name, and the "no name" psychiatrist convince me that both men, for whatever reason, prefer to remain unknown. But this doesn't bother me because I'm used to it. Many factual news reports end with the reference: "according to anonymous sources"  Even one of today's best sellers, "Imperial Hubris-Why the west is losing the war on terror", was written anonymously. For the same reason, probably.

Be that as it may, the psychological analyses of Bush and Cheney are so revealing and self-evident that you may find these excerpts from each of them as startling and frightening as I did.

ABOUT CHENEY

"This man is a sociopath. He is devoid of both conscience and access to his emotions, other than pure rage.  This is the most dangerous type of disorder since such people are not human in the way that a normal person can understand. They might look human but are incapable of relating to people as human beings.

"This is clear from his eyes and facial expressions, the glare lets us seek through the mask to the intense rage beneath it. Senator Edwards was freaked out by this---it is unlikely that he has ever sat down so close to this  
type of sociopath.

"That is how such people try to control others by using that monster-like characteristic of their personalities. Cheney's behavior is cold-blooded rational, uninfluenced by truth, or even the response of the other person (s).

"I feel sorry for Edwards---someone who sat across a small table from a killer, who sits there glaring at him. One can provoke such an individual by standing up to him as one stands up to a bully; by countering his assertions and lies, but you have to be prepared for the horrible rage that will explode outward. I guess he wasn't prepared for that. Regardless, more people will come away terrified of Dick Cheney."

If you watched Cheney's eyes during the debate you got the meaning of what this psychiatrist said.

ABOUT BUSH

"The President clearly suffers from a severe paranoia that causes him to greatly fear situations in which he is exposed to people hostile to his delusional viewpoints. Bush entered the debate in his own world, his own psychological shell. To make it through the debate he essentially blotted out all reality, REACTING FROM SOME KIND OF PROGRAMMED RESPONSE TO PROMPTS. WHEN THE EXPECTED PROMPTS DID NOT OCCUR HE COULD NOT FORMULATE RESPONSES AND WAS REDUCED TO MUMBLING REPETITIONS OF MEMORIZED FORMULATIONS.

"The lack of formatted audience response locked him deeper into his shell. He became completely unaware that his infantile reactions were witnessed by millions, nor did he have any control over them. It would not have mattered if the lights went off while he was speaking, his paranoid fear would have left him unaware of the world outside his shell.

"Individuals such as Bush need to be reassured, and absent that reassurance, tend to fall apart. This type of psychopathological behavior is characteristic of a person who is easily manipulated by those who offer reassurances, who reinforce their delusions.

"Bush is a clinically pathetic case who, in stressful situations, must act and make decisions from within a paranoid shell, making him an easy prey of strong-willed people on whom he must depend."

Now, about Bush's back. One TV picture of the presidential debate was shot from behind the two speakers. Both men's backs were in full view. Inside Bush's suit coat, in the center between his shoulders, was a fair-sized bulge. We don't know what the bulge was. But the outline, having square corners, suggests some object, rather than creases in the material.

Knowing the capabilities of today's modern electronics, together with Bush's need for "reassurance prompting"----read again the capitalized copy in the first Bush paragraph---initial reports speculated that the bulge might have been an electronic device connected to a hidden "receiver" which relayed answers, key phrases, and "encouragement" to the President.

Absurd? Ridiculous? Impossible?  Living in the era of space-age technology, this kind of "wired" communication is NOT absurd, ridiculous, or impossible. In fact, it not only CAN be done, but IS being done in some way every day.

I wish I were making all this up. It would make a great novel. Instead, what we have here is a clear picture of two psychologically impaired men who presently hold the fate of the United States of America in their hands.

If that doesn't frighten you, what does?

"Published originally at EtherZone.com : republication allowed with this notice and hyperlink intact."

Jim Moore is a free-lance political writer and is a regular columnist for Ether Zone.

Jim Moore can be reached at Jmoore1819@aol.com

Published in the October 11, 2004 issue of  Ether Zone.
Copyright © 1997 - 2004 Ether Zone.

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