So that explains it! The disturbed psyche of George Bush

I tend to look at the world from a Jungian perspective, although I'm not a psychologist. So I was fascinated when I came across a review of a book, Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President, published in 2004 and updated in 2007, by psychoanalyst Justin Frank. Frank has impeccable professional credentials, writes for Salon and blogs at the HuffPost (His political leanings are obvious.)

In a precis of his book for the History News Network, Frank imagines his reaction if Bush came to him for analysis.

If he presented an inflexible worldview characterized by an oversimplified distinction between right and wrong, good and evil, allies and enemies, I would question his ability to grasp reality. And if his actions revealed an unacknowledged – even sadistic – indifference to human suffering, wrapped in pious claims of compassion. I would worry about the safety of the people whose lives he touched.

Although I don't think that psychotherapy could help W (his personality disorders are so deeply rooted) it's nevertheless illuminating to read that Bush, as a child, blew up frogs (I'm not kidding!), is most likely a dry drunk, and was profoundly affected by the death of a younger sister from leukemia when he was seven. (His parents went golfing the next day; Barbara later sank into a depression.)

There's also an interesting review of Bush on the Couch by Lauren Langman, a Professor of Sociology at Loyola University. Adding a sociological perspective to Frank's psychoanalytic approach, Langman says that

Dubya embodies qualities that have long been part of American culture, beginning with its Puritanical moralism.

Interesting stuff.

Jesse Helms and the zoo

North Carolina has a wonderful zoo, in Asheboro. My next door neighbor was there last week and reported that, despite an active donor group, some of the exhibits are being closed because the NC government isn't providing adequate funding.

This isn't the first time there's been a challenge in getting money for the zoo. When the initial appropriation was being discussed some years ago, the late Jesse Helms (he became "late" today) delivered what is probably his most famous quote: "Why build a zoo when we can just put up a fence around Chapel Hill?"

For a quick look at Chapel Hill, which has more Ph.D's per capital than anywhere else in the US, look at this article from the New York Times.

Tummlers

In his memorial reporting yesterday, Chris Matthews referred to the late and much-missed Tim Russert as a tummler. This is one of those Yiddish words for which there is no English equivalent, but it's generally used to describe someone, such as a social director or entertainer, who encourages guest or audience participation. You don't have to be Jewish to be a tummler, but it helps.

The last of the great Borscht Belt tummlers is gone now, but I'm lucky to have seem two of them while they were still with us. In the mid-60s, when I lived in Manhattan, someone invited me to see Jan Murray at B'nai Brith benefit performance. Murray was the king of the one-liners, at the top of his game. There was one unforgettable line, about the hazards of driving low-slung European sports cars: "I stuck out my hand to make a turn signal and castrated a cop."

More recently (a relative term at my age) I saw Red Buttons. I was spending the weekend at a conference at the Nevele (now the Nevele Grande) when the activities board announced that Red Buttons would be performing, to replace another comedian who had cancelled at the last minute. I dashed to the theater to make reservations, and spotted Buttons on the stage, testing the sound system, so I hung around in the lobby. Buttons came through the door a few minutes later, greeted by an almost hysterical red-haired lady who gave a memorable geshrei,

"Red Buttons! I thought you were dead!."

Buttons had an amazing sense of timing. Take a look at his last performance, at a Jerry Lewis telethon.




A friend who lived on the margins of the theater world once took me backstage to meet Jackie Mason, who (to tell the truth) didn't seem very happy to have visitors. His schtick repeated what is probably his most famous line, that the "only space Jews care about is closet space."

But he struck me then as a verbissiner.

My conclusion was confirmed recently by Mason's tirade against Obama on his vlog. (Don't try to watch the whole thing; it's a disgrace.)

One of the bloggers at Chimere says that Condi Rice is also a verbissener.

If nothing else, Condi's got an expression that Yiddish describes best: verbissener. Loosely translated, it means you look like you've just sucked a whole crate of lemons and y'aint happy 'bout it.

As Russert used to say "What a country!"

Who for Vice President?

I am watching this discussion of HRC snagging the VP slot with disbelief. Why in the world would Barack want Bill Clinton, who has clearly lost his bearings, to be looking over his shoulder in the White House? Why do some people think that Hillary and Bill could successfully get through the vetting process, considering their dubious financial dealings and Bill's apparent inability to stop philandering?

The "pundits" are now talking ahout the VP being chosen on the basis of geography, constituency, and military experience. None of these is relative. We need a VP who has the know-how to be President, should it become necessary, someone who can give Obama invaluable advice on foreign relations, which differs from defense issues. For defense, we have the generals and the Joint Chiefs. That's their job.

If it were up to me, I'd go for Joe Biden, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He's smart; he's honest; he's principled; he is experienced and wise in the ways of the world. And he's been an staunch supporter of Israel.

And while I'm thinking about the shortsightedness of the media, hasn't it occurred to anyone else that Caroline Kennedy was selected, not only for her early endorsement and work in the campaign, but also because she can go to Ted Kennedy for confidential, and quintessential, advice?

And while I'm on that topic, don't forget to say a little prayer for Senator Kennedy. We North Carolinians are proud that he chose one of our wonderful medical institutions for his care! (He's ten minutes down the road from me.)

I'm still trying to get it into my head that Barack is going to be our next President. The mind boggles.

This is a mensch

75,000 people

This is amazing.

Edwards takes the high road

The buzz around Chapel Hill has been that John would not endorse either Obama or Clinton, leaving the door open for snaggling a cabinet position, no matter which candidate wins.

I've never agreed with this. First, any Democrat in the White House would be foolish not to ask Edwards to serve in the Cabinet. And if Edwards is content with his teaching at UNC, launching anti-poverty programs, and staying near Elizabeth and the kids, it would be perfectly understandable. But I sure am glad he has made his decision for Obama, at a strategically ideal time. (Watching TV now -- the background music is Springsteen's great song "The Rising," and there are big smiles on a lot of faces.)

Speaking of Elizabeth, MSNBC noted that she did not come to Grand Rapids with John for the announcement of the endorsement. They speculated that because Elizabeth has praised Hillary's health plan, that he was actually going to endorse her. I find this most improbable. It is just as likely that she simply didn't feel like travelling. Elizabeth and I are both being treated at the UNC Cancer Center, and I am here to tell you that cancer patients (even those who are doing well) suffer from "cancer fatigue," or just feel plain lousy some days and are perfectly happy to stay at home.

By the way, I really really like John Edwards, which is why I haven't taken his picture down from my blog. (See left column.) He makes me proud to be a Tar Heel, albeit a recent immigrant.

Einstein's wisdom

I finally got around to finding out what all the buzz about StumpleUpon is about. Within two minutes, I found a wonderful collection of quotes from Albert Einstein:


Collected Quotes from Albert Einstein

* "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."
* "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
* "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."
* "I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details."
* "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax."
* "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
* "The only real valuable thing is intuition."
* "A person starts to live when he can live outside himself."
* "I am convinced that He (God) does not play dice."
* "God is subtle but he is not malicious."
* "Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character."
* "I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."
* "The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility."
* "Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing."
* "Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."
* "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
* "Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds."
* "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
* "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."
* "Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it."
* "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
* "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."
* "God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically."
* "The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking."
* "Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal."
* "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."
* "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."
* "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
* "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."
* "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."