"God Endorses Bush?"

From CSPAN this morning on what was supposed to be call-ins about newspaper endorsements an older lady said: "I'm voting for Bush because God endorses him."

Just an extremist Bush backer? No. Polls show that about one-half of Bush supporters link their support for Bush with religious feelings.

The New York Times Magazine this morning has a long article by Ron Suskind on top Republicans and Democrats who are now very concerned because Bush truly believes he is on a mission from God and doesn't need facts. Bush believes his new God-given instincts are always correct. "He truly believes he's on a mission from God. Absolute faith like that overwhelms a need for analysis. The whole thing about faith is to believe things for which there is no empirical evidence."

Suskind has another version of the Carlyle story: "There is a guy who would like to be on the board. He's kind of down on his luck a bit. Needs a job. . . . Needs some board positions." Though Rubenstein didn't think George W. Bush, then in his mid-40's, "added much value," he put him on the Caterair board. "Came to all the meetings," Rubenstein told the conventioneers. "Told a lot of jokes. Not that many clean ones. And after a while I kind of said to him, after about three years: 'You know, I'm not sure this is really for you. Maybe you should do something else. Because I don't think you're adding that much value to the board. You don't know that much about the company.' He said: 'Well, I think I'm getting out of this business anyway. And I don't really like it that much. So I'm probably going to resign from the board.' And I said thanks. Didn't think I'd ever see him again." (Missing "and now he is President of the United States.")

"When I was first with Bush in Austin, what I saw was a self-help Methodist, very open, seeking... I started to see at this point was the man that would emerge over the next year -- a messianic American Calvinist. He doesn't want to hear from anyone who doubts him."

"You think he's an idiot, don't you?" I said, no, I didn't. "No, you do, all of you do, up and down the West Coast, the East Coast, a few blocks in southern Manhattan called Wall Street. Let me clue you in. We don't care. You see, you're outnumbered 2 to 1 by folks in the big, wide middle of America, busy working people who don't read The New York Times or Washington Post or The L.A. Times. And you know what they like? They like the way he walks and the way he points, the way he exudes confidence. They have faith in him. And when you attack him for his malaprops, his jumbled syntax, it's good for us. Because you know what those folks don't like? They don't like you!" In this instance, the final "you," of course, meant the entire reality-based community.

Maureen Dowd weighs in: "Vote and Be Damned. The president's certitude - the idea that he can see into people's souls and that God tells him what is right, then W. tells us if he feels like it - is disturbing. It equates disagreeing with him to disagreeing with Him... America is awash in selective piety, situational moralists and cherry-picking absolutists."

Other Bush news

Did Bush have a stroke? His left side of his mouth is drooping down, it's as if he had a stroke or something. For the first time in history the White House has cancelled his annual physical exam.

Like the Nixon administration before it, the current White House has kneecapped with impunity any news organization that challenges its message.

49% Think Bush cheating during debates with radio receiver!