The Prodigal Returns

And the psychobabble continues, courtesy of the truly psycho Newsweek.

It's the cover story, "Father Knows Best."



Jon Meacham writes:

George Herbert Walker Bush is a proud father; tears easily come to his eyes when he thinks of his children, all of them, and there is gracious deference in his tone when he talks about the son he calls, with emphasis, "The President." He is not given to boasting about or bragging on his family; he still hears his mother's voice warning him to avoid "the Great I Am," but several times over the past few years the 41st president has mentioned to visitors that the 43rd president has read the Bible in its entirety—not once, the father says, but twice, sticking two fingers in the air. If so, then the incumbent may recall the Song of Moses: "Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations; ask thy father, and he will show thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee."

Ask thy father, and he will show thee: advice that, at long last, George W. Bush seems to be taking.

...The American people, as politicians like to say, spoke last week—and spoke in no uncertain terms. The 2006 vote does not suggest an eagerness for a sharp left turn. It seems, rather, to be a plea for a shift from the hard right of the neoconservatives to the center represented by the old man in Houston. The re-emergence of Iraq Study Group voices such as [James A.] Baker, [Robert M.] Gates and Alan Simpson—all longtime friends of Bush Senior—is not unlike the entrance of Fortinbras at the conclusion of "Hamlet." These are 41's men, and the removal of Rumsfeld—an ancient rival of Bush Senior's from the Ford days—is a move toward the broad middle.

...Did 41 help bring Gates to the Pentagon? The White House denies it, but, as a Bush friend told NEWSWEEK, "his fingerprints are all over this." (The friend refused to be identified for fear of alienating the family.) Given the mists of secrecy that envelop the 41-43 relationship, it is striking that the broad Bush circle believes he had a hand in the Rumsfeld succession: as an old CIA director, 41 rarely leaves any clues at all.

As I've said, it's legitimate to discuss the realities of Rumsfeld's departure and his replacement.

But Meacham writes about it in a style that seems more fitting to an Oprah book club selection than a news weekly.

He offers Biblical references and Shakespearean parallels and sitcom connections. Not satisfied with that, Meacham injects elements of mystery as well.

The article is a potpourri, something for everyone. What I like about it is the humor. Meacham doesn't intend the piece to be comical, but it is.

"[L]ongtime friends of Bush Senior" arriving on the scene "is not unlike the entrance of Fortinbras at the conclusion of Hamlet."

Is this an essay for a literary journal or is it a news analysis?

"Mists of secrecy that envelop the 41-43 relationship" is bizarre.

What do these Lefties expect? Should Bush 41 have a blog and detail his conversations with Bush 43? Would that be enough to clear the mists?

Old CIA man Bush 41 "rarely leaves any clues."

That's funny. Meacham has a bit of Agatha Christie in him.

This is not news. It's entertainment!

The question becomes: Who will be cast to play Bush 41 and Bush 43 in the movie?