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   From Capitol Hill Blue

   Bush Leagues
   Bush's Erratic Behavior Worries White House Aides
   By DOUG THOMPSON
   Publisher, Capitol Hill Blue
   Jun 4, 2004, 06:15

   President George W. Bushs increasingly erratic behavior and wide mood
   swings has the halls of the West Wing buzzing lately as aides
   privately express growing concern over their leaders state of mind.

   In meetings with top aides and administration officials, the President
   goes from quoting the Bible in one breath to obscene tantrums against
   the media, Democrats and others that he classifies as enemies of the
   state.

   Worried White House aides paint a portrait of a man on the edge,
   increasingly wary of those who disagree with him and paranoid of a
   public that no longer trusts his policies in Iraq or at home.

   It reminds me of the Nixon days, says a longtime GOP political
   consultant with contacts in the White House. Everybody is an enemy;
   everybody is out to get him. Thats the mood over there.

   In interviews with a number of White House staffers who were willing
   to talk off the record, a picture of an administration under siege has
   emerged, led by a man who declares his decisions to be Gods will and
   then tells aides to fuck over anyone they consider to be an opponent
   of the administration.

   Were at war, theres no doubt about it. What I dont know anymore is
   just who the enemy might be, says one troubled White House aide. We
   seem to spend more time trying to destroy John Kerry than al Qaeda and
   our enemies list just keeps growing and growing.

   Aides say the President gets hung up on minor details, micromanaging
   to the extreme while ignoring the bigger picture. He will spend hours
   personally reviewing and approving every attack ad against his
   Democratic opponent and then kiss off a meeting on economic issues.

   This is what is killing us on Iraq, one aide says. We lost focus. The
   President got hung up on the weapons of mass destruction and an
   unproven link to al Qaeda. We could have found other justifiable
   reasons for the war but the President insisted the focus stay on those
   two, tenuous items.

   Aides who raise questions quickly find themselves shut out of access
   to the President or other top advisors. Among top officials, Bushs
   inner circle is shrinking. Secretary of State Colin Powell has fallen
   out of favor because of his growing doubts about the administrations
   war against Iraq.

   The President's abrupt dismissal of CIA Directory George Tenet
   Wednesday night is, aides say, an example of how he works.

   "Tenet wanted to quit last year but the President got his back up
   and wouldn't hear of it," says an aide. "That would have been the
   opportune time to make a change, not in the middle of an election
   campaign but when the director challenged the President during the
   meeting Wednesday, the President cut him off by saying 'that's it
   George. I cannot abide disloyalty. I want your resignation and I want
   it now."

   Tenet was allowed to resign "voluntarily" and Bush informed his
   shocked staff of the decision Thursday morning. One aide says the
   President actually described the decision as "God's will."

   God may also be the reason Attorney General John Ashcroft, the
   administrations lightning rod because of his questionable actions that
   critics argue threatens freedoms granted by the Constitution, remains
   part of the power elite. West Wing staffers call Bush and Ashcroft the
   Blues Brothers because theyre on a mission from God.

   The Attorney General is tight with the President because of religion,
   says one aide. They both believe any action is justifiable in the name
   of God.

   But the President who says he rules at the behest of God can also
   tongue-lash those he perceives as disloyal, calling them fucking
   assholes in front of other staff, berating one cabinet official in
   front of others and labeling anyone who disagrees with him unpatriotic
   or anti-American.

   The mood here is that were under siege, theres no doubt about it, says
   one troubled aide who admits he is looking for work elsewhere. In this
   administration, you dont have to wear a turban or speak Farsi to be an
   enemy of the United States. All you have to do is disagree with the
   President.

   The White House did not respond to requests for comment on the record.
    http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/printer_4636.shtml
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         "Ain't got no time for the jibber-jabber, fool" - Mr. T