I can understand why our cowboy in chief doesn't grasp the nuances of middle eastern cultural norms and mores, but you'd think he'd get the hoity-toity groveling expected in the presence of a British monarch. Maybe adhering to the strict rules of royal etiquette threatens his need to feel kingly himself. If British reaction can be judged by two clips shown on BBC television, the Brits are a bit miffed by George W. Bush's not quite getting the rules of engagement when hosting their Queen Elizabeth. The BBC had a go at our George noting his 1776 almost-slip and, in my professional opinion, his Oedipally inspired winking follow-up about the queen giving him a cutting Barbara Bush look. To see video click "Bush winks at the Queen" link in upper right. [1]
. . . "She gave me a look that only a mother could give a child." .
It sounds to me like George was on the receiving end of a number of those withering Babs Bush looks. I wonder how often, growing up, he felt diminished by his mother. The more unguarded comments this man makes the more I think he's less a pathological narcissist than a classic Freudian momma's boy with an unresolved Oedipus Complex (for Freud, the unconscious male's childhood desire to sleep with the mother and to kill the father) who is still trying unsuccessfully to eliminate his castration anxiety and symbolically replace daddy in his mother's affection. In healthy psychological development the boy child realizes he can never replace his father by competing with his father for her sexual interest, so instead he identifies with him and devlops as a secure and confident man. Junior may have never reached that point. This would explain why he surrounds himself with doting women who worship him. Of course he could be a pathological narcissist:
Of course, looking at the criteria for narcissistic personality disorder, above, he could be both. Here's more of what the sober voice on the BBC had to say. • Grandiose sense of one's own abilities or achievements • Fantasies about having exceptional power, attractiveness or success • Sense of belonging to an exclusive group of people who truly understand each other • Need for constant praise • Expectations of special treatment • Exploitation of other people • Lack of empathy for other people • Envy of other people or a belief that you are the subject of other people's envy • Haughty or arrogant behaviors Reference [2]
"Then there was the inevitable Bushism when the president tried to recall the date of a previous visit of the queen" and after he made his slip by starting to say 1776 instead of 1976 he winked at the queen." The BBC commentator went on to say "not many people wink at the queen. George Bush is the exception."
Knowing George as we do, we can be thankful he didn't give his trademarked idiot's chuckle, hee hee hee â„¢, and tell Queen Elizabeth how we've come a long way from kicking their sorry Redcoat butts out of our country with our ragtag army. Psychologically that would show this maternal figure who the real manly man was. The BBC commentator made a droll, somewhat superior reference to Bush's white tie attire as he described him entering the state dinner, saying he was
"... still winking, mind, looking like a small boy on his first day at school in an unfamiliar uniform, although at least he'd swapped his cowboy boots for patent evening shoes."
Conveniently, the camera zoomed in on a close-up of his shiny patent leather shoes; but the telling remark is that he looked like a small boy. Perhaps thinking that the United States has a president who is like a small boy with dangerous toys, he noted that our two countries were engaged in a controversial war, the BBC commentator said that "this is a day when the word Iraq is being spoken oh so softly if it's being spoken at all." He went on to say "in such polite society it seems unlikely that issues such as Iraq will take up much time." It's too bad that one of our closest allies is sympathizing with us to the extent that they say:
.. "Tonight they'll be sitting down to what the Americans hope will be a gaff-free state dinner." .
Thanks to reader "By Jove" for this reminder.
For those who forgot: At the G-8 Conference, President Bush grabed German Chancellor Angela Merkel from behind and gave her a quick massage before rushing off. Chancellor Merkel was not amused. Here's the prepubescent moment on You Tube (LINK) [3] We rest our case!