"Initiating the impeachment process appears to be the only way to launch a shot across the bow of this particular ship of state"

the veteran intelligence professionals for sanity [Steering Group: David MacMichael, Tom Maertens, Ray McGovern and Coleen Rowley] met with dr. justin frank, author of Bush on the Couch, to formulate three possible scenarios for what our criminal president might do as the pressure to rein him in mounts...

frank's assessment of bush...

• George W. Bush is without conscience, and it would require a lengthy series of clinical sessions to find out what happened to it. By identifying himself as all good and on the side of right, he has been able to vanquish any guilt, any sense of doing wrong.

• George W. Bush seems also to be without shame. ... He does whatever he wants. ... He lies—not just to us, but to himself as well. What makes lying so easy for Bush is his contempt—for language, for law, and for anybody who dares question him.

• Bush has a profound fear of failure and humiliation. He defends himself from this by any means at his disposal—most frequently with indifference or contempt. ... He will not change, because for him change means humiliating collapse. He is very fearful of public exposure of his many inadequacies.

• The president’s contempt defense protects his belief system, a system he clings to as if his beliefs were well-researched facts. ... Helen Thomas has said that of all the presidents she has covered over the years, Bush is the least changed by his job, by his experience. This is why there is no possibility of dialogue or reasoning with him.

• His certitude that he is right gives him carte blanche for destructive behavior. ... His comfort with cruelty is one reason he can be so jocular with reporters when talking about American casualties in Iraq.

• Bush likes to break things, needs to break things. ... If George W. Bush wanted to destroy his own family, he could scarcely have done better. Thanks to him, no Bush is likely to be elected to high office for generations to come.

briefly, here are the three possible scenarios for the next 18 months that the vips and dr. frank constructed during the course of their discussion...

Scenario A: Destructive Attack on the Green Zone

[...]

[I]f there were an embarrassing attack on U.S. installations in the Green Zone or some other major U.S. facility, [Bush] would immediately order a retaliatory series of air strikes, and let the bombs and missiles fall where they may.

The reaction would come from deep within and would warn, in effect: This is what you get if you try to make me look bad.

Scenario B: Israeli Attack on Nuclear Targets in Iran.

With the U.S. Congress firmly in the Israeli camp, Cheney might see little disincentive to giving a green-light wink to Israel and then let the president “worry about cleaning up.” ... Senior U.S. military officers have warned against the folly of attacking Iran, but Cheney has shown himself, time and time again, able to overrule the military.

and what if impeachment hearings have begun...?

With impeachment under way, such senior officers might be reminded that all officers and national security officials swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States—NOT to protect and defend the president.

[...]

Psychologically, Bush would almost certainly need to join the attack, mainly to sustain his illusion of safety and masculinity. And Cheney, knowing that, would be pushing him hard on U.S. energy and other perceived strategic interests.

Scenario C: Congress Cuts War Funding This Fall

If Congress cut off funding for war in Iraq, Bush might well cast about for a casus belli to “justify” an attack on Iran.

Would the senior military again go along with orders for an unprovoked, unconstitutional war on a country posing no threat to the U.S.? Hard to say. [...] With Cheney egging him on from the wings of the “unitary executive,” but Congress no longer bowing to that novel interpretation of the Constitution, Bush will be sorely tempted to lash out in some violent way, if further funding for the war is denied.

sobering thoughts for a friday morning...

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