More on Rove

Kevin left this comment on my Rove and Bush post: "A very interesting (and not widely known) footnote to the Rove mess is that the first president Bush fired him, for leaking information about a political enemy. I guess nothing really changes."

This is interesting for a couple of reasons, but especially this relationship between GWB and his father. I, and others, have speculated that Bush has a rather Freudian relationship with his father, and this kind of speaks to that. Consider a normal relationship between fathers and sons. They are in the same business, and the son is following in the father's footsteps. But the father has disagreements with some people--principled disagreements. In many such relationships, the son would respect those disagreements.

But not here. Bush Sr. fired Rove. He had some very strong disagreements with both Cheney and Rumsfeld. Who are front and center to Son's administration? What can we conclude from this?

I don't know and am not really that kind of doctor. But my speculation is that GWB has always lived in the shadow of his smarter and more successful father. I think he has always resented his own "silver spoon" upbringing and knows full well that he really didn't deserve to attend Yale or to get out of going to VN. He knows that he isn't as smart as his father, nor does he have the credentials. And he resents it. It shows up when he champions someone like Condi Rice or Al Gonzales--as if he really likes to see himself as an "up-from-the-bootstraps" kind of guy. Instead of the rich spoiled brat who had everything handed to him.

So he responds by doing many subtle things that his father would have never done. His father, hardly a great president, would have never entrusted his entire foreign policy to the neo-cons. His father would have never invaded Iraq--and had the opportunity to do so. His father would have reached out to N. Korea. His father's foreign policy was remarkably similar to Bill Clintons.

But W knows better. And, you can dismiss this all you want, but I think he hates his father and part of his drive for reelection last time was to one-up his father yet again.

In my book, history will regard his father as a mediocre president, but one who worked within the system. The son, however, has been one of the worst in our history--and history will treat him very badly.