George Is a Con

by Bruce Schimmel

As a true believer, George W. Bush is the scariest type of con man. There is nothing more dangerous than a con who swallows his own lie — which, in Bush's case, is the belief that God is on his side.

But the fact is this: George W. has to fool himself. He must. Because if he didn't believe in the myth of his own omnipotence, claims Bush on the Couch author Justin Frank, the president's psyche would likely collapse. I believe Frank's theory.

Consider who and what Bush was before finding God (or prior to God finding him). He was the scion of a powerful family who, given every advantage to succeed, had failed and failed and failed.

Unless you count cheerleading and partying, George failed in college. Armed with money and bristling with connections, he failed in oil. And in his drunken personal life, he continually failed his own family.

But as luck would have it — though Bush would surely credit fate — George became enthralled by an itinerant preacher who wandered the streets of small Texas towns, shouldering a large, wooden cross. In late 1984, Bush met with evangelist Arthur Blessitt (presumably his real name) at a Holiday Inn coffee shop. Within a year, George claimed to have been reborn. Today, he speaks as if he were the pivot on which the world tilts toward good or evil.

In and of itself, spiritual enlightenment is hardly a problem. Just the opposite is true, provided some real humility occurs along the way. But for George, who so flagrantly squandered his advantages, religious revelation offered a quick and clean break from an unhappy history.

Within his tradition of religious fundamentalism, George's salvation took on an even greater significance. Not only could he receive absolution for his past, but his revelation became a sure sign that he was a chosen one. Hitting the Divine Jackpot was more than chance.

Sadly, many Americans find George's story appealing and comforting — one they can even share in. Here was a no-talent, frat-boy slacker who, through the Lord's anointment, became the leader of the free world.

This is the same myth that leads people to gamble recklessly, because they believe that the Divine Fix is in. There's never a need to examine, must less forgive, your mistakes because when you're cosmically chosen, you can't go wrong.

This indeed is the deadliest of all the cons — buying into the lie about yourself that you trained yourself to believe. It is the American Dream reduced to spinning the Wheel of Fortune, hoping your number comes up before the wheel falls off.