We are Addicted

It occurred to me while watching Condolezza Rice defend Pres. Bush’s latest proposal…The Surge…for want of a better description, that we have elected and “addictive personality”, who

may have broken the addiction of substance abuse, but is nevertheless an addict. It is obvious to me, a retired substance abuse specialist, Bush is “addicted to war. He has surrounded himself with co-dependent and those who will facilitate his dependency, in much the same way addicts structure their lives.

His cabinet (that remains) is composed of “enablers”, and those that have refused to continue to”enable” this presidents’ addiction, have been replaced with those that will.

As I watched Condolezza Rice answer the direct questions put to her concerning President Bush’s latest plan to win the war in Iraq…it strongly reminded me of the many counseling session I had with substance abuse patients. Duck and weave, but never give a concrete answer. Because there is no answer. No answer is possible through the haze that engulfs an addict.

We call that in the field, a dry alcoholic. In other words, a substance abuser can stop using, but unless the mind set is changed, the thinking remains the same. And while the substance might no longer rule the “abuser” the warped thinking still does. This thinking, now appearing sober, is even more dangerous, and deadly in a leader.

When I was practicing, and in a “session” with a patient, one of the ways to help a patient realize how unrealistic his thinking had become was to ask for a plan. A step by step plan to achieve the identified goal. A step by step plan is one that can be written out…ABC…no…”well if this happens, then…” No assumption, no broad statements. And certainly no…”well, we don’t think it is a good idea to look at WHAT IF THIS FAILS…which is exactly what I heard from Condolezza Rice.

In a counseling session with a addict, we always ask…”what if this idea fails…do you have plan B?” It has been my experience that planning anything with any kind of reality is not something the addictive personality can do, will do, wants to do.

We, the American people, have addiction problems of all sorts…war is just one of them, and they are all deadly.