The American Spectator

S.L. Toddard| 9.4.09 @ 7:09AM

Of course, no one on the right would *ever* construct a personality cult around a president and worship and venerate him like a warrior god, right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-y2QghS2gU

S.L. Toddard| 9.4.09 @ 7:12AM

A better man than me has already handled well the astounding spectacle of *Bush supporters* - of all people - feigning incredulity and outrage that a cult of personality was built around an American president:

I'm always amazed -- even though I know I shouldn't be -- at people's capacity simply to block out events, literally refuse to acknowledge them, when they are inconsistent with their desire to believe things. Do Nordlinger and the other National Review political experts really not know about this episode, obviously much more consequential than some admittedly creepy though entirely trivial moment in a celebrity "pledge" video:

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"According to the [Justice Department] OIG report released today, Angela Williamson, a deputy to Monica Goodling at the [Bush] DOJ, was intimately involved in her bosses' scurrilous hiring practices, attending interviews and often conducting interviews herself. Here's a sampling of the same questions that Goodling asked those being considered for political position:

Tell us about your political philosophy. There are different groups of conservatives, by way of example: Social Conservative, Fiscal Conservative, Law & Order Republican.

[W]hat is it about George W. Bush that makes you want to serve him?

Aside from the President, give us an example of someone currently or recently in public service who you admire."
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Prior to Goodling herself testifying before the House Judiciary Committee about her screening of prospective DOJ hires to make certain they were sufficiently devoted to serving George Bush, she shared with a Justice Department official this vow: "All I ever wanted to do was serve this president." And she didn't have a "secular mind." Even as Attorney General, Alberto Gonazles actually thought his "client" was the President. The entire DOJ was structured to ensure that its employees, including prosecutors required to act with apolitical independence, were what they called "loyal Bushies." Pledging "to be of service to George W. Bush" was the prime mandate of the Justice Department, which is why it was headed for his second term by Bush's most loyal servant.

Beyond the DOJ, huge swaths of the right-wing movement were devoted to an unprecedented veneration of George Bush. A whole industry on the Right was created to convert him into a warrior-deity, including truly creepy reverence books by National Review writers ( http://www.salon.com/opinion/g...../06/scary/ ). Some on the Right actually speculated that God intervened in our elections because he had hand-picked Bush to be our leader. Even Bill Kristol admitted that the GOP had turned into little more than a Bush-centered personality cult, telling the New York Times: "Bush was the movement and the cause." More than any single, discrete issue, what motivated me to begin writing about political issues was the warped climate of hero worship constructed -- by the Right and the media -- around George Bush as a "War President."

If you search long enough on the Internet, can you find examples of random people or vapid celebrities guilty of excessive Obama worship? Obviously. One can find virtually anything using those methods. But the personalized veneration of George Bush, particularly during his first term, was systematic and engulfing. It was the fuel that drove most of the abuses and transgressions of that era. The New York Times' Elizabeth Bumiller infamously confessed that asking hard questions of Bush was "frightening" due to the prevailing political climate. To read right-wing pundits proclaiming that such a sentiment would never be embraced by a conservative is really remarkable -- only because it's such a powerful testament to the ability of people to just forget and/or completely whitewash even the most recent history.

So inebriating was the Bush personality cult that DOJ aide Sara Taylor actually said this while testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee:

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"I took an oath to the president, and I take that oath very seriously," Sara Taylor said in answer to a question early in the hearing.

And right after a break, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) asked her if she was sure about that. "Did you mean, perhaps, you took an oath to the Constitution?" Leahy asked. It was a telling exchange.
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That, of course, was a distinction without a difference during the Bush years. Then there were the creepy loyalty oaths to George W. Bush which anyone wanting to attend his speeches were required to sign in order to be admitted. There were also those who were ejected from such events because of ideas they expressed that were critical of the Leader.

**********

It's even better with all the links intact. Make sure to check out the near-homoerotic, worshipful Bush-glorfiying tomes shamelessly churned out by his hagiographers at National Review:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/g.....index.html

WestWtight| 9.4.09 @ 7:23AM

S.L. Toddtard, thanks for the View from Saloonie...but this article is about Obama and his cult not your anti-GWB cultism.

S.L. Toddard| 9.4.09 @ 7:26AM

More on the Bush-revering cult of personality, which dwarfed the one constructed around Obama in terms of sheer size, creepiness, saturation of the mainstream and the degree of fervent, servile, religious worship directed toward its object:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/g...../06/scary/

I wonder whether AmSpec writers objected to all of that while it was going on, or if the objection *now* is merely opportunistic and cynical.

S.L. Toddard| 9.4.09 @ 7:28AM

"but this article is about Obama and his cult"

That's the point, isn't it? This objection to the personalit-cult built around Obama is proved disingenuous by the fact that AmSpec writers objected not at all to the one constructed around Bush, which dwarfed the one constructed around Obama in terms of sheer size, creepiness, saturation of the mainstream and the degree of fervent, servile, religious worship directed toward its object.

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Truth to Power| 9.4.09 @ 7:55AM

All videos were creepy but not as creepy as S.L.
Toddard.

S.L. Toddard| 9.4.09 @ 9:14AM

"All videos were creepy"

I disagree. Have you seen the video for "We Built This City" by Jefferson Starship? It's not "creepy" in the least.

DrTomVoter| 9.4.09 @ 9:31AM

Oh, I get it, SL. Obama isn't AS bad as Bush.

S.L. Toddard| 9.4.09 @ 9:43AM

"Oh, I get it, SL. Obama isn't AS bad as Bush"

Well, we won't know that for some time. If Obama leaves office mired in two unnecessary wars with the deaths of over 5,000 soldiers on his hands and the economy a smoking ruin then he will have been just an abysmal, unmitigated failure as Bush, of course.

No, the point above is that those on the Fox News Right who feign incredulity and horror at the Obama Pledge video are disingenuous, as they never objected to the similar personality cult constructed around George Bush that dwarfed the one constructed around Obama in terms of sheer size, creepiness, saturation of the mainstream and the degree of fervent, servile, religious worship directed toward its object.

Here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-y2QghS2gU

DrTomVoter| 9.4.09 @ 10:05AM

When they can't or won't defend Obama, they always fall back to the "...oh yeah, but Bush," or try to disparage the messenger.

S.L. Toddard| 9.4.09 @ 10:15AM

"When they can't or won't defend Obama..."

It is not incumbent upon me to "defend" a president whom I voted against, with whom I disagree on just about everything, whose ideology I reject wholesale and whose policies I oppose nearly across the board.

Pete| 9.4.09 @ 10:43AM

The primary difference between any Bush cultism and the current Obama stuff is that I never was forced to witness the former while the latter is shoved at me in multiple formats on a daily basis. Of course, this is the result of a media on its knees in front of their annointed messiah, while they despised Bush. How viral or indoctrinating do you think a few youtube videos are versus every major media outlet except for perhaps Fox and the WSJ? This "Bush did it too" stuff is a crock, a cheap crutch, and while those who so badly want Osama to not be the dirtbag he is proving himself to be on a daily basis, most who can think for themselves are starting to figure out the truth (if they didn't already know it). This makes me happy and finally gives me some "hope."

Curtis Rasmussen| 9.4.09 @ 10:53AM

I implore all readers to scroll past any posts by the Lib Reader loser SLick ToadTurd without response.

The only way to get the megalomaniacal trolls to leave is to stop responding to them. They get a visceral thrill from any response to any thread.

'Turd's arguments will never be consistent or coherent. It is all about attacking viewpoints, even if he contradicts himself in the process. Leave him to play with himself in frustration.

Don't feed the troll.

S.L. Toddard| 9.4.09 @ 11:55AM

"This "Bush did it too" stuff is a crock"

Actually it's not - as I documented conclusively above, the drive to create a Cult Of Bush based on Bush as a God-appointed Warrior Deity dwarfed the one constructed around Obama in terms of sheer size, creepiness, saturation of the mainstream and the degree of fervent, servile, religious worship directed toward its object, and indeed permeated American life in far more profoundly dangerous ways than celebrity videos and the tired old “liberal media” boogeyman: the Department of Justice itself was re-structured to be loyal and subservient – indeed to “serve”, *in their own words* - the Great Warrior-King Bush, the Attorney General said himself that he treated the president as his personal “client”, an entire cottage industry was created to venerate Him, and worst of all, reporters – even at the dreaded New York Times – found the prospect of hitting Him with hard questions “frightening” due to the omnipresence and power of the Bush Cult. If you recall, nearly all the critical opposition to Bush – and don’t forget that their primary role is to speak Truth to Power – was petty, personality-based sniping about him being a dummy and his special-ed-level public speaking skills. MSM criticisms of substance during his Holy Reign were few and far between indeed – the entire MSM ganged up to protect their masters with their near-unanimous choruses to “Look Forward, Not Backward” every time evidence of lawbreaking at the highest levels of gov’t emerged.

Anyway, did anyone here oppose the Cult of Bush when it was ascendant, or is your opposition to the Cult of Obama strictly opportunistic and cynical?

Big Leo| 9.4.09 @ 12:10PM

The Cult of Bush as a Warrior Deity? I must have missed something over the eight years that GW was in office. Perhaps you are thinking of the comic book version of Bush's presidency which conservatives missed. The chief characteristic of Bush's public persona was his lack of charisma or any attempts to achieve it. SLT is being plain silly.

Todd| 9.4.09 @ 12:45PM

Hey, S.L., Bush inherited crap too! He inherited the fact that Clinton had Osama bin Laden in hand and let him go.

Did you EVER hear President Bush say "Hey, I inherited this!"???

NO! After 9/11, President Bush rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

Barack Hussein Obama is a know-nothing, blame-everyone-else, big fat bag of hot air. And for these people to pledge themselves to servitude when in this country the exact reverse is reality...THAT is creepy. The fact that you spend so much of your time defending them and blaming President Bush is creepy.

Now just shut up.

S.L. Toddard| 9.4.09 @ 1:21PM

"The Cult of Bush as a Warrior Deity? I must have missed something over the eight years that GW was in office."

You did, but not to worry - just scroll up to where I exhaustively and conclusively document its disturbing lowlights.

S.L. Toddard| 9.4.09 @ 1:24PM

"Barack Hussein Obama is a know-nothing, blame-everyone-else, big fat bag of hot air"

Yes he is - but hey look at this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-y2QghS2gU

NO TROLLS| 9.4.09 @ 1:38PM

Starve the Troll!

No More HiJacked Threads!

cowboyed| 9.4.09 @ 7:30PM

CREEPY....especially the i serve part...Usually when i see the Messiah on TV i immediately switch channels to spare my kids, but this time (if the video is not banned) our innocent kids will be forced to watch this nauseous propaganda reminding 1933 Hitler Jugend

Donna| 9.4.09 @ 10:39PM

Were those children chanting "Alpha, Omega" as they came in the room? If so, that is the clearest evidence out there that there is a cult of not just personality, but of out-and-out WORSHIP. I am just waiting to here the words "I AM THAT I AM!"

Dave Lincoln| 9.4.09 @ 10:41PM

S.L. Toddard you might think about concentrating on the present problems not the past. (I completely disagree with you, as you read, but let's leave that aside for the moment). Even if Bush was a Hitler/Stalin/Mao Clone, he is not in office now, is he?

You come across as a big Libertarian and I have no problem with that. You've wrote about what you don't like with our huge Fed. Gov't, and I agree with that. Why don't you concentrate on the problem at hand? I know that you think many of the writers here are hypocrites due to "Bush did the same, etc." Most of the commenters here don't sound like they were Bush-worshippers in the past (wish I could say the same for most of the columnists for the Spectator). I have told you I wasn't one either.

So, even if you believe that Bush was as bad as Obama as far as Socialism goes (not true, but he gave it a run for his money), what's your point here? The problem now is the executive branch of the Fed. Gov't, the legislative branch of the Fed. Gov't, and most of the Judicial branch of the Fed. Gov't. For this country to be free, most of the Fed Gov't would have to be terminated, one way or another. That's what we need to work toward, together.

Dante D'Anthony| 9.4.09 @ 10:49PM

What part of "They're all CFR and they're all deconstructing Constitional limitations on government" are we missing here? Bush, Obama; it's a pendalum, swinging to the right, swinging to the left-each extending Federal power in their own way in their own turn.
The focus has to be on Constitutional limitations on their power no matter which dog or pony is on the stage.

Dave Lincoln| 9.5.09 @ 12:00AM

Preach it, Brother Dante!

jj| 9.5.09 @ 11:44PM

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S.L. Toddard| 9.7.09 @ 11:00AM

"If so, that is the clearest evidence out there that there is a cult of not just personality, but of out-and-out WORSHIP"

You are absolutely right, Donna. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-y2QghS2gU

S.L. Toddard| 9.7.09 @ 11:07AM

"So, even if you believe that Bush was as bad as Obama as far as Socialism goes (not true, but he gave it a run for his money), what's your point here?"

My point is that none of the AmSpec writers (and I would venture none of the commenters who feign incredulity and horror here) objected to the Bush personality cult when it was ascendant, therefore their criticisms of the Obama personality cult are illegitimate - disingenuous and hypocritical. They do not object to the *cult of personality* - they object to the *object* of its reverence. Their problem isn't that Americans are worshipping a political leader like a God-King, it's that they believe Americans are *worshiping the wrong one*.

The fact is that when member of party (Y) commits action (X), it is (Y) that determines whether most people object or praise, rather than (X).

S.L. Toddard| 9.7.09 @ 11:10AM

"For this country to be free, most of the Fed Gov't would have to be terminated, one way or another. That's what we need to work toward, together."

Indeed, but no one at AmSpec wants to see that happen. They want to see the federal government further empowered, especially the executive, but they want that executive to be a National Greatness Conservative, aka a Fox News Right "Conservative", aka a neo-conservative, aka a Big Government Liberal Wilsonian Internationalist.

Let me ask you this, Dave: If George W. Bush had proposed a back-to-school speech, do you suppose anyone at AmSpec would object? Or do you think they would cheer the idea and condemn anyone who opposed it as far-left, shrill "Bush haters"?

P Keith| 9.8.09 @ 10:58AM

SL Toddard, You clearly have some confusion. The single video you continue to post is a private organization. The IPledge Video, a long with a similar version shown on Nickoldean with younger "stars" are both very public indoctrinations. Forgive me that I cannot remember my proper debate terms, but I believe you have presented a Staw Man.

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