American Politics Journal -- Dry Drunk: Is Bush making a cry for help? But we can't look away.

My thoughts as this war starts keep returning to this article from last September. Alcoholics make themselves the center of attention in their dysfunctional families. Pay attention to me, pay attention to me. Perhaps the whole country, or indeed the world, is becoming George W. Bush's dysfunctional family.

And all this may not hurt his re-election chances. The more emotion (of any kind) he instills in voters, the better his chances. Remember the Stockholm syndrome, where kidnap victims became attached to their kidnappers. One even became engaged to her kidnapper. No doubt there were many a shy nice boy (Al Gore?) that never had a chance with her.

And speaking of Al Gore, how come there is no movement to have the President elected by the popular vote (which Gore won)? That (and approval voting to reduce the distortions caused by third-party candidates) would improve the quality of our democracy. It's time to amend the Constitution.