Amos - I've been reading some interesting stuff about Bush in a book called "Bush's Brain - How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential".

It's a good and balanced book, I think, by two respected Texan journalists who've known Bush and Rove personally for many years, and who seem to rather like George Bush on a personal level, while disagreeing with his policies.

The impression I get very strongly is this: Bush is NOT stupid, he's no moron...neither is he brilliant or what you would call extremely smart. He's a man of fairly average intelligence, with the benefit of a good deal of personal charm (though that's been less evident of late, given the crisis he is involved in now).

Karl Rove (Bush's chief political and campaign advisor) is a brilliant man and an almost completely amoral one who will do absolutley anything to win. That's all he wants in any situation, he wants to win and to utterly crush his opponents. To read about his career guiding G.W. and other Republicans to electoral victories is to experience cold chills.

I think Bush is a rather ordinary, once quite likeable guy...who has been corrupted to a great extent by his handlers, most notably by Rove.

I think the present administration is now the most dangerous regime the World has seen since 1939, and maybe even more dangerous than that.

Check out the book if you have the time. It's fascinating, though very detailed reading, and it does not bode well for the future of either America or the World in general. These guys take no prisoners, if you know what I mean...

- LH