By Stephen A. Wolfson Santa Monica
Is Dick Cheney able to take Viagra? After four heart attacks, I am pretty sure that he has to be careful in the amount of exertion he experiences. So what does an impotent old man who has been at the seat of power for decades do to still feel powerful? By hopping on the shoulders of young, virile boys and men as they enter his “John Wayne” battle, he is able to feel the power, the virility of these warriors. It must make him feel strong to unleash a powerful army against the evil others. And so he tries to create his inner world in the outer world, not realizing that they can never match. Stubborn and blinded by his inadequacy, he leads us to failure.
And then there is the so called “Decider,” who has to steel himself against the impulses that have driven him overtly into his 40s and more concealed since. He now pretends to be God’s agent for good in the world. So good that the evil ones are now all on the outside. It’s proof that his denial is working. He can hear that he has caused the death of a million Iraqis and displaced a like amount, and it is their fault for being others. They are the collateral damage of him being right in the eyes of his God.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 12, 2008. Read the original PDF.