All hail to Caligula's horse

Bush's new head of homeland security is perfect for the job

Sidney Blumenthal,
Thursday December 9, 2004

In the legend of the war on terrorism, Bernard Kerik, with his trademark shaven head, bristling moustache and black belt in karate, occupies a special place as rough and ready hero. Having risen from military policeman to narcotics detective to New York City police commissioner, he finds himself on 9/11 shoulder to shoulder with Mayor Rudy Giuliani. As the towers crumble the mayor confides in his buddy: "Bernie, thank God George Bush is president."

In line with other second-term cabinet appointments - Alberto Gonzales as attorney general, Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state - Kerik will be an enforcer, a loyalist and an incompetent. The resemblance is less to Inspector Clouseau or Chauncy Gardner than to Caligula's horse.

Dubbyuh is only further insulating himself from the realities of the world he is creating. Unable to acknowledge, let alone accept responsibility for, his errors and their tragic consequences he is appointing dogmatically, fanatically loyal people to his cabinet in order to protect his fragile psyche. We have, ladies and gentlemen, an oedipal, narcisstic psychopath occupying the Oval Office. Be afraid.