Of the many failures that mark Bush's life, perhaps the most significant is his failure to become a man. Ordinarily, the developmental stage of "phallic narcissism" gives way around age six. Not so for W. In his crucial early years, his frequently absent father couldn't help him develop autonomy by separating from his overbearing mother and her "beautiful mind." He can fool himself and a few others with his erect posture, bulging biceps and "bring em on" bravado, but the rest of the world sees a scared little boy hopelessly dependent on his substitute president, Cheney, and his substitute mom, Laura. While most phallic narcissists have to settle for a well-equipped Jeep Commander, Bush "has the entire US military to function as his penis, and he swings it around with fierce power."
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If there's a flaw to Bush on the Couch, it's that Frank's explanations of policy decisions tend to be psychologically reductive. There's obviously more to the invasion of Iraq than Bush's need to one-up his dad. But Frank ably demonstrates the usefulness of psychological inquiry as a complement to geopolitical considerations. The neocons who put this true-believer in power to provide cover for their sinister projects may not have realized what they were getting themselves into. As the Republican Party fragments and the Middle East ignites, the puppet president "engages the nation both as agent and victim in a perilous psychodrama that rages far beyond his control."
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