by VA
In the Republican lexicon, "emotion," like "ideology" is something only the other side has. And it has a pretty narrow definition: as far as I can tell it's limited to empathetic feeling, compassion, sympathy; the sort of things we tend to think set humans apart and make them capable of good. So natrually, wingers want nothing to do with it.
Dan Bartlett is a case in point. When he resigned late last week, it was widely noted, and I imagine the assumption was that he's just another plague-infested rat jumping from the burning ship. No doubt that's true, but it's worth pointing out what Dan Bartlett himself thinks of his fellow vermin. Here he is on Matthew Dowd's departure but 8 weeks ago: "Even people that supported the president aren’t immune from having their own feelings and emotions." Right: one's "own feelings and emotions" are a sickness, and Bush is their cure; leave, and you'll never be well. It's obviously a weird thing to say, especially since in the same Times interview, Dowd says his support for the president was "like when you fall in love," but there you go.
It would certainly appear that Bartlett hasn't been getting the appropriate dosage of Dear Leader (maybe he's built up a tolerance?). Aside from his line that "you've got to go with your gut and your instinct. And my instinct told me this was the right time [to leave]," he also managed to sputter out, "No, it's -- today is obviously a very emotional and difficult day, of mixed emotions, really." Yeh. It's not that there aren't words, it's just Dan Bartlett doesn't have them. But the takeover of emotions isn't limited to Bartlett and Dowd. Nay, it sorta looks like this emotional sickness is making the rounds.
No doubt there are many more instances of this sort of thing, and I for one am gearing up for another outbreak on Tuesday at Libby's sentencing, but let it never be said that Republicans don't manifest emotions. It just happens that they only get emotional when there's a possibility they'll go to prison, lose political power, have to cease waging war, and when they've accidentally (?) shot someone.
____
Above: Boehner breaks down at the thought that his war might not continue[via ThinkProgress]; Alito's wife's face becomes cubist at the hint of her husband's bigotry; Ted Wells prepares to break down for his Scooter; Fox News worries that Cheney might have caught a case of his own feelings; Bush the Elder remembers the day Junior was conceived