George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 240

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As the mass production of the cure, eagerly awaited worldwide, commenced in the United States, the Federal Chancellery in Germany, across the Atlantic, received the completed analysis of the man who spearheaded that mass production. It wasn’t just Korea meticulously examining every detail with its intelligence agencies.

“Wow, this guy is the most remarkable psycho I’ve ever analyzed among human subjects. I can’t fathom what the Americans were thinking, entrusting him with power.”

“Is it that severe?”

Gerhard Schröder, the German Chancellor, was receiving a report from a psychologist affiliated with the Federal Intelligence Service [Bundesnachrichtendienst or BND]. With the end of his term looming next year, Schröder was determined to retain power as long as possible. He considered this character analysis crucial for achieving that goal.

The psychologist hesitated at the Chancellor’s doubtful response, then sighed, retrieving the report from a secure briefcase and placing it on the desk. The report was thinner than Schröder anticipated.

“I can confidently state that analyzing this man’s patterns is the crowning achievement of my career. The only thing that could surpass it would be if he amended the constitution to serve a third term. Because then, I’d re-analyze him.”

‘A third term,’ ‘amending the constitution.’ Truly tempting prospects. Schröder, too, would seize such an opportunity if he could. Constitutional amendment was a tempting but poisoned chalice. Drinking from it would demand a heavy price, one Schröder wasn’t sure he could pay.

‘Even without that, Germany doesn’t have term limits or restrictions on re-election anyway. Still, constitutional amendment. Truly tempting.’

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t arbitrarily alter the constitution without a compelling reason. The day he did might mark the end of his political career. With that thought, Schröder sighed inwardly, unnoticed.

As the complex emotions dissipated with the sigh, leaving him feeling empty, a sense of doubt settled in Schröder’s mind.

“I thought that man would have the ability to do that. I mean, amend the constitution.”

Although the traditional two-party system prevented complete dominance, he had completely seized control of the Republican Party, and the public authority had become the government’s puppet. He could manipulate the media at will, and most of the populace supported him.

Perhaps, with a proper explanation of its necessity, he could secure a third term immediately. Especially given the analysis indicating a personality that distrusted others. How else could he manage over 400 documents daily by himself?

But would he willingly relinquish that crucial position to someone else?

“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink, can you?”

It implied that even a governor of Pyeongan Province [a historical Korean province, implying even a minor official] could refuse if unwilling. This didn’t directly answer Schröder’s question, but the Chancellor remained silent, thinking that prolonging the discussion would be fruitless. The psychologist interpreted this as a cue to proceed and began to get to the point.

Or rather, he decided to preface his point with a disclaimer.

“As you know, this is ultimately a compilation of gathered intelligence. In other words, if the information is even slightly inaccurate, it’s not my responsibility.”

It meant that any errors or discrepancies were the fault of the informant, not the analyst. Simply put, it was a form of insurance. Direct, but characteristic of someone far from achieving success or even self-preservation.

‘Sucking up the people’s tax money, and his tongue is long.’

Schröder nodded, signaling ‘Go on.’ The Chancellor agreed to these terms. For the psychologist, that was sufficient.

“First of all, to be frank, according to information received by the Federal Intelligence Service, that psycho recently grabbed the British Prime Minister by the collar during a private meeting. I suspect this is inaccurate. Or the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is so fractured that it’s beyond repair.”

In other words, he was indirectly implying the information was false, suggesting the informants were incompetent.

“Okay, let’s examine it.”

Opening the report, familiar facts came into view: a list of the actions of the most insane person in history. However, unlike previous reports, the classification method was different.

“Initially, I believed him to be the worst psycho in history since humans evolved from quadrupedalism to bipedalism. But there was no twist. He’s definitely a psycho.”

“How so?”

“Isn’t it standard practice to consider the support base when implementing policies? Take free public education, for example. Capitalists despise the word ‘free’ in policies. They argue that they pay taxes, so why should it be invested in the poor? This often leads to conflict, but politicians ultimately lean towards their own camp in the tug-of-war, which is the norm.”

It was undoubtedly the orthodox view. Regardless of a politician’s grand ideas, they ultimately had to uphold the interests of their support base to maintain power.

“But this guy is different. Early in his term, he clearly pushed conservative policies. In fact, most of the executive branch personnel are openly conservative, especially figures like Vice President Dick Cheney.

But from early to mid-term, he suddenly ousted Donald Rumsfeld and prioritized Colin Powell, a moderate centrist. After that, he implemented policies favored by both patriots and progressives. And now, from mid-term onwards, he’s guaranteeing consumer rights, etc….”

“Just give me the conclusion. I’ve heard enough of that. I trust you’re aware that we didn’t allocate a budget simply to learn about his achievements.”

“I understand. In conclusion, I became convinced after observing the response and measures during this Super SARS crisis…”

“So what exactly are you saying?”

Despite having written the report, the psychologist hesitated, unsure of his conclusion. But with the report already submitted, he could only calmly present his argument.

“George W. Bush has multiple personalities.”

“Hmm. That’s quite an interesting statement.”

In short, he didn’t believe it. Schröder’s severely distorted expression seemed to convey, ‘Is this why I invested so much budget?’ He couldn’t deny his disappointment in the hesitant psychologist, but he understood the hesitation.

As if sensing the Chancellor’s skepticism, the psychologist rushed to defend himself.

“No matter what, it’s illogical for a person to suddenly change, especially when it involves playing with their political career, which is their life, as if it were a soccer ball in a neighborhood playground. Therefore, the most reasonable explanation our team could devise is that.”

Indeed. In his opinion, it was the most logical explanation.

“Didn’t you say he was a psycho earlier?”

“Multiple personalities and being a psycho are separate matters. While he may have multiple personalities, it’s not like a cartoon or novel where he’s divided into good and evil, is it? Both personalities must be psycho.”

“Both?”

“What else could he be if not a psycho? A man who has jogged every morning his entire life suddenly stops exercising even with ample resources. He refuses to fly to a country in the midst of war. This is impossible unless both personalities are psycho. They must have agreed on this insane behavior.”

“That’s true.”

Schröder found himself agreeing internally, despite his initial skepticism.

“Still, can’t you explain it in a more understandable way? Being a psycho and having multiple personalities. There are no other conclusions besides these two.”

Recognizing the need for clarity, the psychologist struggled to explain as simply as possible, despite his limited speaking skills.

“That man is more like a hero than an iron-fisted leader.”

“A hero? What are you talking about?”

Schröder no longer attempted to conceal his discomfort. His already distorted expression grew increasingly grotesque at the absurd notion, which was far more outlandish than the multiple personalities theory.

“Yes, a hero. Like a ‘hero’ from an American comic book. Mr. Chancellor, when do people get excited about ‘private sanctions’?”

“Isn’t it when public power is weak, or when public power is ineffective?”

It was such obvious common sense. There was more to it, of course. For example, when a heinous criminal appeared, but the judiciary was corrupt and gave him a slap on the wrist, or when the law didn’t match reality and there was a loophole, so he inevitably got a light sentence.

In any case, two things usually happen: a large-scale public demonstration, or illegal vigilante groups spring up like mushrooms. In countries like Germany, it’s usually the former. But the latter can also be seen more often than you think. They were vigilantes, but ultimately, they were a group that rose up due to dissatisfaction with reality. These people often had far-right tendencies.

“Yes, that’s the key. That man is at the apex of public power, yet he disregards it and stabs the most sensitive areas of his administration every day. Usually, the priority is to conceal such things, but he reveals everything and reports it.

That’s why that man is a hero rather than a president. He doesn’t engage in normal politics; he simply fixes what he dislikes. But since he’s the president of a country, if you have to be picky, it’s about George W. Bush’s political law.”

‘If that’s true, it’s going to be a real headache.’

In essence, it meant that one should never approach him with conventional diplomatic strategies. He was more akin to a prodigal son from the Wild West era than a modern politician. The psychologist was being circuitous, but that was the gist of it.

“So he has multiple personalities, and these personalities have agreed on a self-imposed standard, and he acts according to that standard? That’s why he’s running the country in a completely different way from existing politics?”

Schröder phrased it as elegantly as possible, but it meant, ‘He does whatever he wants in every matter.’ It explained why he was always canceling everything whenever he disliked diplomacy or politics.

“Is this fortunate?”

Fortunately, they genuinely know what that standard is. All one has to do is satisfy that hypocritical ethical facade. However, unlike Schröder, the psychologist seemed to interpret it differently.

“Don’t you know best what kind of power that ordinary psycho wields? The only fortunate thing is that he’s not interested in world domination, at least.”

“That’s true. That’s fortunate.”

After dismissing the psychologist, he decided to double the amount of relief supplies going into the Middle East and publicize the results. A week later, a meeting between the United States and Germany was scheduled.