I get the feeling that Bush avoids reality as a way to avoid falling off the wagon. He has manufactured a "reality" that allows him to remain sober without ever actually addressing his alcoholism. His intense religious beliefs are part of that. I think also he needed to outdo his daddy - to finally become a man in his own right. So he was attracted to the idea of toppling Saddam. Probably getting rid of Saddam, and winning a second term were the highlights of his life - two things daddy never accomplished. Now that it has all collapsed, he must go on clinging to it. People call it "stubbornness", but I don't see it as a sign of strong will. I think it's the only way he knows to keep his psychological house of cards from crashing down.
Expect to see him increasingly blaming the Democrats for the Iraq failure. When he leaves office Iraq will be an even bigger disaster than it is now, and the damage to the entire Middle East and to US security will be more apparent. Likely his presidency will have ensured a Democratic presidency as well as Democratic control of Congress. He will never have the courage to accept blame, because it goes far deeper than a political defeat for him. It's his failure to deal with his own reality.
