Priest-King

There is, I grant you, a corrosive quality to the (often warranted) scepticism with which this country views its parliamentarians and it is possible that that this is a Bad Thing, but I confess I find it more appealling and vastly less worrrying than the notion that any American president should be given the benefit of the doubt merely by fact of being President and, thus, the elected Priest-King of All the States.

Monarchies vs Republics and the Importance of Cynicism 2009

That shouldn't be a great surprise, I suppose, given that Rove approves of the sprawling, modern White House in which the President is supposed to be an elected Priest-King and Comforter-in-Chief.

Karl Rove and the Limits of the Presidency 2009

But this is what happens when you make a mere elected politician assume the status of Priest-King.

Monarchy is Better than a Republic, Part XIX 2009

There is, I grant you, a corrosive quality to the (often warranted) scepticism with which this country views its parliamentarians and it is possible that that this is a Bad Thing, but I confess I find it more appealling and vastly less worrrying than the notion that any American president should be given the benefit of the doubt merely by fact of being President and, thus, the elected Priest-King of All the States.

John Terry’s sacking as England captain tells us something interesting... 2009

That shouldn't be a great surprise, I suppose, given that Rove approves of the sprawling, modern White House in which the President is supposed to be an elected Priest-King and Comforter-in-Chief.

John Terry’s sacking as England captain tells us something interesting... 2009

That shouldn't be a great surprise, I suppose, given that Rove approves of the sprawling, modern White House in which the President is supposed to be an elected Priest-King and Comforter-in-Chief.

John Terry’s sacking as England captain tells us something interesting... 2009

But this is what happens when you make a mere elected politician assume the status of Priest-King.

John Terry’s sacking as England captain tells us something interesting... 2009

Will makes the obvious point that the expectation that the President be some kind of Priest-King is infantile and doomed to leave the poor bloody voters disappointed:

John Terry’s sacking as England captain tells us something interesting... 2008

The myth of the omnipotent Presidency endures and the office itself is treated as though its holder is some kind of Priest-King.

John Terry’s sacking as England captain tells us something interesting... 2008

In the very first gallery stands a small statue of a "Nude Priest-King" with an old photo of his alabaster doppel-gnger from Baghdad -- God knows where it is right now.

Why Should We Care? 2007