I honestly don't know if he really believes this stuff, is just pandering to the "Left Behind "crowd, or if we're projecting our fears onto him

I used to think the same, but once I discussed it with Jacques Delors, who knows George Bush, and he told me he is convinced that GW really believes it...

"Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet