New Republic Editor-In-Chief: 'President Is Probably a Clinical Narcissist'

[TheSarge]

This is highly ironic.

While the New York Times house "conservative," David Brooks, continues to shower love upon President Barack Obama, editor-in-chief Marty Peretz of the liberal New Republic has become highly critical of The One. Just how critical? Well, here is Peretz using a Financial Times report on the humiliating Olympic snub of Obama in Copenhagen as the platform to launch a withering critique of the president's self-defeating attitude:

As the FT went on to say, the IOC "delivered an astonishing snub" to the president "by eliminating Chicago in the first round of voting." Chicago was dumped before Madrid was dumped and before Tokyo was dumped. Had the Obama folk not done any canvassing which would have alerted them to the fact that they were jet-setting to a humiliation?  Maybe Michelle's presence added to the over-confident sense of invincibility. Moreover, how could they lose with Oprah Winfrey in tow?

Ouch! And from this Olympic defeat, Peretz ponders just how effective Obama can be on the diplomatic stage:

   

So this question arises: If Obama could not get Chicago over the finish line in Copenhagen, which was a test only of his charms, how will he persuade Tehran to give up its nuclear weapons capacity or the Arabs, to whom he has tilted (we are told) only tactically, to sit down without their 60 year-old map as guide to what they demand from Israel.

And now for the money quote:

   

What I suspect is that the president is probably a clinical narcissist. This is not necessarily a bad condition if one maintains for oneself what the psychiatrists call an "optimal margin of illusion," that is, the margin of hope that allows you to work. But what if his narcissism blinds him to the issues and problems in the world and the inveterate foes of the nation that are not susceptible to his charms?

If Obama is a "clinical narcissist" that would make the MSM his enablers since months before he was elected president, they were already portraying him in images and print as having a saintly halo image.

Peretz concludes with a "nervy query":

   

I know that the president believes himself a good man. My nervy query to him is: "Does he believe America to be a good country?"

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2009/10/05/new-republic-editor-chief-president-probably-clinical-narcissist

[Chris_]

I know that the president believes himself a good man. My nervy query to him is: "Does he believe America to be a good country?"

This is one of those moments, where, "if you have to ask, you probably already know the answer".

[DumbAss Tanker]

Wouldn't surprise me for a second, I always thought Clinton was basically-good-natured but a mild sociopath* at root.

*A very large percentage of sociopaths are more or less functional in society, not the ruthless killers portrayed on crime shows, they just have no real empathy and have some level of impairment in connecting present actions to satisfy their immediate needs (From sex to status to adulation to consumer goods) with the future consequences when all the lies they told come home to roost.  Their lives are a dynamic process of lying to get out of the last previous lie, with no real worry about the past or concern about the future, which they are unshakably confident they can BS their way through when it comes along.

[jinxmchue]

President Is Probably a Clinical Narcissist'

For the second time in as many minutes...  Well, duh.

[Deuce]

This would not surprise me in the least. There's just something about the way he smiles. Creepy.

[Hawkgirl]

This article is really news?  Can I get a DUH!!!!??

[Chris_]

Can I have stupid presidents for $1000 Alex

[Chris]

This article is really news?  Can I get a DUH!!!!??

I suppose it is if you've had your nose up Barry Obama's backside since 2007.  I'm surprised any of them backed away from his posterior long enough to have a look around.

I think it's funny that this is the blurb that comes up when you run The New Republic through Google...

“An ability to explain complex ideas in plainspoken English ... an evenness of temper ... a sincere liberal but without the temperament of an ideologue. That’s how The New Republic characterized candidate Barack Obama in 2008.

—The Utne Independent Press, giving The New Republic its award for Best Political Coverage