Carol Wolman, M.D. writing for CounterPunch asks, Is the President Nuts? Diagnosing Dubya
Flippant as such a question sounds, Dr. Wolman asks it seriously, and it is clearly not her intention to hurl ridicule. "Many people, inside and especially outside this country, believe that the American president is nuts, and is taking the world on a suicidal path," she says. "As a board-certified psychiatrist, I feel it's my duty to share my understanding of his psychopathology. He's a complicated man, under tremendous pressure from both his family/junta, and from the world at large. So the following is offered with humility and questioning, in the form of a differential diagnosis."
This is a fascinating look at Bush, taking note of his antisocial behavior going back to his youth. She says, "There is a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others since age 15 years as indicated by at least three of the following: 1) failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest; 2) deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure; 5) reckless disregard for safety of self or others; 7) lack of remorse by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated or stolen from others."
So many of our political and business leaders exhibit behavior that would be considered aberrant if looked at in a democratic way, that is, judging them by the same rules by which others are judged.
Debby Morse of the SFExaminer.com examines the possibility that W has a Napoleon complex in her piece "The Little Corporal".
Morse: "Somebody or other, sometime, is going to have to break the news to the first lady that her husband ... has gone ... completely ... bonkers!...
"He thinks he's Napoleon! He's behaving exactly like a corrupt, warmongering megalomaniacal totalitarian. All he needs now is one hand stuffed inside a snappy red, white and blue military jacket. I'm kind of afraid to look in his closet."
-- By David Cogswell