That's what I want to explore here--the social role of malignant narcissism in America today, particularly in two regards: (1) The current economic crisis (in this diary), (2) American exceptionalism and the war on terror (in part 2)
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This is Part 2, as promised. Only I've decided to break into a few different pieces. Here, I want to start off with a remarkable NYT Op-Ed column I've stumbled across from 2005. It's called "The Tipping Point", it's by British psychologist Belinda Board, who conducted a survey discovering widespread signs of personality disorders in the British business class, and it's about John Bolton--President Bush's then nominee to be ambassador to the United Nations, who was up for Senate confirmation.
Her piece begins:
John Bolton, President Bush's nominee to be ambassador to the United Nations, has been described as dogmatic, abusive to his subordinates and a bully. Yet Mr. Bush has said that John Bolton is the right man at the right time. Can these seemingly contradictory statements both be accurate? Yes. The reality is that sometimes the characteristics that make someone successful in business or government can render them unpleasant personally. What's more astonishing is that those characteristics when exaggerated are the same ones often found in criminals.
What's more astonishing to me is how directly Board approaches the point of identifying Bolton--as well as large numbers of "high-ranking business executives" -as marked by personality disorders common among criminals, and then normalizes this rather shocking and appalling state of affairs. Board's attitude seems remarkable consonant with Obama's casual dismissal of massive and open war crimes as no big deal. It represents a desire for the complete normalization of the abnormal, the abusive, the bizarre, and the criminal, just so long as it "works."
Sens. John Sununu, Norm Coleman, and George Voinovich all voted for the Law of the Sea in 2004. According to sources in the Senate, all are now reconsidering their votes under heavy pressure from the likes of John Bolton, Frank Gaffney, and their most vocal black helicopter-fearing constituents. If you want to learn more about these opponents, by the way, read Elena Schor's news analysis piece in the Guardian, published yesterday.
The Law of the Sea convention should be a no-brainer. What's more, it should be an opportunity for moderate and old-school conservative Republicans to slam down those in their party who think that the threat of force alone can advance U.S. interests. The votes are still there to pass it on the floor, but now it is becoming a real fight.
These three senators, in particular, need to understand that there are consequences for so transparently choosing politics over principle. Men and women in the Navy and Coast Guard, shipbuilders, fishermen, and others are counting on them to do the right thing. I still think they each will -- but the fact that they are even on the fence speaks to how deeply misinformation about the treaty is taking hold.
The military, oil companies, and environmentalists want this to pass, it's just a matter of getting Harry Reid to schedule it and putting a bit of pressure on Coleman, Sununu, and Voinovich. Remember, getting this treaty done is a precursor to doing anything on climate change. If Reid wants to rebuild some of his shattered credibility, there are worse places to start than a complete marginalization of the black helicopter crowd.
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