A friend sent me the following email:

A psychiatrist's analysis of W's mental health, and its connection with
the "surge" in Iraq .
>
An interesting perspective from Dr. Paul Minot, a psychiatrist in
> Waterville , Maine . George Bush's "irrational" consideration of a
> "surge" in the wake of the Iraq Study Group report -- which apparently

> defies all credible counsel - has begun to generate speculation
> regarding his sanity - references to Bush's "delusions" have appeared
> in the mainstream media and throughout the blogosphere. There may be
> even darker mechanisms at work.
>
As a psychiatrist, I understandably get concerned when I see clinical
> terminology bandied about in political discourse, and thought it might

> be of interest to share a professional perspective on this question. I

> have a distinct clinical impression that I think explains much of Mr.
> Bush's visible pathology.
>
First and foremost, George W. Bush has a Narcissistic Personality
> Disorder. What this means, is that he has rather desperate
> insecurities about himself, and compensates by constructing a
grandiose self-image.
> Most of his relationships are either mirroring relationships -- people

> who flatter him and reinforce his grandiosity -- or idealized
> self-objects -- people that he himself thinks a lot of, and hence
feels
> flattered by his association with them. Some likely perform both
> functions. Hence his weaknesses for sycophants like Harriet Miers, and

> powerful personalities like Dick Cheney. Even as a narcissist, Bush
> knows he isn't a great intellect, and compensates by dismissing the
> value of intellect altogether. Hence his disses of Gore's bookishness,

> and any other intellectual that isn't flattering him. Bush knows that
> his greatest personal strength is projecting personal affability, and
> tries to utilize it even in the most inappropriate settings. That's
> why he gives impromptu backrubs to the German Chancellor in a
diplomatic
> meeting -- he's insecure intellectually, and tries to make everyone
> into a "buddy" so he can feel more secure.
>
The most disturbing aspect about narcissists, however, is their
> pathological inability to empathize with others, with the exception of

> those who either mirror them, or whom they idealize. Hence Bush's
> horrifying insensitivity to the Katrina victims, his callous jokes
> when visiting grievously injured soldiers, and numerous other
> instances. He simply has no capacity to feel for others in that way.
>
When LBJ was losing Vietnam , he developed a haunted expression that
> anybody could recognize as indicative of underlying anguish. For all
> his faults, you just knew he was losing sleep over it. By the same
> token, we know just as well that Bush isn't losing any sleep over dead

> American soldiers, to say nothing of dead Iraqis. He didn't exhibit
> any sign of significant concern until his own political popularity was

> sliding -- because THAT'S something he CAN feel.
>
Which brings us to his recent "delusion." To be blunt, I don't see any
> indication that Bush has any sort of psychotic disorder whatsoever.
> The lapses in reality-testing that he exhibits are the sort that can
> be readily explained by his characterological insensitivity to the
> feelings and perceptions of others due to his persistently
> self-centered frame of reference.
>
Mr. Bush knows that things aren't going his way in Iraq , and he knows
> that it is damaging him politically. He also sees that it is likely to

> get worse no matter what he does, and in fact it may be a lost cause.
> However, he recognizes that if he follows the recommendations of the
> Iraq Study Group, that Iraq will almost certainly evolve into a puppet

> state of Iran , and given his treatment of Iran he will completely
> lose control of the situation -- and he will be politically
> discredited for this outcome.
>
The ONLY chance that he has to avoid this political disaster, and save
> his political skin, is to hope against hope for "victory" in Iraq .
> Advancing the "surge" idea offers Bush two political advantages over
> following the ISG recommendations. One is that if it is implemented,
> maybe, just maybe, he can pull out some sort of nominal "victory" out
> of the situation. The chances are exceedingly slim, granted, but slim
> is better to him than the alternative (none). Alternately, if the
"surge"
> is politically rejected, he gains some political cover, so when things

> inevitably go bad, he can say "I told you so" and
>
> blame the "surrender monkeys" for the outcome. Most people probably
> won't buy it, but some (his core base) will.
>
Now, I know what many of you are thinking -- is George Bush willing to
> risk the lives of hundreds, maybe thousands more American soldiers, on

> an outside chance to save his political skin, in a half-baked plan
> that even he knows probably won't work at all? Yes, he is. Because
> George Bush is that narcissistic, that desperate, and yes, that
> sociopathic as well.
>
Especially interesting about Mr. Bush, but quite common, Narcissistic
> Personality Disorder is frequently associated with alcoholism. The
> insufferable "holier than thou" attitude associated with "Dry Drunk
> Syndrome" is indicative of underlying narcissism. Also, the way that
> Bush embraces Christianity is characteristically narcissistic. Rather
> than incorporating the lessons of humility and empathy modeled by
> Jesus, Bush uses his Christian faith to reinforce his grandiosity.
> Jesus is his powerful ally, his idealized "buddy" who gives a rubber
> stamp to anything he thinks.
>
Finally -- and this will sound VERY familiar to many readers -- those
> persons with NPD are notoriously unable to say they're sorry.
> Admitting error is fundamentally incompatible with their precarious
> efforts to maintain their sense of order. Anyone having this
> particular character flaw almost certainly has NPD.
>
ALLAN SCHNAIBERG
>
> Professor of Sociology & Faculty Associate, Institute for Policy
> Research