McCannon (thanks for that idea) is not suffering from a disorder in the psychological/psychiatric sense. He is a man who had a highly privileged and pampered life and is from a generation of white men who expected to be served. He has always thought he was "all that and then some" and he must have been in a state of constant rage when held as a POW--"how dare they" and this has continued to shape and define his character. He does seem to be acting out a revenge script in his life but I don't think he is exacting revenge on the fundamentalists in his choice of Palin--he's giving his F***Y** to the press, who he thought he had them in the tank and he is furious with that they have the nerve to criticize him.

I do think he has signs of cognitive, emotional and behavioral problems as I've posted before http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/zydecogirl/
but a mental disorder? I wouldn't let him off the hook that easy

Posted at September 2, 2008 4:00 PM in response to Now is the Time to Raise McCain's Temperament Issue

Of course, I meant male VP.

Posted at September 2, 2008 1:45 PM in response to McCain Mutiny (Am I the First to Use That?)

Starlight, you are on to something. McCain sees himself in her, and unlike having a younger, and more obviously energetic and fit VP, who would make him look out-of-it and somewhat infirm, next to Sarah he gets to look, if not studly, at least avuncular.

Posted at September 2, 2008 1:44 PM in response to McCain Mutiny (Am I the First to Use That?)

BTW, I think Palin was absolutely a Rove pick. Clearly this was a decision made shortly after the Biden announcement, and before the DNCC. The choice was based on a Rovian bet that the Clinton fissures would be a problem for the Dems at the convention. Both Clintons deserve our gratitude for making that bet a bad one.

Posted at August 31, 2008 2:10 PM in response to TO ALL BLOGGERS: Policy, NOT Misogyny

She's all your to defend clearthinker. I agree with ripper, and with Dan Brown's video arguing she is a brilliant choice because she makes him look good (more on that later). I'm going to let Sarah Palin speak for herself. For all we know she is a foreign affairs whiz. I wonder what the low information voters (LIVs) will say as they get to know her. I know "liking" is big with them--she seems likeable enough.

Posted at August 31, 2008 1:58 PM in response to TO ALL BLOGGERS: Policy, NOT Misogyny

I 100% agree! And Biden can do it with ease.

Posted at August 29, 2008 6:14 PM in response to Stopping McCain/Palin in Three Easy Steps

This provides the ground zero argument for concern about his fitness for this office. I'm not going to armchair diagnose but it is true this is not about age per se but about overall problems of mental, emotional and physical vitality and an evident growing diminishment of capacities. From what I understand of the new research on frailty, it is a risk factor for cognitive impairment, and he is becoming physically frail looking and does not seem to have any regime for staying fit or mentally sharp. His repertoire of responses to challenging situations has become much narrower, and his pampered life style puts no hurdles or barriers in his way. His recent contributions to legislation have been paltry at best.

Some behavioral aspects to consider. He repeats phrases and words over and over in an attempt to drive home a point but has considerable difficulty expanding on an idea or of extemporizing when needed. I watched him closely at Saddleback and whether he had the questions in advance or not, he had obviously been drilled (!) to a fare-thee-well and could hardly wait to spit out his stump bullets lest he forget them.

One of the trickiest things about cognitive decline is that sociability and long standing humor habits become more predominant and are often the last to go. The person is overly reliant on these to hide their impairment, and this can be seductive to those who aren't around the person all the time. I see this happening with McCain--he has shtick but not a sharp wit. I'd be on the lookout for more signs including lack of inhibition--perhaps making inappropriate sexual advances or jokes. I don't think his crudity can be explained away by his POW and Navy background.

Posted at August 28, 2008 5:13 PM in response to Age Matters

Great points, Smiley and Suedehead. I became evangelical when I lived in New Orleans and belonged to a (mostly) socially progressive black church. I was older than Obama at the time but I understand his religious experience pretty well--the walk to the alter, bible study etc.. Look, literally, evangelical means someone who believes in the good news of Jesus, and if used in this sense it should mean someone who takes the gospels and the word and works of Jesus as a guide for living life. It does not mean someone who has all these manipulable knee jerk beliefs (which are the direct opposite of the teachings of Jesus). A special shout out for mentioning Tony Campolo (YouTube him) and Jim Wallis (Google Sojourner). Now that I live in New York City I'm around many for whom the term "evangelical" evokes fear and disdain. Just plain ignorance and prejudice folks.

Posted at August 22, 2008 3:58 PM in response to "Evangelicals"

Oh yeah--great idea! Pity the poor guy--really can't seem to stop himself.

Posted at August 21, 2008 1:27 PM in response to More free advice

I agree Jonze, but some signals could put McCain on the spot. It would increase the size of the target but it would be good if somehow Obama could telegraph what sort of people he would want in his administration and use some specific examples. We know what McCain will do--same as Bush.

Posted at August 21, 2008 1:24 PM in response to Veep announcement: It's just a name, or could there be more?