Maureen Dowd, "The Loin King": All Out of Love

I don't like politicians. Apart from one former US congressman with whom I have remained friends for several decades, I have avoided contact with them. Lying is second nature to those engaged in this profession, which is characterized by the implacable pursuit of self-interest and self-gratification. A willingness to sacrifice for the greater good? Yeah, right. Whatever I have to give, they will greedily consume, given the narcissistic personality disorders which come with the territory.

Musing on the attributes of America's 2012 presidential candidates, Maureen Dowd writes in her latest New York Times op-ed entitled "The Loin King" (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/opinion/sunday/dowd-the-loin-king.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0):

"Two uninspiring candidates, one Americans had fallen out of love with, one they could not fall in love with, one who had lost his narrative, one who offered a narrative with Janus faces and contradictory and occluded positions."

An "inspiring politician"? Is this some sort of newfangled oxymoron?

More to the point, I'm tired, disillusioned and all out of love for politics and politicians, who are consumed with self-admiration. Instead, my prayers go to the families who lost their loved ones in Benghazi, after they were denied protection by their government. My condolences go to those who have lost sons and daughters in an inane US involvement in Afghanistan, a topic which has been studiously avoided by both Obama and Romney. My sympathy goes to those whose kin have fallen victim to indiscriminate attacks involving assault rifles, the sale of which neither party is willing to ban. And my commiseration goes to those whose lives were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, who have now also been forced to endure the empty promises of a parade of elected officials.

Dowd concludes her opinion piece by asking:

"Has President Spock, who bounded into action on Sandy and rocked a New Jersey woman in his arms, really grown? Or is he giving us what we want for the moment so we’ll give him what he wants for the next four years?"

Be real, Maureen. Narcissists don't "grow." They reject criticism, take advantage of others, dwell on feelings of self-importance, exaggerate achievements, demand constant admiration, and disregard others while pursuing selfish goals (see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001930/).

You know a photo op when you see one.