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Hell freezes over: I agree with Bill Kristol's media critique 

June 30, 2009 1:40 pm ET by Eric Boehlert

He's dissecting Todd Purdum's new Sarah Palin hit piece in VF.

Kristol writes:

Here’s a highlight of Purdum’s reporting: “More than once in my travels in Alaska, people brought up, without prompting, the question of Palin’s extravagant self-regard. Several told me, independently of one another, that they had consulted the definition of ‘narcissistic personality disorder’ in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders--’a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy’--and thought it fit her perfectly.”

Is there any real chance that "several" Alaskans independently told Purdum that they had consulted the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders? I don’t believe it for a moment.

I'm with Kristol; this doesn't pass the smell test.  Then again, Purdum's work for the mighty VF has often failed to pass any kind of common sense test.

UPDATE: Don't you love how Purdum zeroed in on how self-obsessed Palin is; how (clinically) narcissistic she is? I'd be curious to find out how many VF features in recent years about male politicians stopped to ponder the me-me-me tendencies of those powerful players.

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    • Author by shaggles (June 30, 2009 2:20 pm ET)
      2  
      Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
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    • Author by seeryer (June 30, 2009 2:23 pm ET)
      1  
      These wingnuts are so quick to defend Palin against Purdum. I would really love a quick search showing their thoughts regarding Purdum's article on Bill Clinton during last years campaign.
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      • Author by shaggles (June 30, 2009 3:00 pm ET)
        1  
        Are you calling Boehlert a wingnut?
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        • Author by seeryer (June 30, 2009 3:35 pm ET)
          2  
          No. The point I am making is the Palin piece just dropped and before the afternoon gets here Kristol and Tom Bevan of RCP are out defending Palin from Purdum. These same people, no doubt, ate up Purdum's article on Bill Clinton. I just want to measure the reaction to Purdum from the right today compared to the reaction to Purdum when the Clinton piece hit. Boehlert is the best in the biz.
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    • Author by tbone (June 30, 2009 2:41 pm ET)
      1  
      I read Purdum's piece. While I don't doubt that there are many elements that are true, I got the definite sense that he sought out those examples that supported caricature and little else.

      McCain chose badly, but this article smacks of beating the proverbial dead horse. If SP is truly that power-hungry, we'll have an opportunity to flog her again soon enough.
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      • Author by wookie (June 30, 2009 3:02 pm ET)
        1  
        I'm thinking she will be picking plenty of fights with "Hollywood and New York entertainers" in the next couple of years.
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    • Author by flounder (June 30, 2009 3:02 pm ET)
      1  
      When I look at Joe Lieberman, John McCain, or the Boner's fake tan, I don't see any hints of narcissism.
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    • Author by Looking_4_Truth (June 30, 2009 3:10 pm ET)
      1  
      Its not like many of Kristol's diatribes pass any "smell or common sense tests" either. Maybe that's why he's a "former" columnist for the NY Times and now works for Fox. The Weekly Standard, the political rag he founded and was editor of, isn't exactly a bastion of good journalism. He's been an ardent supporter of Palin's from the beginning, that in itself, should give anyone pause to take anything he says seriously. Anything written about this femme fatale that presents an unfavorable light is going to be derided. Whether its a "hit job" I can't say, and I wouldn't support that kind of journalism. But she is what she is. And while we're sniffing, maybe Boehlert's pieces and opinions need to have another whiff.
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    • Author by steeve (June 30, 2009 6:46 pm ET)
         
      I have a soft spot for Palin because she proved beyond any doubt that those fake TV debates aren't worth anything.

      If she can survive a televised debate, absolutely anyone can. If absolutely anyone can, then the format is worthless.
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    • Author by ted1974 (July 01, 2009 7:25 am ET)
         
      I'd be curious to find out how many VF features in recent years about male politicians stopped to ponder the me-me-me tendencies of those powerful players.

      That's easy: Jonathan Edwards (see below).

      One observation about Sarah Palin that sticks deep inside like a dagger: Palin fits the description of an NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder) to a tee. This fact, which should frighten the bejesus out of everyone, is also the one that Kristol fears most, as its the first one he trots out and dismisses not at all convincingly:

      "Is there any real chance that "several" Alaskans independently told Purdum that they had consulted the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders? I don’t believe it for a moment. I’ve (for better or worse) moved in pretty well-educated circles in my life, and I’ve gone decades without “several” people telling me they had consulted the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders."

      Anyone with enough experience in life has encountered dangerous people like NPD narcissists and ASPD sociopaths -- Palin's documented behavior closely fits both diagnoses, which often run in tandem.

      For a partisan Democratic example, just look at Jonathan Edwards, another pol who fits NPD traits to a tee (http://www.slate.com/id/2213740):

      "John Edwards outed himself as one when forced to confess an adulterous affair. (Given his comical vanity, the deceitful way he used his marriage for his advancement, and his self-elevation as an embodiment of the common man while living in a house the size of an arena, it sounds like a pretty good diagnosis.)"

      Palin is very probably NPD, and maybe ASPD too (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASPD). Based on this alone, her political career should be dead, no matter what people think of her actual politics.
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