The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute

The Narcissist From Hope

By Deb Jordahl

Sporting a bright pink shirt and beige suit, and resembling an “albino on Spring Break,” former U.S. President Bill Clinton took a few moments out of his discussion about Nelson Mandela’s experience as a prisoner of war to assert that all former POW’s are ticking time bombs ready to explode without notice.

“It’s just like if you know anybody who’s ever been a POW for any length of time, you will see you go along for months or maybe even years, and then something will happen and it will trigger all those bad dreams and they will come back, and it may not last 30 seconds,” he said.

Clinton added this qualification:

“Every living soul on the planet has some, often highly justified anger. Everybody,” Clinton said. “This is a universal lesson that all of us have to keep struggling with in our lives.”

It’s remarkable that Clinton, the country’s most famous draft dodger, would lecture his audience about the long term psychological consequences of being held prisoner by a vicious enemy. This is especially true given Clinton’s own legendary temper which longtime aide George Stephanopoulos dubbed the “purple rage.”

Senator John McCain, who spent five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, responded by saying he didn’t know where Clinton got his expertise.

Conservative pundits say that because Clinton’s comments were made after he pledged to campaign vigorously on behalf of Barack Obama, they were intended to hurt Senator McCain. While it’s true that Clinton is notorious for leaving behind time-delay stink bombs to further his agenda, he is far too narcissistic to do so in an effort to help somebody else.

My theory about Mr. Clinton’s latest deposit is that he is trying to gain empathy for his own character flaws, while at the same time creating an uncomfortable controversy for Democrats regarding McCain’s military service. One can make the case that the former Commander in Chief sabotaged his wife’s campaign with his ad lib remarks, and let’s face it, Bill Clinton is no more interested in being replaced as the country’s first Black President than he is in becoming its inaugural First Husband.

You see, if either his wife or Obama were to win in November, Clinton knows he’d be publicly chastised (and or privately tortured) every time he inserted himself into the public debate, and he’s simply not ready to be relegated to the role of supporting actor, writing memoirs and building houses for Habitat for Humanity.

Clinton further tipped his hand during his appearance at the Aspen Ideas Festival when he talked about how Mandela showed that leaders who leave public office in the good grace of their county can use their enhanced status to be of even greater service in the future. Ultimately Clinton wants history to remember him as a great public servant and as the most popular Democratic President in modern history. The poor kid from a place called Hope, who beat the odds and went on to become leader.

-July 10, 2008

The Narcissist From Hope

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