![\"Narcissus,\" by Caravaggio](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2016\/06\/Michelangelo_Caravaggio_065.jpg\")
<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a conservative, I\u2019m far from displeased with everything that has been done by the Trump administration. \u00a0But I continue to be very concerned about Mr. Trump himself.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
You may or may not be able to gain access to it \u2014 I can\u2019t give<\/em> you access, legally \u2014 but this Wall Street Journal<\/em> article by Peggy Noonan is an important one:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat Bob Corker Sees in Trump\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In case you haven\u2019t followed what Senator Corker (R-TN), the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has recently said about our president, here are some samples: \u00a0Senator Corker has observed that, thus far, Mr. Trump has not yet demonstrated the \u201cstability\u201d and \u201ccompetence\u201d to be a successful president. To which Mr. Trump responded with a tweet mocking Senator Corker\u2019s 5\u20197\u2033 height. \u00a0To which Senator Corker replied with a tweet that read \u201cIt\u2019s a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. \u00a0Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Senator Corker has confessed that \u201cthe president concerns [him].\u201d \u00a0He comments that Mr. Trump\u2019s \u201cvolatility\u201d is \u201calarming,\u201d adding that the president\u2019s tweets have been \u201cvery damaging to us,\u201d especially on foreign policy matters, and that\u00a0other senators, including many of his Republican colleagues, share his deep worries about this presidency. \u00a0Mr. Corker feels that he can now say openly what many are evidently saying privately, because he\u2019s announced his intention to retire from the Senate.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Peggy Noonan\u2019s column goes on to illustrate why more than a few people are nervous, indicating that members of the White House staff are finding it increasingly difficult to manage Mr. Trump.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n And here are some additional relevant pieces, starting with one from George F. Will:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe Chaos Grows\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTrump vs. the First Amendment\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDonald Trump: America\u2019s Talent-in-Chief\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhy Not an IQ Test?: Take Trump Up on His Challenge\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhite House Watch: Tillerson Refuses to Deny He Called Trump a \u2018Moron,\u2019 Again\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n You may recall that articles like this one, and with similar titles, have been appearing in fairly large numbers since even before the 2016 election:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNarcissist-in-Chief:\u00a0A psychological take on a political reality\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n ***<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Of course, I\u2019m scarcely the person to point a finger at Mr. Donald J. Trump for alleged psychological and behavioral issues.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A few days ago, a dispassionately scientific observer of (as he put it) my \u201ccharacteristic behaviors\u201d who publishes\u00a0on a mostly atheist ex-Mormon message board observed\u00a0that my signature traits \u2014 which include an utter disregard for the feelings of others (curiously combined with a desperate craving for their admiration and a deep resentment of them), a sense of personal entitlement,\u00a0\u00a0an inability to tolerate even the slightest\u00a0criticism, and a complete lack of decency \u2014 mark me almost certainly as a sufferer from \u201cnarcissistic personality disorder\u201d or NPD. \u00a0Indeed, my sad case seems to be growing worse and worse with each passing year.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Now, this distinguished anonymous scientist acknowledges that, according to DSM 5 \u2014 the fifth edition of the\u00a0Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,\u00a0<\/em>published by the American Psychiatric Association \u2014 NPD must, ideally, be diagnosed by a professional. \u00a0Still, my case seems pretty unambiguous. \u00a0After all, as he notes, manifesting a mere five<\/em>\u00a0of the following nine traits is enough, according to DSM 5, to clinch the diagnosis:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n I cite the precise list above as it\u2019s given at\u00a0\u201cNarcissistic Personality Disorder DSM-5 301.81 (F60.81),\u201d by Dr. Helen Okoye<\/a>. \u00a0\u201cThe definition of NPD,\u201d writes Dr. Okoye, \u201cstates that it comprises of [sic] a persistent manner of grandiosity, a continuous desire for admiration, along with a lack of empathy. It starts by early adulthood and occurs in a range of situations.\u201d \u00a0And she\u2019s probably never even heard<\/em> of me!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Well, there you have it. \u00a0As they say, it is what it is. \u00a0Objective science has spoken its verdict.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s probably time, in that light, to flee the state of Utah, and perhaps even the country, lest I be hauled off to an asylum. \u00a0And it\u2019s surely time\u00a0to unveil my new theme song<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n ***<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been accumulating binders full of Mitt Romney material over the past two or three weeks \u2014 and not merely because he\u2019s published in Interpreter<\/em><\/a> \u2014 so I think I\u2019ll share a few such items:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cRomney praises McCain for \u2018Lincolnesque\u2019 speech\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOpportunity knocks on Mitt Romney\u2019s door\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCommentary: Mitt Romney must run for president in 2020\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n\n