Charles Krauthammer, M.D., Hack Columnist

An op-ed piece in the Washington Post by Charles Krauthammer has pronounced former Vermont governor Howard Dean “the Delusional Dean.” Krauthammer’s “diagnosis” rested on a transcript of a Dean appearance on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews.

That's David Brock from 2004. Krauthammer likes, of course, to use his status as a psychiatrist to engage in such "diagnoses" of liberals from time to time. Except, as when today, he piously objects to liberals doing the same thing even when it comes in the context of what's pretty clearly a jokey Michelle Cottle article (sample: "None of which is to say that Dick Cheney is, in fact, completely mental"). Also simply note the astounding fact that Krauthammer has actually devoted a column to defending Dick Cheney's job performance. And here I was the other day wondering where the Cheney fans were.

3/16/07 9:36AM del.icio.us this incoming links

Comments

it would be interesting to see dean's 2004 statements that krauthammer used to make his diagnosis. if they're about iraq, they probably turned out to be far more precient than anything krauthammer himself was saying at the time.

they called cassandra delusional too, you know.

Posted by: upyernoz on March 16, 2007 09:44 AM

Krauthammer is the worst. Andrew Sullivan should come up with a "Krauthammer award" for people who make up mental diagnoses against political opponents.

Posted by: Jim W on March 16, 2007 09:53 AM

Krauthammer has actually devoted a column to defending Dick Cheney's job performance.

I see it as a column devoted to explaining what a badass psychiatrist Krauthammer used to be.

Actually I can't blame him for that, if I had academic credentials like that I'd puff them too. Too bad he decided to devote himself to hackery rather than medicine.

Posted by: Matt Weiner on March 16, 2007 10:26 AM

He's done the same thing before, coming up with some cockamammie diagnosis for Al Gore.

http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20021204.html

Hack psychiatrist, hack columnist!

What a jerk!

Posted by: Dave on March 16, 2007 11:08 AM

Let's not forget the time he said that Gore was off his meds:

Charles Krauthammer, on FOX News Channel's Special Report with Brit Hume, on May 26 [2004]:
It looks as if Al Gore has gone off his lithium again.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200405280001

See the entire mediamatters post for how the theme went right around the usual Republican mouthpieces.

Posted by: Bloix on March 16, 2007 11:16 AM

James Bowman, at the New Criterion (1/31/07):

"Generally speaking, the rhetorical resort to the popularized language of psychotherapy should be treated as prima facie evidence of a lack of intellectual seriousness, and that applies in spades to any allegation of psychosis against one’s political enemies."

Posted by: stevesh on March 16, 2007 11:17 AM

Did you bother to read "The Delusional Dean" column, or just take David Brock's word about it? It was when Howard Dean said that the idea that the Saudis tipped off Bush about 9/11 was "the most interesting" explanation for why Bush was suppressing the 9/11 report. Krauthammer's actual "diagnosis" was for "Bush Derangement Syndrome, the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency -- nay -- the very existence of George W. Bush."

I do not believe this is an actual, recognized mental illness, nor do I believe anyone could interpret it that way. Cottle, on the other hand, marshals actual facts about actual mental and medical conditions, and does so in a very lengthy article.

Posted by: Apollo on March 16, 2007 11:28 AM

Krauthammer's a genuinely bad human being. I'm sure that's more common a condition than I want to believe. I'm sure I throw more people into that category than deserve it, particularly when I'm irritated. But I can't think of any prominent person who deserves the characterization more. As long as Krauthammer's prominent and successful, we'll have a reminder of the dark side of the US.

Posted by: SomeCallMeTim on March 16, 2007 11:46 AM

It was when Howard Dean said that the idea that the Saudis tipped off Bush about 9/11 was "the most interesting" explanation for why Bush was suppressing the 9/11 report.

Yes, in the context of noting that by trying to suppress the 9/11 Commission, Bush lends credibility to that sort of speculation. In other words, Dean is supposedly "delusional" because he noted the existence of a conspiracy theory without supplying the "required" disclaimer that the theory is nuts.

I happen to think there would be a certain quantity of 9/11 nutters no matter what, but it's just Politics 101 that no leader wants to give the impression that he's interested in anything other than getting to the unvarnished truth. Dean was absolutely right that Bush's penchant for secrecy only served to enable the nutters.

Posted by: Steve on March 16, 2007 12:12 PM

You, know, I had often wondered who I should blame for that stupid "Bush Derangement Syndrom" meme. I get angry over the long long LONG list of screw-ups in the last six years and furious when I think about the level of outright corruption and cronyism that the administration undertakes as a matter of course.

And then some idiot who has caught the Krauthammer meme looks at my anger and accuses me of having "Bush Derangement Syndrome" because I now get angry because almost everything he does is corrupt and/or incompetent. Usually, at this point it is everything I can do not to fly into a homicidal rage at the fact that it is considered ODD to consider such corruption to be a Very Bad Thing.

Now I at least have a new strategy to help keep my head. I can just throw my head back and yell, in my best Captain Kirk-like manner, "KRAUTHAMMERRRRRRR!!!!!"

Posted by: socratic_me on March 16, 2007 01:38 PM

Krauthammer regularly "diagnoses" Dem politicians as mentally unstable. He has done it to the Clintons, Gore and Kerry. He once claimed Gore "forgot to take his meds".

Check the dailyhowler.com archieves.

Krauthammer is a typical wingnut. He believes IOKIYAR.

Posted by: DonB on March 16, 2007 06:29 PM

It's plain from Cottle's article that Cheney has been looking into the palantir in the tower of Minas Tirith and has been corrupted by Sauron.

Posted by: dontkillwhitey on March 16, 2007 06:40 PM

In that situation, my fears would be strictly for Sauron.

Posted by: Bruce Moomaw on March 16, 2007 08:08 PM

Well, it is a kind of open secret in the medical profession that some shrinks tend to be a little crazy. Ask a doctor of your acquaintance. It may be because people with problems go into the field in the hope of helping themselves. Also, mental illness is highly contagious, so exposure can be catching. Cottle exmined Cheney and found him lacking, and Kraut examinted him and found him sane. I suggest that readers give CK a dose of his own medicine and look at his writings for signs of non-sane characteristics.

Posted by: Vince on March 16, 2007 08:31 PM

What Vince said. Pick up a copy of Psychology Today and you'll be have convinced the entire writing staff regularly contemplates suicide.

Posted by: Reality Man on March 17, 2007 10:33 PM

Good comment.Thanks admin.

Posted by: youtube on November 16, 2007 03:05 PM

Thanks
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