Are the psychologists having a field day yet with John McCain? As we hit the home stretch, he seems beyond control, psychologically speaking. Just about everything McCain criticizes Obama about is a projection--that is, he sees, in Obama, personality defects of his own, which he cannot recognize or acknowledge. And so he criticizes it in this other person who keeps annoying him. It's kind of fascinating. In a sickening sort of way.
I know Rachel has hit this projection issue recently but an AP story today made my jaw drop. The headline says: McCain says Obama will 'say anything' to win.
Humminna-humminna-humminna...WTF?
Here is a man, the senior Senator from Arizona, whose entire campaign has been an exercise in saying anything to win. He cannot see this in himself, so he sees it in his nemesis. It would sad if it weren't so monumentally galling. Obama is a politician, to be sure, but he also speaks from the heart and has incredibly robust and positive intentions in the world. You just have to read his first memoir to understand this.
Of course, the Republicans don't want to read his memoir, they just want to belittle him for writing one.
For the longest time, I attributed the Republican tactic of attacking Democrats with bald lies as mere Rovian sleaze. But with McCain, it goes deeper. I know he's got a lot of Bush-like father issues he's (still) dealing with, so clearly he's working with a wounded psyche. But my goodness. The projections are stunning, and will no doubt continue as Election Day approaches. I can barely read the news any more. It hurts my heart.