And the Trump hysteria continues in force.
This time, three college professors have “grave concern[s]” that President-elect Donald Trump isn’t mentally stable enough to hold office and have demanded President Obama order a full psychological evaluation before he is sworn in.
The letter from psychiatry Professors Ludith Herman (Harvard), Nanette Gartrell (U of California-San Francisco), and Assistant Clinical Professor Dee Mosbacher (UofC-San Fran) was published at The Huffington Post. It reads:
Dear President Obama,
We are writing to express our grave concern regarding the mental stability of our President-Elect. Professional standards do not permit us to venture a diagnosis for a public figure whom we have not evaluated personally. Nevertheless, his widely reported symptoms of mental instability — including grandiosity, impulsivity, hypersensitivity to slights or criticism, and an apparent inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality — lead us to question his fitness for the immense responsibilities of the office. We strongly recommend that, in preparation for assuming these responsibilities, he receive a full medical and neuropsychiatric evaluation by an impartial team of investigators.
HuffPo writer Richard Greene adds his own hysteria to the pot: “Virtually every mental health professional I interviewed told me that they believed, with 100% certainty, that Mr. Trump satisfied the DSM [Diagnostic and Statistical Manual] criteria of this incurable illness and that, as a result, he is a serious danger to the country and the world.”
An “undisputable” case in Greene's mind. Then he lists the nine criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder found in the DSM (only five are required to be diagnosed):
- Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
- Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love.
- Believe that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with other special or high-status people (or institutions)
- Requires excessive admiration
- Has a sense of entitlement
- Is interpersonally exploitative
- Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
- Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her.
- Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes
(Sounds like your average liberal, but I’m no expert.)
Then Greene puts his fears into a real-world scenario:
If someone does have “Narcissistic Personality Disorder” they can, indeed, wake up, see a Tweet or a news report from a foreign leader criticizing him, mocking him, calling him “weak” or threatening his ego in any way and order some kind of impulsive, vindictive, punishing, immediate response that could include an unhinged order to attack that foreign leader or foreign country with military force, even including the authorization of nuclear weapons.
It is extremely likely that there would be some kind of impulsive, angry diplomatic response.
Because someone afflicted with this incurable and progressive “Narcissistic Personality Disorder” simply can’t help himself…
The National Security Advisor, The Secretary of Defense, The Secretary of State, The Joint Chiefs of State and every General in the military can all emphatically say “NO!” but if The Commander in Chief wants to initiate military and even nuclear action, NO ONE can stop him. American law does not allow a military officer to make those decisions.
Only a civilian, The President, elected by The American People can access the nuclear codes. Only that President can use the nuclear codes.
And if he does, the military is duty bound to follow his order.
Now do you see why they’re so worried? Trump is going to nuke us all!
Greene said other clinical psychologists reached out to him after publishing his story to confirm his findings and add this about Trump: “The man is unfit to run a lemonade stand, much less a country.”
See? Science.