CT Blue

One of the latest right wing memes accuses Obama of having a Messiah Complex. Charles Krauthammer runs with that argument in a column reproduced in this morning’s Day. (I will not link to Krauthammer, but you should have no trouble finding it). Krauthammer is actually a psychiatrist, though you’d never know it by reading his drivel. As evidence for Obama’s messianic leanings he cites the fact that when Obama goes overseas he tries to find common ground with others and admits that the United States is not perfect. To be honest, Krauthammer’s argument has a bit of dishonest nuance: he accuses Obama of positing a moral equivalency between the failings of the United States and those of other nations in situations in which one could argue that the faults are not always equivalent. (Though in some cases, one can argue that the U.S. has acted more egregiously). In any event, Obama did not say or imply any equivalency; he just stated the facts and, in any event, the argument doesn’t support Krauthammer’s premise

There are two interesting points here. First, the increasingly weird use of language by the right wing.

Here’s Krauthammer diagnosing Obama:

Not that Obama considers himself divine. (He sees himself as merely messianic, or at worst, apostolic.)

What does this even mean? Here are the definitions of messianic:

• Of or relating to a messiah: messianic hopes.
• Of or characterized by messianism: messianic nationalism.

For good measure, here are the definitions of messianism:

• Belief in a messiah.
• Belief that a particular cause or movement is destined to triumph or save the world.
• Zealous devotion to a leader, cause, or movement.

Finally, here are the definitions of apostolic.

1. Of or relating to an apostle.
2. 1. Of, relating to, or contemporary with the 12 Apostles.
   2. Of, relating to, or derived from the teaching or practice of the 12 Apostles.
3. 1. Of or relating to a succession of spiritual authority from the 12 Apostles, regarded by Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and some others to have been perpetuated by successive ordinations of bishops and to be requisite for valid orders and administration of sacraments.
   2. Roman Catholic Church Of or relating to the pope as the successor of Saint Peter; papal.

Let’s be charitable. None of the definitions actually apply, but maybe Krauthammer means that Obama feels he has been chosen by God to save the world (messianic) or that he feels he is doing God’s work in the world (apostolic). Obama has never stated or implied anything of the sort, though as a Christian he is supposed to do God’s work in the world. The term “Messiah Complex” is not used by Krauthhammer (it’s in the Day’s headline), but the diagnosis is implied, though from the internet we learn that there is no such diagnosis:

A messiah complex is a state of mind in which the individual incorrectly believes he/she is, or is destined to become, a savior. The messiah complex does not appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)¹

So the upshot is that Krauthammer believes that Obama has a serious problem because he went overseas and admitted that everyone has their faults. In doing so, Krauthammer uses words that he has totally liberated from their ordinary meanings.

But my first reaction to this column was: Where was the good doctor when we needed him? I mean when we had a President who could say the following without evoking comment from the sages on the right (there are lots more quotes at the link):

1. I am driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, ‘George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan’. And I did. And then God would tell me ‘George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq’. And I did. Sharm el-Sheikh August 2003

2. I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn’t do my job.
Statement made during campaign visit to Amish community, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Jul. 9, 2004

Similarly, when did Krauthammer sound the alarm about W’s decision to take advice from his “Heavenly Father” rather than the earthly father who got it right about invading Iraq:

Did Mr. Bush ask his father for any advice? “I asked the president about this. And President Bush said, ‘Well, no,’ and then he got defensive about it,” says Woodward. “Then he said something that really struck me. He said of his father, ‘He is the wrong father to appeal to for advice. The wrong father to go to, to appeal to in terms of strength.’ And then he said, ‘There’s a higher Father that I appeal to.’”

Umm, I’m no psychiatrist (though I have dealt with the mentally ill for years as part of my job) but I venture to say that if this man hadn’t been president he would have been safely locked up somewhere. I have no doubt there’s a spot on the DSM just for him.

We must pity folks like Krauthammer, who can’t see the beam in their own eyes. Their flailing attempts to bring down Obama tell so much more about them than about him.

One more thing: Obama is the President of the United States. Despite all George Bush could do, it is still the most powerful position in the world. If Obama believes he has been chosen to change the world, it’s because he has been chosen, and because that’s his job. The difference between Obama and Bush is that Obama believes he was chosen by the American people (because he was) and Bush believed he was chosen by God (perhaps because he wasn’t really chosen by the American people).