Narcissist-In-Chief

It doesn't interest me here to get into the nuances of Obama's narcissism. Suffice it to say, I was raised by a toxic narcissist, so I know one when I see one. If you're really interested in learning something about narcissism, go here for one of the most informative and true sites (from the perspective of my 57 years of experience) about narcissism on the internet. What interests me today is George Will's recent column where he catalogues Obama's speeches:

On the 233rd day of his presidency, Barack Obama grabbed the country's lapels for the 263rd time—that was, as of last Wednesday, the count of his speeches, press conferences, town halls, interviews, and other public remarks. His speech to Congress was the 122nd time he had publicly discussed health care. Just 14 hours would pass before the 123rd, on Thursday morning. His incessant talking cannot combat what it has caused: An increasing number of Americans do not believe that he believes what he says.

Have we ever had a President who was so full of himself? Next week we can look forward to Obama being the "sole guest" on David Letterman's Monday show. This will be his sixth appearance on the show; he became the first sitting President in history to appear on any late-night talk show when he appeared on Letterman's show last March. But even before his Monday appearance on Letterman, be sure not to miss Obama's media blitz on the Sunday shows, when he will appear on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and the Spanish language network Univision. Appearing on FIVE Sunday talk shows is another historical record--congratulations, Obama. Of course he won't appear on Chris Wallace's Sunday show on Fox News. Big, big, big, big, BIG surprise.

Writes Adam Nagourney at The Caucus: If there’s one thing this White House doesn’t seem worried about, it is that Americans will get tired of seeing President Obama. His talk-show marathon will come after the speech on Wall Street today and a rally in Maryland later this week. At this point in his presidency, Obama's 114 interviews compare to 37 for President Bush at the same point in his presidency and 41 for President Clinton.

Oh, and don't forget he's already spoken to two joint sessions of Congress. At the rate he's going, he may catch President Woodrow Wilson, who between 1913 and 1919 spoke to 24 joint sessions. Said Betty Koed, associate historian of the Senate, “Wilson was great for meeting in person with people. He used these addresses as a means to gain popular support for his wartime policies and also to bend arms in Congress.” Wilson aside (and actually, Wilson is the former president that I think Obama is the most like--not Lincoln, as he seems to think), Presidents usually reserve joint session speeches for a crisis or emergency, like a declaration of war, or for other weighty matters, like JFK's pledge to land Americans on the moon. Joint session addresses are normally rare, and those that aren't State of the Union speeches are rarer still. However, Obama being who he is, something tells me the country had better prepare for these joint session events to become a standard part of Obama's repertoire.

Exit question: Does this man have any idea what actual work as President of the United States he ought to be doing--any idea?