Should Sanford Step Aside?

by: Tim Kelly

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 09:29:19 AM EDT

Several years ago, in my previous blogging life, I referred to South Carolina's chief executive as "-or Mark Sanford." When we started Indigo Journal, I just decided to call him "Ungov" because I got tired of people asking me to explain what I meant by "-or."

The point, though, is that it soon after he took office, it became apparent that whatever Mark Sanford wanted to do in public office, the business of actually governing wasn't it.

With his latest stunt, Sanford's made it clear that he not only holds the government of South Carolina in contempt, but the people of the state as well. And while it's long been apparent that Mark Sanford is a lousy governor, it turns out he's a lousy husband and father as well.

But Joel Sawyer's assertion that the governor needed to "clear his head" is perhaps a bit more telling than Sanford's mouthpiece intended.

A medical professional who reads IJ frequently - and who stressed he is only a casual observer and asked not to be identified - says Sanford seems to be exhibiting signs of "a mental heath crisis."

"Cutting off all contact with family and co-workers, disappearing for days at a time, even, in essence, stealing an automobile - all classic examples of someone suffering a crisis," said the source.

More after the jump.

Again insisting that he's not in a position to make a diagnosis, the doctor said the governor's behavior is indicative of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).

NPD is defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), the diagnostic classification system used in the United States, as:

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

• has a grandiose sense of self-importance
• is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
• believes that he or she is "special" and can only be understood by, or should associate with, people (or institutions) who are also "special" or of high status.
• requires excessive admiration
• has a sense of entitlement
• is interpersonally exploitative
• lacks empathy
• is often envious of others or believes others are envious of him or her
• shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

When I pointed out that Sanford's latest op-ed piece seemed to almost studiously avoid using "we" and instead referred to "the administration," the doctor said, "That's not necessarily a good thing."

"He's questioning his own identity, but still maintains that he has some 'specialness.' In other words, he sees himself as both victim - the hypothetical disenfranchised black governor - and savior, the leader of a grand movement to change the constitution. Couple that with his bizarre disappearance, and it's very worrisome," he said.

I asked pointblank if the governor should step aside to deal with his mental health.

"Let's be realisitic," I was told. "He's not walking around with nuclear launch codes or anything. But his family and friends ought to be concerned about him."