Narcissist In Chief

So it’s true. The new über CEO of General Motors (which makes the soon to be revived O’smobile) really did give the Queen an iPod containing, along with a bunch of show tunes, some of his speeches, including the one he made to the Democratic convention in 2004 when he was still a state senator in Illinois.

He increasingly reminds me of the author who, after talking throughout lunch about his own work, turns to his companion over coffee and says, “I’ve been talking long enough about myself. Tell me, what do you think of my latest book?”

But one thing you have to grant to narcissists: when they give a memento of themselves, they are in fact giving the most valuable, most impressive gift they can think of.

UPDATE [5 April]

InstaPundit quotes Psychology Today’s A Field Guide to Narcissism:

Deep desire to be at the center of things is served by extreme self-confidence, a combination that makes narcissists attractive and even charming. Buoyed by a coterie of admiring friends and associates—protected by the armor of positive self-regard—someone with a mild-to-moderate case of narcissism can float through life feeling pretty good about himself. Since they feel entitled to special treatment, they are easily offended, and readily harbor grudges. Yet narcissists are often very popular—at least in the short term. . . . A narcissist can be hard to identify, in part because he is likely to be much more fascinating than you would expect for someone so self-absorbed, and in part because you wouldn’t think someone with such self-regard could be so defensive and needy.

If the shoe fits….