The political mind - Request your comments on the following statement:

[ashling]

What do you think of this statement about politics/politicians/the political mind:

"... a strange mixture of vanity and timidity, of an obsequious attitude at one time and a delusion of grandeur at another time, of the most selfish preferment combined with the mostsacrificing patriotism. The political mind is the product of men in public life who have been twice spoiled. They have been spoiled with praise and they have been spoiled with abuse. With them nothing is natural, everything is artificial."

Additionally, who said it? :shrug:

[mdmc]

1. uh

[ashling]

2. extremely elucidating response

thank you

:crazy:

[mdmc]

6. we call that a retort in the polly sci biz

[monmouth]

3. Oh, that's easy. Sarah Palin said that..oh no, wait a minute...Be right back....n/t

[LWolf]

4. I think it says that politicians are weak.

Corrupted by the political pressures they experience.

Calvin Coolidge. I don't know if that's what he meant by it, but that's my interpretation.

[timeforpeace]

5. Dr. Navel O'Gazer, Professor Emeritus of Tendentious Phraseology, Unseen University

[mdmc]

7. kick

[gleaner]

8. To me it says ....

That people who go into politics have been pulled in different directions so much that they no longer have a self which is not artificial. It says that they plan their actions and responses. Nothing is spontaneous. To me that makes it hard to trust them. I prefer to see something genuine in people, but I have known for a long, long time that this is lacking in our politicians.

As it says in "Evita," politics is the art of the possible. No dreams there.

I don't have a clue who wrote the quote either.

[KonaKane]

9. That would be President Calvin Coolidge

otherwise not known for his verbosity. In fact one famous event had to do with a reporter who posed a question to him at a state dinner once, knowing well Coolidge's penchant for quietude. The reporter said to the then president: "Mr President, I have made a wager with a colleague that you will speak more than two words at this function. Am I right?"

Coolidge looked up from his plate of roast beef and rosemary potatoes and said "You lose".