Doctor Dean

December 31, 2003

Marjorie Williams has an interesting piece in the conservative _Washington Post_ explaining what it is about Howard Dean that makes her uncomfortable: “he’s a doctor and he acts like one”:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43185-2003Dec30.html.

bq. Where else but in medicine do you find men and women who never admit a mistake? Who talk more than they listen, and feel entitled to withhold crucial information? Whose lack of tact in matters of life and death might disqualify them for any other field?

Well, let’s see:

|Profession | Admit Mistakes | Talk Rather than Listen | Withhold Information | Lack Tact for Mortal Concerns |
|Doctors | Rarely | Frequently | Always | Occasionally |
|Politicians| Rarely| Frequently | Always | “Bring it on.” |
|Taxi Drivers | Rarely | Always | Always | Oblivious to mortal concerns |
|School Principals | Occasionally | Usually just look like they’re listening | Frequently | “Yes, but he can still play in today’s game, right?” |
|College Professors | No. | “this is a lecture class.” | Frequently withold opposing research information | “If you’re too sick to come to class, you better be dead.” |
|Technical Support | Should I ever make a mistake, I’ll let you know what happens. | If you know anything useful, why are you wasting my time? | There are some things mortals aren’t meant to know. | Tact is a waste of time. |
|U-Haul | Never. | Impossible to get on the phone. | “Rent Me for 19.95″:http://www.thudfactor.com/archives/001256.php | Usually not involved in mortal issues. |
|Newspaper Columnists | In tiny correction boxes on page D-36 | Newspapers not known for easy reader feedback | Left this chart out, didn’t she? | Generally not responsible for life-or-death concerns. |

You’ll note that politicians and doctors have a lot in common as far as character failures are concerned. In, the four sins of which Williams accuses Doctor Dean are all pretty common human failings. We all live in this glass house. Would you like another stone, Marjorie?

We expect a lot of our politicians. We expect them to be frank, but tactful. We expect them to stand up for what we want them to believe, but we don’t want them to be impolitic about it. We want them to be honest and direct, but not so honest and direct that it endangers enacting _our_ agenda. Frankly, I think it’s too much to ask. After all, we are electing a President, not a messiah.

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