[Our man in washington]

"Is Paul Craig Roberts insane."

I think he has some serious mental issues. Let's look at the facts:

1. Back in the eighties, he was a well-regarded economist, government official, and journalist.

2. In the nineties, he wrote some truly brilliant stuff, but already, he was lobbing off-the-wall accusations.

3. In the last few years, he has been blaming the Israeli government for everything. He has no evidence for his claims. He sounds like a classic paranoiac.

4. Twice in the last year, he has gone six weeks without writing a column. On other occasions, he has put out four columns in a week. This past week, he's already written four columns for Antiwar.com. When he puts out a lot of columns in a week, he sounds the most unhinged.

5. He never makes public appearances anymore.

I'm no psychiatrist, but I think Roberts is suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. According to Healthsquare.com, here are the symptoms, followed by my comments:

-Confusion (hard to say)

-Inability to make decisions (doesn't write books anymore, and he used to be a pretty prolific writer.)

-Hallucinations (been claiming to know for sure that the U.S. was going to set off a nuclear bomb and blame it on terrorists)

-Changes in eating or sleeping habits, energy level, or weight (could explain the long periods without writing a column)

-Delusions (See hallucinations)

-Nervousness (Hard to say)

-Strange statements or behavior (Absolutely--read a bunch of his columns)

-Withdrawal from friends, work, or school (no longer makes personal appearances. Other columnists don't ever mention seeing or talking with him.)

-Neglect of personal hygiene (don't know)

-Anger (extreme)

-Indifference to the opinions of others (he dismisses most other opinions in his column)

-A tendency to argue (extreme)

-A conviction that you are better than others, or that people are out to get you (he displays both, big time)

I hope he gets help. He was a great man once, and he was the man who wrote the Kemp-Roth bill that saved the U.S. economy.

[Bahbah]

Thanks for that great response. My question was a serious one, based on reading the article. I didn't know about his past and his former ability to do good work and think rationally. There is obviously something very, very wrong with him now and he clearly needs help.

[AnAmericanMother]

Does anybody know his family?

Surely his family or friends would be trying to get him help?

Of course, they MAY have given up. I've known folks with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia whose families tried everything including involuntary hospitalization to try to get them straightened out.

Eventually, if the patient doesn't WANT to get straightened out (some people get hooked on the manic highs, and simply refuse to take their medication), you have to cut yourself off from them, because otherwise they drive you crazy too. Sad, but occasionally true.

[freedomdefender]

4. Twice in the last year, he has gone six weeks without writing a column. On other occasions, he has put out four columns in a week. This past week, he's already written four columns for Antiwar.com. When he puts out a lot of columns in a week, he sounds the most unhinged. 5. He never makes public appearances anymore.

You sure do follow him closely! Are you fixated on him? Obsession?