I have been saying this since Clinton's 2nd term when his emotional maturity seemed in question. Others here, and other places, have said it too. Yes, this absolutely should be done.
After all, most corporations require extensive personality tests for anyone seeking a management or supervisory position. Why, when we are choosing the most important person in the US do we not make sure they are emotionally healthy? It is absolute madness to go on selecting people who have obvious emotional problems.
Pathological narcissism is rampant among many reactionary type clerical/spiritual leaders (Jones and the kool-aid group, Jim Baker, the secret sect leaders who establish communes, Rev. Wright types, etc.) politicians (Kerry, Clinton, Obama, Dodd - and probably some Republicans also I might add), and others in positions of control and power. Manipulation and power is the drug that sustains them - and people's adoration is their "fix," their Narcissistic Supply.
We all have some healthy narcissistic traits, it is how we maintain our self-esteem and self-confidence. But the pathological type Vaknin discusses have an extra dose of this narcissistic trait and are dangerously out of sync with normal functioning behavior.
Because Pathological narcissists never accept criticism, never feel guilty, never change, and always, always, always lie over and over they can call day night and believe it and expect you to believe it too, because they said so. They have no relation to or concern for the truth. They will lie as easily as others take a breath. I know...I survived life with a documented narcissist. Once a person has lived with one, the signs are clear and frightening.
I have never, for one day, ever doubted that Obama - has most all the signs of pathological narcissism. Most likely it was rooted in him because of his dysfunctional family life - where he didn't matter to anyone and was abandoned so often. That, combined with a bi-racial heritage where he felt he didn't belong to either race, led him to severe feelings of low self-worth that he had to overcome. He worked on that more than he worked on doing anything positive in life. Eventually that need just to be important affected his ability to actually produce anything important in spite of his repeated opportunities and intelligence. Narcissists are usually stuck in a time warp of some early childhood age and end up being a waste of what could have been a great human being. But, because all their time and effort and skill is spent promoting themselves, they often don't live up to their potential. In essence, the Pathological Narcissist is to be pitied because he is a pitiful, lost soul who is clambering for attention and acceptance.
For example, with Obama, the only real thing he has been able to produce are three autobiographies in his short 40+ year lifespan. Writing about/talking about himself is all he is really interested in. He knows no other subject so well. And all narcissists believe everyone else is interested in them and that they are particularly unique. When hordes of people proclaim the Narcissist to be something special because he has charmed them with his charismatic appeal or engaging style of speaking, he believes them. They have given him a mirror to look into and see what he wants to believe is himself. He becomes the reflection of their praise. He can become what they want for a while. But, ultimately, when the rubber hits the road - narcissists fail at the hard work. They crumble, they flounder, their obvious weakness starts to show - and they blame everyone else around them for what is wrong.
For Obama, this race for the presidency has never been about leading our country and serving the people. For Obama it is all about gaining fame, adoration, acceptance and being assured a constant flow of Narcissistic Supply to boost his inability to feel good about himself without that constant praise.
As much as a narcissist might (at first) appear charming and confident, deep inside their spirit is tortured by a constant feeling of insurmountable unworthiness. They live in a fog they have created to protect themselves and their feelings of low self-esteem. They must constantly draw others into that fog and feed off them until those persons have served their narcissistic purpose and have made them feel good for a while. When they become unable to provide that, or become a hinderence of some sort the narcissist will cast them out like a pair of old socks.
That is how Obama operates. As long as someone seems useful, Obama will associate with them...but, let the person appear to be a threat, or cause problems - Obama can walk away from them, speak poorly of them, deny any former associations, etc. It is why he was able to throw his grandmother under the bus, how he easily disassociated himself with Wright, and how he can openly deny any long-term associations with Ayres, Rezko, or any of his anti-American type pals from the past. They are no longer useful - they have become detrimental to his goals.
Obama also has great appeal to so many Hollywood personalities or celebrities of sorts who are also seeking fame, adoration, acceptance...and are so dissatisfied with their country and non-appreciative of what they have been given. Many of those also have overly developed narcissistic traits, and a man who makes them feel "important" is a good man to have around and support - no matter what his ultimate intentions are - as long as they can say they are associated with him, they feel empowered. It is not that they believe the person, they just want to be able to claim that they picked "the winner." It could be the devil himself running, as long as the devil promised to keep making them feel good, they will accept him and his words.
The strange thing is, as with Wright for example...Obama probably didn't hear him say anything he considered racist or anti-American, as he claims he didn't. Because narcissists don't listen to anything other than praise for themselves, or what the person is supplying directly to them. They ignore almost everything else. Obama joined Wright's church for one purpose - to rub elbows with the "movers and shakers" of the community. He had his own agenda for being there and that was to be seen by them and be among them. What they said or did was of no consequence to Obama - his only goal was to use their status and gain their support so he could climb the ladder he wanted.
He has done the same with others in his past. He migrated to those on the fringes of society whom he could use, who were dissatisfied for some reason, and who would worship and compliment him, and give him courage, or tell him they felt he could do something special. But how they felt about America and what they did in the past that others might find unacceptable meant nothing to him. It was only what they could give him. If they spoon-fed him recognition, fame, money, and status, if they helped him attain positions of power, or gave him some ideas about how to manipulate others he took all he could from them. Now that he is running for president, of course, those close relationships are ones he will never admit to.
When public opinion or prying eyes investigate and question those past associates and close relationships Obama knows they could tarnish the image he is trying to create. So he denies them - and under the bus they go. He has no sadness in ridding himself of anyone who could hurt his ultimate goals. They are disposable.
Obama needs to create an image for people that they will adore and that he can believe in, because he doesn't really believe in himself.
If Obama does not win this election, he will disappear for awhile then try to create a new image, and a new image, and a new image. Narcissists are professional changers of their own persona. When one image doesn't work, they can easily become another. But, because they are not really creative, or insightful, they always take all the old, bad habits with them. They can't accept criticism and can't change because they know no other way to behave and they are too afraid to believe they could have been wrong.
Narcissists always believe they are/were right and that everyone else who didn't believe that are totally wrong. It is why they always blame and point fingers at everyone else when they fail. They can never escape their need for adoration and never can rest from trying to be what they think people want them to be while never being themselves. Truly, a narcissist has no inner "self" that can sustain him.
The other possibility that we might see if Obama does not succeed, is that he might suffer a serious break-down. Narcissists cannot tolerate public failure -- they consider any rejection of them a total humiliation. Obama will not be able to overcome a loss in this election. Narcissists are very poor losers, and often retaliate by being vindictive or they just fade away for a while. Some, stronger narcissists as the Clintons and Kerry have survived because they have spent years and years building strong support systems. But Obama hasn't had the time for that. His rise has been too new and fast. People will abandon him and won't be around for long because he hasn't spent the time making others obligated to him, or afraid of him, as have the Clintons and Kerry. I predict Obama will soon be adrift and only be a bad memory to the Democrat party.