"Most politicians aren’t like you and me, but Crist really is another species of human"

Anyone who knows Crist and reads Greer’s depiction of him will be struck instantly by its ring of truth. Crist really is that driven by narcissism, ambition, and personal vanity. He really is a purely political creature. The constant neediness, the disinterest in governing, the desire to avoid the hard calls, the passive-aggressive staff games of who’s in, who’s out; all of it passes the smell test.

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Most politicians aren’t like you and me, but Crist really is another species of human. For almost his entire adult life he has lived alone, was married only momentarily as a very young man, has rarely held a job outside politics, has had no truly close friends. Before his marriage to Carole Rome, aside from politics, Crist’s only lifelong commitment was to his ambition. You can see it all on these pages.

Another thing that will be familiar to those who know Crist: his complete disinterest in any subject not directly related to his political ambitions. Greer never recounts Crist actually governing or even engaging in any kind of substantive policy battles. That’s because Crist is the Seinfield of politicians: a governor about nothing. His usual campaign is a slogan, a river of money, and energetic, superficial backslapping. He’s damn good at it, but that’s all there is. Florida Democrats convinced of Crist’s swift ideological conversion from rock-ribbed conservative to Obama liberal should be cautious. He’s a man who believes in policy as long as it gets him to the next election. After that, all bets are off.

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