Dick Morris is a bizarre little man who has been a consultant and strategist for both American political parties. He was born in 1948 and came of age as a student working in the 1968 and 1972 elections, and initially was influenced by the Democratic Party of the time. He also worked for Bill Clinton on his campaigns for governor of Arkansas, but later seemed to lose any party affiliation for his work. After working for various figures throughout the 1980s, he was brought back into the Clinton administration, in large part to turn Clinton into a more moderate figure. Although Clinton was already prone to pandering to public opinion, it was probably Dick Morris who was most responsible for his reputation of writing his speeches to whatever the opinion polls of the day dictated. Morris' influence collapsed virtually overnight due to a scandal with a prostitute during the 1996 Presidential convention.

After getting kicked out of the Clinton White House, Morris' politics (such as they were) seemed to swing hard to the right, and he has been a big player in the cottage industry of right-wing outrage, both via talk shows and a string of books. He also works as a consultant and analysis. Most of his works, even outside of their partisan tilt, seem to be inaccurate and based on his own idiosyncratic beliefs. He also seems to have a personal vendetta against both Bill and Hillary Clinton.

George Stephanopoulos, admittedly someone who found Dick Morris' politics and personality repulsive, characterizes him as a near-manic compulsive manipulator with the deeply ingrained belief that he was smarter than everyone around him, especially the American voter. Looking over his resume, Morris' education ended in 1970, with a B.A. from Columbia University. I get the impression that Morris really does think he has some hidden skeleton key to the soul of the American electorate. Part of this is probably due to the fact that Morris might have a few personality disorders, but it is also due to the fact that he isn't educated enough, formally or informally, to understand the many different currents operating within the American political system. Morris, in other words, really believes that none of his radical ideas have ever occurred to others.

Other than being a particularly persistent and extreme example, with a lurid and uneven personal life, Morris is not that much different than many other political hacks out there.