Since Glenn Beck has become some such a phenomenon, and has been aligned with the the right and, in particular, the craziest element of the right, many have assumed that he arose through a political journey. He did not.

Glenn Beck could just as easily have become a spokesman for the left as for the right. The only necessary elements in his career were nurtured through a personal history that would land many of us in padded rooms. The only imperative of his on-air presentation is that he expresses his views through tears and instense head shaking dismay.

His family history includes numerous tragic family deaths including two siblings and his mother. His mother and a brother committed suicide. In addition to numerous other personal tragedies, Glenn Beck is a long time alcoholic and drug addict who credits intense therapy and his conversion to Mormonism for his "stability".

The rise to his becoming a dangerous demagogue combined two factors: (1) his tragic life; and (2) the coincidence that he he became involved in Top 40 radio in his twenties. By the time he had begun attacking his personal demons, he had also developed a few years in the radio business and was able to profit on his intense, mad ranting style. As many survivors of family suicide and drug and alcohol addiction know, Beck inevitably developed an absolutism in his attitudes. To survive in his state of despair it was necessary to believe in a treatment program with absolute zeal and commitment, even to the point of irrationailty.

Mixing together Beck's astonishingly tragic personal life and a broadcasting career has been a dangerous experiment. His tears and anger, one must suppose, tap into the intense anger and depression so many millions of Americans feel about the failures and setbacks in their own lives. His extremism one must speculate are the result of his need to be absolutely certain about an issue without ever applying analysis.

One must wonder if tomorrow Beck had a conversion to socialism and presented it in the same tragic, emotional way to a national audience -- whether his sad and angry fans wouldn't just follow along. My guess is that they would. It is the presentation, not the substance, that is addictive to his low information audience with addictive political personalities.

One can be sure of one thing about Beck. If he ever changes views, he will change absolutely to the opposite side. Any moderation or weighing of alternative ideas would introduce doubt and his self-treatment would come tumbling down.