At this time, a few words about pathological politics might be useful. I've been studying how politics works and advising organizations for quite some time. These thoughts, relevant to organizations and government, might just put some of what's going on in Washington D. C. in perspective in terms of how truly dangerous the situation can become.
Politics varies in ferocity across a continuum of climates -- mild, moderate, highly and pathological political. The first two types are relatively benign. Things are done largely by the rules in minimally political climates of business and government. There's camaraderie, trust, and an absence of in-groups and out-groups. Moving along the continuum, moderately political arenas are low in conflict and operate on relatively well-understood, formally sanctioned rules applying to nearly all. Politics exists here but tends to be more the constructive than destructive types.
As we move into highly political climates, though, formally sanctioned rules are only utilized when convenient. In-groups and out-groups are clearly defined. Lots of topics are taboo and you need to know which ones those are if you hope to survive. Who you know is more important than what you know and communication is hindered by clear restrictions on who is allowed to talk with whom.
Then there's the worst kind of political environment -- pathological. Here daily interactions are much like those in highly political climates, but conflict is frequent, fractious and often long-term. There's much distrust, and for good reason. The boss talks almost exclusively with people close to him or her and, out of necessity, people spend a lot of time covering their backs and not wanting to be the bearers of bad news.
Pathological organizations tend to self-destruct, but often not before destroying a lot of good people and resources. The inner circle becomes smaller and smaller during the final stages as trust diminishes even further. Ultimately, nothing is done well because hardly anyone is talking to anyone else and those who are talking aren't sharing crucial information. If the process of self-destruction characteristic of most pathological climates isn't helped along, it can take a very long time and do untold damage.
Here's a brief checklist of political pathology.
Tell-Tale Signs of Cultural Pathology in Organizations
1. Frequent flattering of those in power (e.g., "the smartest man I've ever met.")
2. Information massaging. When no one says anything that might rock the boat, you can be sure that the organization is becoming (if it isn't already) pathological (e.g., "Who is going to tell him about the hurricane?")
3. Poisoning the well and fabricating negative information about other people (e.g., CIA agent identification)
4. Poisoning from the top. Here there is cold indifference. No one is truly valued and so they're easily sacrificed. Obsequiousness becomes the primary means of survival (e.g., the sacrificing of Colin Powell).
5. There's a good deal of "fake left, go right" strategy – leading others in the wrong direction in order to look good oneself (e.g., blame the locals, then take responsibility, then blame the locals, then....)
You may have other examples. One thing is for sure, if we're not witnessing political pathology, we're witnessing something very close.