Keeping up with the Haggards

Hmm, and I was just wondering what Ted Haggard was up to, now that he has graduated from rehab and is back in Colorado Springs. The answer is, he is booking out of there to pursue "a degree in psychology." Let's wish him well, and hope his studies give him a little better understanding of the field than he obviously does now, since in his statement he mentioned that his rehab program was "a three-week psychological intensive that gave us three years worth of analysis and treatment."

Man, that's some program! If they all worked that well, I know plenty of psychologists who would be out of a job. Perhaps for that reason, Haggard anticipates some openings in the field. Or maybe he has some other career in mind for him and his wife:

We are both planning on getting our masters in Psychology so we can work together serving others the rest of our lives. Since we are taking our classes on-line, we can live anywhere that's affordable. Then we'll travel to location for short in-class requirements.

Ah... an on-line Master's in Psychology. Okay. Finally, he explains:

For the last three months, I've not been communicative because I've been paralyzed by shame.

And here I thought it was because he was on lock-down. That just shows how much I know.

More information, of a kind, about the process Haggard went through is here. And for a generic treatment of the psychological condition that has become almost synonymous with Haggard's name, consider this blogger's essay:

Hypocrisy is a traditional American value, which is why liberals are opposed to it. Although my father smoked and drank, he always made it clear that smoking and drinking were wrong and that he had higher standards for me. I can still feel the sting of his slap when I pointed out that he smoked after he caught me with a cigarette. I have passed on these very same values to my own children. When my kids catch me sneaking a cigarette or smell alcohol on my breath, I repeat the words my father said to me, which his father said to him, "Do what Daddy says, not what Daddy does." And someday my children will instill these same values in their children.

I think he's kidding.