Pathological defect or personality quirk? Journalist or campaign operative with a byline?

Well, that's awkward timing. A couple of days ago, it was revealed that at least one Politico "journalist" (AKA Democrat operative with a byline) has been submitting his articles to the Clinton campaign for prior approval before publication. Now we have Why Can’t Hillary Stop Fudging the Truth? by Todd S. Purdum, an extended effort to softly, softly turn a pathological compulsion to lie about everything into a kinder, gentler personality quirk that needs understanding.

This isn't, contra Purdum, about fudging the truth and sins of omission. This is about self-serving lying.

Purdum's is an odd article to publish after just having been exposed as a Clinton Campaign house organ. Perhaps, focused on campaign writing, Politico "journalists" don't actually read the news and therefore don't realize they have been exposed? An absurd speculation except, in this campaign cycle, it seems that there is no speculation so absurd that can be indulged in that doesn't have a real prospect of turning out to be true.

Purdum's article is an exercise itself in sycophancy and dissimulation.