Carson berates the media over his phony West Point scholarship

On the heels of his controversial statement that transgender people should have to use a separate bathroom, presidential candidate Ben Carson misrepresented his so-called West Point scholarship in his book Gifted Hands, according to ABC News on Friday.

Carson claimed in the book that he was offered a full four-year scholarship to West Point as a young man. He claimed that he met with General William Westmoreland and later was offered the scholarship to the U.S. Military Academy.

Carson claims that he told the officials at West Point that his heart was set on pursuing a medical career instead. Carson stated that he was not going to let anything divert him or stand in the way of his medical career. West Point spokespersons are saying that they cannot verify if a person ever was offered a scholarship because they only keep records of potential candidates for three years.

Carson took it upon himself to attack the media for uncovering this story. Carson called the probe into his past "pathetic" and "garbage."

The media also has been unable to verify Carson's claim to have had a violent adolescence. Carson said that as a 14 year-old boy, he tried to stab another boy. Carson clammed that the victim's belt buckle prevented him from hurting the boy.

This story has not been corroborated by anybody, including sources to Carson. It appears to this observer that at least one part of Carson's adolescence still is in play: his search for himself, his search for his identity and his search for his footing in the world.

It appears to this observer that Carson has multiple personal identities: Violent adolescent, promising West Point candidate, medical student, medical doctor, presidential candidate and Trump rival.

It appears that Carson is much too busy struggling to find his identity in his continuing adolescence to address the challenges of the presidency of the United States. That job has its own multiple identities: Commander in Chief, chief of party, political leader, moral leader, and leader of the Democratic free world.

And of course there is the job of awarding medals and Purple Hearts

to soldiers at the White House, some of whom are real West Point graduates. Of course, it does not appear at all likely that Carson will have to worry about being the one awarding military medals and Purple Hearts anytime soon.

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