Celebrity status

[The_Rorschach]

"I didn't say it was a SUCESSFUL publicity stunt ... "

Successful. Two C's, and perhaps it wasn't successful because it wasn't meant to be a publicity stunt in the first place. He sure as hell doesn't need the attention, and in a liberal friendly media, exactly what kind of appreciation do you think he would have earned?

Maybe he was just doing what, in his own confused way, he thought was right. I know its a stretch, but it's more plausible than your theory.