to describe the thinking of Alberto Gonzales and also Laura Bush:
“Unusually, I’m having a vocabulary problem. There has to be some word for the kind of person who considers his mild discomfort the equivalent of torture, crippling injury, or death for other people. But I can’t think of it.”
Looking for a Word, Paul Krugman blog, December 31, 2008
I missed the comment deadline on this one, so I’ll have to put my contribution here. I believe the word Dr. Krugman seeks is
Always glad to be helpful.