What is it about politics that makes people go insane?

My idea of why politics in general, whether you're discussing relgion or science in that context, creates such bizarre behavior from people is two-part:

1. Emotional investment is a rather big deal today, and people are more willing to put much of themselves into the ideas they espouse (e.g. the religious right, gay activists) which leads into some passionate debating when their beliefs are questioned because that in turn means their self worth is questioned as well. If a more detached perspective and better distinction between personal and political were practiced, then we'd be seeing a little less hotheadedness in politics. That won't happen anytime soon when "the personal is the political" is the prime political philosophy.

2. The personal need to be right, to be infallible. People really do not want to be wrong, which as stated in the previous point, leads them to question themselves in a manner they find uncomfortable. They prefer to be in a state where their core assumptions are unquestioned and therefore lead a comfortable existence. When they are questioned, they become very adamant to defend their beliefs in hoping to simply shut up the doubt. This need to be right has to be suppressed in order to allow the mind to develop and grow as ideas become more complex with the introduction of new information.

Jam it back in, in the dark.