Gotta say, I agree with Rob (and welcome back to him, too!). This thing is looking more and more like it's as sad as it ever looked like it might be on MP's end. What's most telling, I think, is that every time he says something new I noticed someone here who had defended him previously suddenly losing their patience.
Mike's big mistake, in my opinion, was/is is assumption that he is DT; that, like DT, he can do whatever he wants and go off the deep end if need be and his hardcore fans will stick by him. But that assumption is/was wrong, because the fans like DREAM THEATER way more than they like just one member. That is why ADTOE was such a hit with fans, and that is why over the past two years fans have been tearing Mike up at worst and scratching their heads at him at best.