Mourinho vs. Lippi: Jerk or Genius?

I don't think that many football fans out there would deny that Mourinho is interesting, funny, intelligent, and a rather good coach. He also has a knack for courting controversy, and clearly enjoys the attention and anger he often stirs up. In some cases though, one must wonder exactly what he is trying to accomplish.
In attacking Marcelo Lippi over a routine and mundane prediction (last year no one noticed or cared when Lippi predicted Inter would win the Scudetto) Mourinho has grabbed the media spotlight and focused it firmly on himself. After all, Mourinho is surely far too intelligent to actually believe that Lippi meant anything disrespectful in his comments. Lippi isn't a figure that is universally beloved, but he is someone who is very well-respected in the football community. Why attack him? Perhaps this is symptomatic of Mourinho's intense ego and desire to always be at the center of attention, or, he might be trying to lessen the pressure on an Inter squad that generally doesn't perform as well under intense pressure. Certainly this latest episode supports those that have said that Mourinho himself has absolutely no respect for other figures in the footballing world, even while he frequently complains that he himself doesn't receive sufficient respect. While Mourinho can be entertaining, and his put-downs amusing regardless of his position, surely a point will be reached when it becomes apparent that Mourinho is the person that shows a complete lack of respect to the rest of the footballing world, not Lippi or most of the other personages that have been at the end of his cutting remarks. His supporters argue (correctly) that he's an excellent coach, and that everything he does is for the benefit of the team, despite coming across as pure ego. However, if his purchase of Quaresma didn't prove that not everything he does is for the benefit of the team, then surely this out-of-the-blue blast at Lippi shows that Mourinho's ego is the most important thing for him, not the team he's coaching.