Absolute Samantha Power Corrupts Absolutely

Thank God Samantha Power has resigned from the Obama campaign. Her style of honest, brash, off-the-cuff statement-making has no place in presidential politics. Political operatives should not say anything other than the talking points handed down from the campaigns' higher-ups. That is what we the viewers and voters want--not unscripted asides of honesty and humanness, certainly not what one of Obama's chief advisors thinks about Ohio. Voters seek canned statements and platitudes like Hillary's "fool-me-once-shame-on-me" line, not outside-of-the-box thinking from Harvard folks like Power. Why? Because these statements have been vetted, battle-tested, and shoved through a focus-group blender and thus must convey to voters like me what the candidates really think.

In an ideal world, advisers and flacks would just read press releases on the air but unfortunately television networks feel they need to mask their operations as news-gathering. Whatever. Thankfully, America is nearing a state of moral bliss when every pundit, politician, and political operative is so straight-jacketed, so guarded against gotcha-journalists with Scottish accents, that nobody would dare use offensive, incendiary terms like "pimping" or "monster" ever again. Phew! American voters are not stupid--naïve, easily offended, yes--but they realize when they are being sold something that is honest and unscripted (Wait, did I just call Americans naïve? Is that offensive?? Should I resign??? Shit!! Wait, was that offensive, too????)

Note to presidential advisors: Please tell it from the memo, not from the heart. We Americans are too frail and easily offended to handle unscripted, candid comments.

Comments

[anywho]

Samantha Powers was saying what we OBAMA suporters were thinking......Hillary and her campaign ARE monsters. Vile , loathsom, sly, lying, racist, hypocritical monsters!!!!!!

[Jalans]

I knew of Samantha Power long before I'd heard of Obama. Having heard her speak several times I was impressed by her understanding of world affairs and her moral authority. In fact it was her presence on Obama's staff that helped me make my decision to support his campaign.

It's too bad about the monster quote, and the Iraq truth that she spoke is more than you'll hear from the Clinton campaign or her supporters. Supporters who, by the way, do their cause no favors by name calling, (bots, koolaid drinkers, etc) And their impassioned search for any inconsistency in message resembles the black & white thinking that characterizes the other party. (The real enemy, remember?)

[transendentilist]

Hey Lionel, she got canned because her statement was the complete opposite of obama's message about working together..."to reach the stars." (barf) And inspiring us all to be our "better selves." I guess hope and unity are easily talked about, but not easily lived.

[tlongtin]

straight-jacketed - NOT!

Correct: strait-jacketed - as Straits of Gibraltar, in dire straits, Straits of Hormuz - geeze wouldn't a news-junkie know the difference?

Must have been influenced by Straight Talk Express....

[mbaty]

Why is it that Alberto Gonzalez wouldn't resign, and neither would Larry Craig, but Samantha brilliant foreign policy advisor does?

[Neaguy]

Samantha Power's leave from the campaign scene is most welcome. Her talk of "patroling the commons" is the kind of imperialist dogma we do not need.

Ever since I saw Jeremy Scahill out talk her on Democracy Now I knew we were in trouble as a nation if she were allowed to close to power.

It's telling that Obama and her got along: two imperialists trying to keep the world from being truly free.

Good riddance.

[misspennylane]

How hard is this to figure out? She got carried away, blinded by her rapture over BO headed for the White House. Then this media-sophisticated person shot off her mouth and tried to take it back. There should be some penalty for being that foolish.

[unionave]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-03-06-clinton-library-foia_N.htm

Since the Clinton library and her campaign is largely funded by a few Arab countries , will fuel prices go down or up if she gets in the White House again ? All who are happy with high fuel prices should vote multiple times for her . Too secretive to be our president or vice president . Her experience makes her good at hiding what she has been involved in and will be doing . We are dealing a secretive government now . We do not need another one .

[transendentilist]

A few Arab countries?? Such as?

[MKSinSA]

Bill Clinton's presidential library raised more than 10 percent of the cost of its $165 million facility from foreign sources, with the most generous overseas donation coming from Saudi Arabia, according to interviews yesterday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/14/AR2007121402124_pf.html

[unionave]

That article speaks for itself .

[RnR]

Hey guys...the "people" weren't the ones offended. It was the Clinton group. Nobody I know thought it was offensive and everybody thought it was really funny.

I admire her, I'd love for her to be in our government - at least we'd have 1 person we could actually ask a question and not expect 5 pages of bullshit containing no answer.

[Mojane]

Or did the Clinton camp simply feign offense? After all, they've heard worse descriptives of their boss, which for the sake of not offending their ears yet again, I'll desist repeating. Their calling out Obama for using Ken Starr tactics was mild compared to MONSTER? I thanked Samantha when I heard it, I echoed her sentiments, as do many of us fragile types. Carl Rove, you can come out from behind her skirts now. Oh, wait, maybe after April 15th.

[transendentilist]

And this the exact opposite of obama's message of hope and unity and working together to reach the stars BS. Not so easily lived up to is it????? You are like the fundies who make a big deal out of being christian, but rarely do you ever live christ's teachings. You fail the obama reality test. F

[transendentilist]

It's not a matter of being offensive, which it certainly was, but it is totally opposite of obama's message of "a new kind of politics, without the politics of personal destruction." It doesn't bode well for his message of hope and unity, now does it?
His fans are like the fundies. The fundies make a big deal out of being christians, but very few of them live according to Christ's message. Easier said than done.

[PioneerKing]

Ms. Power has survived this all very nicely. This notoriety will allow Ms. Power a higher profile for any future endeavors. Her books will sell in greater volume and she will be able to command a greater royalty for future books. Moreover, many, who may never heard of Ms. Power prior to this incident, now know of her. Ms. Power will profit handsomely and, end up on someone's staff, corporate or governmental, making a tidy salary. Ms. Power is far from a victim in this matter.

[clemo]

Didn't I read this on another article? Cut & paste...it's not a Xerox world anymore.

[nellie]

This isn't about honesty or passion. It's about being a professional. When campaign staff talk to the press, they need to be aware that everything they say is likely to be turned into some kind of sound bite. And if that sound bite gives ammunition to anyone to say that the campaign is weak, or mean, or whatever, that's not good. Granted, the Clinton campaign has thrown out a lot of mean spirited stuff, but look how it's backfiring. Look at the backlash. Maybe ad hominem works for a day, but in the long run it reflects badly on a campaign and a candidate.

I'm sorry Power had to step down. But that was the best result for Obama's candidacy.

[wndrwrthg]

You must hand it to hil, she has cowered the press. All she needs to do now is complain that she is not being treated fairly or someone spoke ill of her and the press will do her dirty work. She is using the bush/rove strategy in that to appear that they (the press) are not picking on her they will bend over backwards to do her bidding. The media is so easily manipulated.

[clemo]

Got that right. They're trying so hard not to compliment Obama therefore they go to the extreme in the other direction and vice versa for Hillary. They need to take a deep breath and just do their job.

Oh, and just for fun...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fbb5woDPrQ

[LNinIllinois]

Apparently from the content of the coments so far we are naive, easily offended, and not aware of the subtleties of your humor. I loved your Colbert-style commentary. As for Ms Power, I just bought her book about Sergio Vieira de Mello and it is superb as have been her other writings. I'm sorry she was mistaken about the integrity of the self-righteous Bulgarian Scot reporter who is also naive IMHO.

As for resigning, that was an over-the-top reaction considering the offense, which was no worse than David Shuster's use of the word 'pimp.' I don't use 'monster' in my common discourse but my very professional daughter who is Ms Power's and Mr Shuster's age uses it as slang as well as 'pimp.' It was obviously meant to be angry invective but not a literal adjective.

I agree entirely with Sen Obama's premise that dignity and respect are important aspects of the civility of his campaign and should be the goal of others. I would have given her a 'time out' and not accepted her resignation. She's an aide not a spokesperson. Bring her back in a couple of weeks if she'll even consider returning.

[PioneerKing]

Great going Smantha - your comment about Hillary should really boost your book sales. You go girl!!

[Hadok]

Whew! An Obama operative impulsively shoots off her mouth, Obama impulsively throws her under the bus, and it is the electorates' fault?

You are right. I'm afraid I might have to look for someone other than Obama to be my president. I'm just not worthy of HlM.

[DietrichMoody]

Love the Sarcasm, Lionel. This is how one writes sarcastically, I think, and in not in the manner in which Clinton writers worked their sarcasm into her "celestial choirs" monologue, came across more cynical and jaded. Your post came across as funny but with your point, clearly intact.

But what you point out to me is that "True Cults" can't handle candid moments. True cults like the "Pro Bush supporters" overreaching in Power after 9/11 and "Hillary supporters" whining about her brand name and rightful "moral" place as President. Notice that these cults always have to CONTROL of the message (code word: Messages vetted, Candidate vetted). And cultist love to Project, they confuse their own very unwanted personality, onto others, and hold others in complete contempt. The want to CONTROL THE MESSAGE, that is why Bush and Clinton feed themselves questions at town hall meetings that they, or their handlers, write.

Now that Power is not longer professionally associated with Obama's campaign, she should pay one of the Clinton rallies a visit, maybe Pennsylvania, and call out the Senator from New York for who she is. It's time Ms. Power, become an American conscience.