Power Resigns

It seems that Samantha Power has resigned from the Obama campaign in the wake of a reference to Hillary Clinton as a "monster" in an interview with The Scotsman (and why was should doing an interview with The Scotsman anyway?) that she's since apologized for. I hadn't thought she had a formal position with the campaign to begin with so probably not a ton of substantive significance here.

UPDATE: Well, David Kurtz says "In the constellation of Obama advisers, the 37-year-old Irish-born Power has as high a profile and as close a relationship to the candidate as anyone."

Comments

Well, darn. This is why we get incompetent but overly cautious boobs running most of the government. One of the smartest women in America says one stupid thing and we lose her vast reservoir of knowledge.

Posted by generica | March 7, 2008 12:16 PM

She wrote a book -- she's promoting it. Memo to Matt -- don't say stupid things on book promotion tours.

Posted by Ikram | March 7, 2008 12:17 PM

Well, darn. This is why we get incompetent but overly cautious boobs running most of the government. One of the smartest women in America says one stupid thing and we lose her vast reservoir of knowledge.

Posted by generica | March 7, 2008 12:17 PM

Well, darn. This is why we get incompetent but overly cautious idiots running most of the government. One of the smartest women in America says one stupid thing and we lose her vast reservoir of knowledge.

Posted by generica | March 7, 2008 12:18 PM

I'm hoping (and assuming) this just means she'll stop acting as a campaign surrogate, not that she'll no longer have any role in shaping Obama's foreign policy.

Posted by Dave | March 7, 2008 12:19 PM

I guess she shoulda gone with the tried and true "rhymes with 'rich'" line, after all.

Posted by Pesto | March 7, 2008 12:20 PM

Wow! I think this is a bug overreaction by the Obama camp.

Yeah, Power shot her mouth off in a way she really shouldn't have, but I thought her apology was first rate--an actual apology and not the typical "sorry if any idiots were offended" sort of thing we usually hear from public figures.

As someone who has often been critical of Obama supporters' excessive hatred of HRC, her apology was good enough for me. This is politics. Some tensions between the two camps are natural and even healthy. I think they're trying to take a little too much high road here. If Power is an essential part of Obama's team then I'm kind of scared of what might happen in the fall when Obama faces the Republican attack machine.

Posted by Rob Mac | March 7, 2008 12:20 PM

No, of course Matt, Obama's chief foreign policy advisor (see TPM) resigning has no substantive significance. Everything is fine, nothing to see here....

Posted by Andruw | March 7, 2008 12:21 PM

well, she was his top foreign policy adviser, so its a big deal in a sense. she'll be back after he wins though, for sure.

I agree entirely with generica above.

Posted by onceler | March 7, 2008 12:21 PM

Umm, sorry about that. I changed a loaded word, but apparently not before it got sent. I will happily resign my position as an unpaid advisor to a potential official.

Posted by generica | March 7, 2008 12:21 PM

She wrote a book -- she's promoting it. Memo to Matt -- don't say stupid things on book promotion tours.

I'd vote for the exact opposite sentiment-- if she hadn't said this stupid thing, I'd have never known she had a book out. So, MattY, my suggestion to promote your book sales is to say something hideously stupid that gets published in a news story and have that news story get linked to by Drudge. Book sales gold!

Posted by Tyro | March 7, 2008 12:22 PM

She will still be an informal advisor, I'm sure, and hopefully a part of his adminstration (mind you, Power is WAY too hawkish for me, but probably the best that the"serious" foriegn policy community has to offer). But she had to resign, let's be serious. Calling a monster a monster jst isn't acceptable in American politics.

I hate holding back on the true extent of my negative feelings regarding Clinto, but I'm trying to be dignified here. My true feelings are MUCH stronger than I'm expressing here.

Posted by LarryM | March 7, 2008 12:22 PM

Well, darn. This is why we get incompetent but overly cautious idiots running most of the government. One of the smartest women in America says one stupid thing and we lose her vast reservoir of knowledge.

I know this was posted 3 times already, but I had to post it again because it's so spot on.
Still, I do think Power will return to Obama's team eventually, so I don't think we've lost her. She just needed to take a break to cool down and refocus.

Posted by Mike | March 7, 2008 12:23 PM

why was should doing an interview with The Scotsman anyway

Plugging her book in the UK.

The Scotsman is meant to be a broadsheet, but those were some tabloid values on display, because the paper knew it could make an impact on the US race.

Like I said last night, the Clinton campaign seems to be determined to make this year regress to the mean, and the consequences of that will be Wolf Blitzer asking inane questions in front of an audience of political retards in motherfucking Dayton come October.

On the other hand, the campaign could hire me and I'll call Hillary's campaign the biggest collection of c*nts outside the Hustler photo vaults.

Posted by pseudonymous in nc | March 7, 2008 12:24 PM

Obama hires a twit and so this is what you get. She is an immature airhead who was in a position of responsibility she was not qualified for. All she had to do was ACT grownup, but even that was too difficult for her.

This is typical of the kind of idiots working for Obama.

Posted by ken | March 7, 2008 12:24 PM

I doubt she'll be run out of government or anything. If Obama becomes president, no one's going to care about this if he hires her back in some capacity, which I'm sure he would.

Losing smart people from government is bad when it happens, but plenty of smart people do stupid things when it comes to political campaigns. Throwing out an insult and then retroactively trying to get it off the record is an incredibly sloppy thing to do in the context of a presidential campaign. Having it rise to a firing offense is admittedly on the extreme side, but when it comes to the politics of winning foreign policy arguments in the midst of a campaign, I don't think she had much of a role to play.

Posted by Haggai | March 7, 2008 12:24 PM

Er... I'm sure there was no pun intended in mentioning "boobs" generica. But I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments shown thus far, all the Obama camp has done is proven to the Clinton's that a little oppo research into comments made his staff will decimate his camp with resignations.

Gee, I wonder if the GOP took any notice of this new strategy? Way to stick by your staff, Barack... It's not like Hillary or anyone has said anything obnoxious about Barack, right?

Posted by kiweagle | March 7, 2008 12:25 PM

Should he win the presidency, she'll come back.

But, my God, what a stupid non-story! Seriously, it was clearly an inadvertent slip up, not an attempt to negatively frame Clinton. Everyone knows that the campaigns hate each other. I am sure that Clinton's folks regularly refer to Obama in obscene ways, and vice-versa. Everyone knows this and no one genuinely cares. Yet the Halperins of the world, with their incurable Drudge-envy, are still going to play this for all it's worth. Because these are the only stories they care about or understand.

Posted by pjs | March 7, 2008 12:27 PM

If she's one of the smartest women in America, we're in big trouble. What does it take for people to act like adults? Did that make her feel better to say that? It doesn't matter what her official position was TO THE PUBLIC!!! She's now "An Obama campaign official". Can't people control themselves? Sheesh...

And seriously, we need to get over ourselves already. Child rapists and genocidal dicators - to name just a couple - are monsters.

Thank God the weekend is here so I can start drinking again...

Posted by BlueStreak | March 7, 2008 12:27 PM

Rob Mac,

Fuck you you fucking concern troll. If she hadn't resigned, you would have criticized him for keeping her.

Die painfully in a fire, and burn in hell in for etrnity with the devil Clinton.

Posted by LarryM | March 7, 2008 12:27 PM

You guys are shocking. I can't imagine the response if anyone from Clinton's campaign said anything like this about Obama. Much milder things from them and you are ready to declare her a dirty, shrill, corrupt maniac. The hypocrisy on this site knows no bounds.

Posted by Riley | March 7, 2008 12:28 PM

I can't imagine the response if anyone from Clinton's campaign said anything like this about Obama

Like when he got accused of being a drug dealer?

Posted by Persia | March 7, 2008 12:30 PM

Sorry, BlueStreak, but I didn't mean to use a loaded word in my first response. As soon as I realized it, I changed it, but it was too late. I didn't mean to make a misogynistic statement, but I'm sure there a a bunch of women who would happily remove my ovaries and drum me out of the gender for it. But it was still an honest mistake. I'm willing to give Powers the same consideration I'd like to be given to me.

Posted by generica | March 7, 2008 12:32 PM

Where the hell is Barack by the way? It seems as if he has been attacked relentlessly for days now and he has basically pulled a John Kerry and disappeared. Whats up with that?

Posted by brent | March 7, 2008 12:32 PM

generica is right.

Power said one stupid thing-- in a conversation with a Scottish journalist, not on Meet the f----ing Press-- and apologized. No need for a resignation.

Bear in mind also that Power's been right about everything, and Clinton's been wrong.

Posted by Elvis Elvisberg | March 7, 2008 12:33 PM

One of my complaints about American politics is that no one takes politics seriously enough. Because we're all living in a first-world country where changes in political power in DC doesn't make a difference as to whether our town gets electricity or plumbing, the stakes of party identification and candidate vicotries are much lower. While this is generally a good thing, the flip side is that we aren't emotionally invested in the actual differences have and the actual changes that candidates will make if elected.

LarryM, however, warms my heart by demonstrating that not everyone has that same level of emotional detachment and sense of unimportance about this race that so many other people do about politics.

Posted by Tyro | March 7, 2008 12:33 PM

This is typical of the kind of idiots working for Obama.
Ken, you're not qualified to drank her bath water.

Posted by bjd | March 7, 2008 12:35 PM

If she hadn't resigned, you would have criticized him for keeping her.

No, he's right here. Obama's been playing almost exclusively high-road politics, and that worries me, because both Gore and Kerry fell by the same method. He needs to be able to handle this kind of stuff better, or else he will lose in the fall.

Power's remarks may have been intemperate and/or clumsy, but bending over backwards in the cases like this is not a good sign.

Posted by Brad L | March 7, 2008 12:35 PM

Er... I'm sure there was no pun intended in mentioning "boobs" generica. But I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments shown thus far, all the Obama camp has done is proven to the Clinton's that a little oppo research into comments made his staff will decimate his camp with resignations.

Gee, I wonder if the GOP took any notice of this new strategy? Way to stick by your staff, Barack... It's not like Hillary or anyone has said anything obnoxious about Barack, right?

Posted by kiweagle | March 7, 2008 12:35 PM

Riley,

The difference is this. Clinton IS a monster, by ANY objective standard. Obama is not.

Apparently, though, there is some pretty big Clinton scandal that all of the DC insiders know about that hasn't broken yet. Hopefully it will break in the next few days and finally put the wooden stake through the heart of her pathetic candidacy.

Though there are moments I almost hope she wins, so I can rub the faces of Clinton supporters in McCain's 45 plus state landslide victory. Almost, but not quite.

Posted by LarryM | March 7, 2008 12:36 PM

Well as long as Obama's still got Max Power on the team...

Posted by Handsome B. Wonderful | March 7, 2008 12:36 PM

This is stupid. I posted an entry on this topic on:
http://swimmingfreestyle.typepad.com/swimming_freestyle/2008/03/suck-it-up-hill.html
An excerpt:
Jeez, Senator Clinton, this is starting to look like pro wrestling here. Lots of drama, hammy acting and over exaggerated responses to what all observing can plainly see are pulled punches and minor blows.

Suck it up Senator. Is this what you think is "tough enough" to be President of the United States? What are you going to do if you're elected, call for the firing of anyone who calls you a bad name?

Posted by Jay McDonough | March 7, 2008 12:36 PM

Oooooooopsie, the mistakes keep piling on, don't they?

It seems that the Obama campaign is accident-prone these days. Where's the swagger? Where's the arrogance? Whatever happened to the prophecy foretold?

Thus, the story of a false prophet comes to an end.

Obama should drop out, fade away and rack-up the fees on the motivational speaker circuit.

Let's unite behind Hillary and win this thing! Yes we can! Yes we can!

Posted by Ringo Meza | March 7, 2008 12:37 PM

The book is "Chasing the Flame" - a biography of Sergio Vieira De Mello who was killed in the Baghdad UN bombing. Lot's of contemporary history involving UN missions is covered.

She's an excellent writer.

Posted by Mike in KS | March 7, 2008 12:38 PM

why was should doing an interview with The Scotsman anyway

Plugging her book in the UK.

The Scotsman is meant to be a broadsheet, but those were some tabloid values on display, because the paper knew it could make an impact on the US race.

Like I said last night, the Clinton campaign seems to be determined to make this year regress to the mean, and the consequences of that will be Wolf Blitzer asking inane questions in front of an audience of political retards in motherfucking Dayton come October.

On the other hand, the campaign could hire me and I'll call Hillary's campaign the biggest collection of c*nts outside the Hustler photo vaults.

Posted by pseudonymous in nc | March 7, 2008 12:39 PM

"Monster" is a metaphor to describe human beings who seem to be controlled by urges or forces beyond what's rational, and have the ability to do a great deal of damage as a result. I don't think describing Hillary as a "monster" in the context of the Democratic race is too off-base, frankly. It's very hard to see a path to the nomination for her that won't destroy the party, yet that fact only seems to increase her determination.

Obama should have demanded from Power that she not resign. After all, she did preface her comment, by saying it was "off the record." Why can't we be human beings and use metaphors, even if they offend? I didn't think "pimped out" was all that bad, either.

I hate it when the most literal-minded and schoolmarmy among us decide what can or cannot be said. Public life doesn't have to be so sanitized.

Posted by Ban Johnson | March 7, 2008 12:42 PM

Ringo,

There will be no uniting behind the devil creature Clinton. Some people, like me, who can't stomach McCain, will vote third party or stay home. Some will vote for McCain. Clinton will be lucky to win a single state. And The Monster will drag the down ticket races down too - look forward to at least 2 more years of the Republicans controlling the House, Senate and presidency.

Posted by LarryM | March 7, 2008 12:42 PM

generica -
I'm just tired of Democrats, male or female, continuing to do stuff that makes us look unprofessional, emotional, or otherwise just dopey. Doesn't matter if it's the Obama, Clinton, or any other side.

My comments had nothing to do with her being a woman. My same complaint applies to all genders. ACT PROFESSIONALY AND DON'T FUCK UP!!! It is that hard NOT to call a political rival in the middle of a testy campanign "a monster" during A FORMAL INTERVIEW? We Democrats do dumb things like this all the time. We don't need to give all the dopes out there in the voting population another reason not to vote for us.

It just makes my head hurt...

Posted by BlueStreak | March 7, 2008 12:43 PM

It's unfortunate that she needed to resign even after her apology, because she clearly is talented and I've liked a lot of what we've seen coming out of her team on foreign policy... but it was a dumb thing to say (even these things can slip), she should've been more careful, and the end result isn't really surprising or unexpected in any way.

You guys are shocking. I can't imagine the response if anyone from Clinton's campaign said anything like this about Obama. Much milder things from them and you are ready to declare her a dirty, shrill, corrupt maniac. The hypocrisy on this site knows no bounds.

Like what? Specific examples? I mean, I know it's hard to argue with someone that just lumps everyone into a group and then tars-and-feathers them en masse, but I don't think of myself as a particularly hypocritical person. "Monster" isn't a great word to use, but I've also heard a lot worse used and it's not the sort of thing I'm going to literally freak out over. I sort of file "monster" away in the same category as "Ken Starr" -- tacky and not really a term that should be used, but the kind of thing that happens sometimes in the heat of a campaign and not end-of-the-world stuff.

The words coming out of the Clinton campaign that concern me, consistently, and which I find deeply troubling, are the ones she uses when she decides to fluff up John McCain in the same breath that she's tearing down Barack Obama. Praising a Republican presidential nominee as a better choice than your fellow Democratic candidate is completely over the line and destructive to the party as a whole.

Posted by jbryan | March 7, 2008 12:44 PM

If Power is too stupid to understand that you can't say something inflamatory to a reporter - and then try to walk it back AFTER THE FACT by saying it's "off the record", she has no business speaking to the press on behalf of any candidate. This is public relations 101. Attributions are set at the beginning of the interview.

Furthermore, it is interesting to me how many Obama folks here are perfectly willing to forgive immature name-calling with ... more immature name-calling. What happened to "hope" and "change" folks?

And because it bears repeating, Obama has consistently called Clinton "disengenous" and "secretive" and said "she'd do anything to win" since at least last October. So let's not pretend he isn't perfectly willing to use GOP talking points when it's beneficial to him (see also: Harry and Louise).

Posted by Columbia | March 7, 2008 12:50 PM

Samatha Power is awesome and the fact that Obama had hired her made me like him even more.

She probably figured the race is over because it is.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/119010/page/1

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87961802

I wish this was the Gong Show and someone could bang the gong and pull the Clinton campaign off the stage.

Posted by Peter K. | March 7, 2008 12:50 PM

Re LarryM

Mr. LarryM, a typical 2 year old. If he doesn't get his way, he'll pick up his marbles and run home.

Posted by SLC | March 7, 2008 12:51 PM

I am also operating on the assumption that Power is only out for the duration of the campaign (and maybe only the primary campaign--I can't see McCain making a big deal out of Power returning for the general election campaign). Given that assumption, it seems like a smart move to temporarily bench her: although I tend not to like making examples out of people, Power does not seem to be objecting, and in this case she is probably more useful as an example than as an active participant in the campaign.

Posted by DTM | March 7, 2008 12:52 PM

Columbia, I'll see your heat-of-the-moment "monster" and raise you a calculated "madrassa" and "crack dealer."

Posted by Tyro | March 7, 2008 12:53 PM

Correct move by Obama. He really had no choice. He couldn't sidetrack his campaign to defend Powers. What the hell was she thinking?

Obamakins need to quit whining about mean ol' Hillary and focus. The best revenge is winning the nomination.

Posted by Undecided | March 7, 2008 12:53 PM

SLC,

No, it's not that at all. I have many faults, I may be foul mouthed, rude, and nasty, but I have no particular love for Obama (I favor him as the least of three evils), and I would even vote for the Devil woman if I thought she would be meaningfully better on the only issues that matter (hegemonic foriegn policy & the national security state). But the fact that she is as bad as McCain on those issues makes it easy to abandon her, not because I'm a sore loser, but because I despise the creature.

And I have news for you - combine people like me with the Obama true believers and you have millions of people who won't vote for Clinton under any circumstances. Can you say 50 states sweep for McCain? I think it's possible.

And then I promise a gloating "I told you so" post every day for the entirety of the McCain admistration.

Posted by LarryM | March 7, 2008 1:01 PM

So goes another talented, idealistic committed person from public life, all because she momentarily fell outside the Rules of the Game.

Here's hoping that Power puts her brilliance and strength of character to good use for this country in a position of responsibility under President Obama--and that the Clintons ooze slime all the way back under the rock that is their rightful demesne.

Posted by daja | March 7, 2008 1:03 PM

It looks like two Obama memes are falling by the wayside. First, that Obama is teh awesome because he's got geniuses like Power and Goolsbee for policy advisers. In consecutive weeks now, we've seen boneheaded mistakes by both of them.

The second tarnished meme is that Obama may not have any executive experience, but hey -- look at how well-run his campaign is! Apparently, not so much. The candidate who has managed to lose the biggest states in the country while maintaining a narrow delegate lead on HRC seems to be a mere mortal when it comes to keeping his not-terribly-smart wife and super-smart advisers from sticking their feet in their mouths.

Posted by Fred | March 7, 2008 1:04 PM

Very nice trying to change the subject - but the cases you referenced resulted in 1) a resignation and 2) public apologizies (Kerrey couldn't "resign" as he was just a supporter).

But more to the point, what's with the ad hominem attacks? In just this thread, Clinton has been called a "monster", the "devil", and all her staffers are "c*nts". I mean really? She's teh evul and thus she (and by proxy her supporters) should just accept any crap someone wants to throw at her? Here's the thing with that argument - Clinton is very popular amongst a large segment of the Democratic base. IF Obama wins the nomination, he'll have to get those folks to vote for him. So alientating those people by insulting someone they admire very much on a juvenile, 3rd grade level seems to be a very poor strategy for the campaign and his supporters here.

And of course, none of that changes my main point that Power did not understand the first rule of dealing with the press, which alone speaks to her ability to act as a surrogate on behalf of a candidate.

Posted by Columbia | March 7, 2008 1:04 PM

So if you didn't know this about Powers -- that she was integral to the Obama foreign policy team -- what else don't you know? Why would you even both to write again - so nonchalantly assuring, so arrogant, and so ignorant?

Posted by noneoftheabove | March 7, 2008 1:08 PM

So if you didn't know this about Powers -- that she was integral to the Obama foreign policy team -- what else don't you know? Why would you even both to write again - so nonchalantly assuring, so arrogant, and so ignorant?

Posted by noneoftheabove | March 7, 2008 1:08 PM

Rob Mac,

Fuck you you fucking concern troll. If she hadn't resigned, you would have criticized him for keeping her.

Die painfully in a fire, and burn in hell in for etrnity with the devil Clinton.

This is rich. I've been posting to this blog for over a year and now I'm a concern troll because my innocuous comments gave LarryM the vapors.

And Tyro, I'm not sure why LarryM's tantrum warms your heart. There's vitriol like this all over the web. Where ya been, man? Stuff like this doesn't mean people are taking politics seriously. It just means certain people let their id take over when they type anonymous comments on the web.

LarryM, you are not much of a mind reader. I read Power's apology early this morning and was impressed. A little later I read that she had resigned and was disappointed. In fact I like a lot about Obama and think he will almost certainly be the nominee. And I dislike plenty about Clinton (for example, her recent comments in which she said both she and McCain "passed the commander in chief" test but Obama didn't have just about turned me against her completely).

You know, something just occurred to me. Maybe LarryM is the concern troll, cursing and condemning people he doesn't know, making all Obama supporters look like shrill lefty douchebags. I mean, "the devil Clinton"? That's just too on the nose. No real person would say anything like that.

Posted by Rob Mac | March 7, 2008 1:10 PM

As a Obama supporter. I see areas, the team should immediately improve one. One is, that HRC team is vey good at setting the media narrative. This is partly due to their gutter plicits style, but we have defensive now for 2 weeks and think they're onto something, well keep punching them till we find their spot. Secondly is the surrogrates, there is too many youngish media surrogrates like Power the team has. Another one that will likely gaffe soon, I think is Susan Rice. Get Sen. Dodd, or Gov. Kaine, Daschle to on the screen frequently instead.

Posted by Kathy Millet | March 7, 2008 1:11 PM

columbia,

I agree that the poster who used c*nts was way out of line. Every other comment about Clinton in this thread can be defended on the grounds of manifest accuracy. In fact, I think on the whole peopel are being way too easy on her.

Posted by LarryM | March 7, 2008 1:11 PM

Good post Kathy Millet.

It's a shame it happened, but I hope everyone can move on.

FWIW, I would only be pissed if I heard Penn or someone call Barack an n-word. Something like "naive moron" wouldn't bother me- I'm not dumb enough to believe that both campaigns aren't making fun of the other constantly.

Posted by Monster | March 7, 2008 1:20 PM

It looks like two Obama memes are falling by the wayside. First, that Obama is teh awesome because he's got geniuses like Power and Goolsbee for policy advisers. In consecutive weeks now, we've seen boneheaded mistakes by both of them.

True, we've seen boneheaded mistakes by both of them... but the mistakes were in campaigning, not in their areas of expertise for which their inclusion in Obama's circle yielded praise. Had Power committed a huge foreign policy gaffe, that would be a big concern. Had Goolsbee blundered on economics, that would too. That they've proved less than effective at surrogacy doesn't diminish what they did or would contribute in their fields; I'm disappointed in Power here but I don't think it hurts any of the appeal for Obama or the foreign policies Power helped to craft while in his team. It's dishonest to suggest otherwise.

Posted by jbryan | March 7, 2008 1:24 PM

The issue was could obama trust powers?
The answer is he no longer can.
He needs credibility and she no longer can lend him any.
Her book on genecide is very powerful (my daughter and I are reading it together) and yet she messed up badly: advisors about foriegn policy need to be a little more discreet than this.

They are s'posed to play the press, not be played by the press.

Posted by Michael C. | March 7, 2008 1:26 PM

With Power so unceremoniously booted out of the campaign, a question arises about who will replace her as Obama's chief foreign affairs advisor? Marion Barry?

"----- set me up!"

Posted by Ringo Meza | March 7, 2008 1:47 PM

Outcome #1: Obama stands by Powers

HRC Response: "I thought Prince Obama was above political as usual. Where's all the talk of hope and change?"

Outcome #2: Powers resigns

HRC Response: "How is Obama going to stand up to the Republican attack machine if he caves on something so insignificant?"

These silly news stories are just Rorshach tests confirming people's preexisting biases. Clinton supporters feel vindicated that Obama is an empty suit lobbing bombs behind a smile. Obama supporters feel vindicated that the Clinton campaign will cut any corner, make a mountain out of any molehil, to win the nomination.

Posted by TheF79 | March 7, 2008 1:50 PM

It's odd: the idea that a high-level, high-profile adviser is going to be - even should be - held to the same standard as bloggers and talk radio hosts is a little crazy.

Until this past week the Obama campaign has - at least in terms of American politics - been a class act: disciplined, civil. The fact that it has begun to sound like its supporters in the blogosphere - coarse and even at times a little unhinged - doesn't bode well for the idea that Obama and his outfit has been tested, would be ready to keep its cool under fire from day one in office.

Posted by Linus | March 7, 2008 2:25 PM

Ringo Meza

You're fooling no-one, Mr Penn.

Posted by pseudonymous in nc | March 7, 2008 3:30 PM

Does WOLFson now resign for comparing Obama to Ken Starr?

Posted by centrist | March 7, 2008 3:45 PM

centrist, even someone like me who despises Clinton and all she stands for understands the difference )politically, anyway) between calling someone a monster, and saying that someone has engaged in Ken Starr tactics, which can't even be legitimately described as name calling.

Mind you, the Ken Starr comment was (a) repulsive, and (b) inaccurate, whereas the monster comment was (a) a breath of fresh air, and (b) true. But, in terms of the way the game is played, the former was acceptable, and the latter was not.

Which doesn't mean that the Obama campaign shouldn't jump all over the Ken Starr comment. But not with outrage. Just explain, correctly, that (a) being a victim of a witch hunt doesn't give someone a free pass for life against legitimate questions, and, (b) suggest that characterizing attacks from McCain as "Ken Starr" tactics isn't going to work well in the general.

Or maybe not even dignify it to that extent; derisive laughter would be appropriate.

Posted by LarryM | March 7, 2008 3:57 PM

It may seem ironic that someone as foul mouthed as I am has a better understanding of what is out of bounds and what isn't. But much of my discourse is out of bounds intentionally, to suggest that the normal rules don't & shouldn't apply given the current state of the nation and quality of the candidates. But, for all his talk of change (and, ironically, in part because of his talk of change), Obama isn't really in a position to make that argument.

Posted by LarryM | March 7, 2008 4:03 PM

Wow. I mean "monster" is not a swear word or an epithet. It's a pretty good description of the persona that Hilary Clinton has presented to us on the campaign trail - a person with no ethical or moral compass at all, driven solely by a lust for power. It doesn't sound to me like Samantha came unhinged, maybe just spoke a little too frankly.

Posted by vanya | March 7, 2008 5:10 PM

Re LarryM

Obviously, Supreme Court Nominations are of no consequence to Mr. LarryM, proving that he is indeed a 2 year old. The issue is very simple. Clinton/Obama = Breyer & Ginsburg; McCain = Roberts & Alito. If the thought of more shitheads like Roberts and Alito, in addition to cocksuckers like Thomas and Scalia doesn't get a rise out of Mr. LarryM, then 2 years old is probably generous.

Posted by SLC | March 7, 2008 5:16 PM

SLC,

Haha, yeah, good bye Roe v. Wade, etc. You people supporting The Monster should have considered that before torching the Democratic party.

No, I will not vote for the Monster on those grounds. If the nominees are Clinton and McCain, that will be clear evidence that the only long term hope for this nation is horrible misery in the short term. I'm not going to engage in a futile effort to rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic. Obama, for all of his manifest flaws, and as much as I buy less than 5 percent of his rhetoric, is the last, slim chance that this country had to avoid horrible disaster.

Oh, and as an added "bonus," with Clinton as the nominee, poisoning the down ticket races, there is much less chance of the senate forcing decent SC picks from McCain.

Posted by LarryM | March 7, 2008 5:33 PM

Though in a way a Clinton/ McCain contest would liberate me. I won't have to hold my nose and vote for the lesser of three evils. I won't have to apologize when president Obama does something outrageous.

A lot of people will be hurt, of course, hence my outrage and and intent to vote for Obama given the opportunity), but heck, to the extent that the victim is the United States, there IS a certain appropriateness. Karma is a bitch.

Posted by LarryM | March 7, 2008 5:41 PM

She should have said, "Yes, I said it, I believe it, and I'm not apologizing for it! Fuck you!"

That would have impressed me.

As it is, she doesn't have the balls (pardon the expression) to stand behind her words.

All Obama had to say was "Well, I don't agree with her terminology, but I understand what she meant: Hillary's a tough opponent!"

And he would have waltzed out of that one.

Instead, everybody caves in - and Hillary wins again.

By now, Obama ought to be pointing out that the Clintons are corrupt and venal people who the Democrats don't deserve (well, they do, but he wouldn't be saying that.)

Instead, he rolls over trying to be massively "politically correct".

As for Power, over at HuffPo, the comments are making a big deal over the Scot reporter not honoring an "off the record" deal. Hell, if you're stupid enough to say ANYTHING to a reporter "off the record", you're an idiot.

Another "tempest in a teapot" over one stupid word while the country blows three trillion dollars on a war that's killed a million people and displaced four million more.

Chimpanzees.

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | March 8, 2008 3:39 AM

"Had Goolsbee blundered on economics, that would too."

For any real economic progressive the very hiring of Goolsbee was a blunder of the highest proportions. This guy is not worker friendly he is an outright defender of the current political and economic power structure that so benefits returns from capital over things like health care for kids.

Goolsbee-gate had legs because anyone even remotely familiar with his record has good reason to suspect that if asked he would oppose re-opening NAFTA if that in any way put limits on corporations to extract maximum advantage.

Plus things are not so clear cut as Obama folk would have it on NAFTA-gate. What was a nice clean narrative of the Canadians reaching out to both the Obama and Clinton campaigns with Goolsbee more or less just responding got a little darker with the admission that in fact there was no contact between the Clinton camp and the Canadians.
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/canadaworld/article/234524

OTTAWA - Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton never gave Canada any secret assurances about the future of NAFTA such as those allegedly offered by Barack Obama's campaign, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office said Friday.
With the NAFTA affair swirling over the U.S. election and Canadian officials skittish about saying anything else that might influence the race, it took the PMO two days to deliver the information.
After being asked whether Canadian officials asked for -- or received -- any briefings from a Clinton campaign representative outlining her plans on NAFTA, a spokeswoman for the prime minister offered a response Friday.
"The answer is no, they did not," said Harper spokeswoman Sandra Buckler.

Obama-Canadian conversation yes, Clinton-Canadian conversation no.

Goolsbee is not out of the woods here, whoever initiated the conversation the impression was delivered that in practice the Obama Administration would actually pursue economic policy not controlled by the non-specific rhetoric actually being delivered on the campaign trail but instead by the hard advice of his thoroughly centrist economic team. Which of course is what any rational analysis would conclude.

Goolsbee-Liebman-Cutler. Hired for a reason.

Posted by Bruce Webb | March 8, 2008 4:07 PM

I think Samantha power was having a "relationship" that might have looked romantic to some of his other aids,staff or "wife",and therefore manufactured this controversy as a way to remove her discetely.

Posted by wilda | March 8, 2008 8:13 PM