Power

So, Samantha Power said something very stupid to a reporter, the reporter published it, and now Power has resigned from the Obama campaign.  Even though I'm rooting for Obama, I have to take issue with the people who are clutching their pearls at the thought that a journalist would print a quote after a source tried to retroactively go off the record.

I want to be clear on one thing -- in that reporter's place, I don't think I would have run the quote.  If for no other reason than because it would make me a douchebag.  But the reporter was within his rights to do so, douchebaggery and all.  More importantly, and this is something I wish more American reporters would take seriously, it is not the reporter's job to make her source's life easy.  We've spent years bellyaching about how the press is too cozy with official sources.  Well, guess what, Power is an official source.  The Scotsman has no good reason to play with kid gloves here.  (And spare me the line about how she's just an academic, and shouldn't be held to the campaign's standard.)

Now, should she have had to resign for this?  Only by the crazy standards of the Democratic Primary.  I still hope Obama wins the nomination, the election, and that Power can be given an important role in the Obama Presidency.  But count me among the people who think this episode shows the Obama camp has been rattled by Ohio more than we thought.

Comments

[J.W. Hamner]

I agree that the campaign appeared rattled, but it was Power's comments that made it appear so... not the resignation.

Her resigning immediately after Clinton didn't accept her apology mitigates the state of disarray her comments seemed to indicate. She strayed off message, admitted it, and made sure she wasn't a distraction moving forward.

It was a decisive and strong response to a regrettable incident. I fail to see how her staying on under intense scrutiny and harassment, trampling all over Obama's message of "new politics", would be proof of a strong campaign.

[weboy]

I think they are decidedly rattled... and the longer term damage of the current news cycle may well be Susan Rice's comments, not Power's; in the end, what Powers said - and the repetition of it - plays into antipathy for Mrs. Clinton that's already out there. I tend to disagree that The Scotsman shouldn't have run the quote - a nunber of journo types have been pointing out today that retroactive "this is off the record" statements are not generally accepted; if you don't want it quoted, don't say it, or be clear, up front, that nothing is on the record. That Power may not have known that I'm willing to grant, though she seems more savvy, or experienced, than that. As for resigning, what else could you do? This seems analagous to the Shaheen episode for the Clintons, and the general agreement is that somethings are beyond the pale. This certainly seems to fit the bill.

[tom.a]

But count me among the people who think this episode shows the Obama camp has been rattled by Ohio more than we thought.

Or, and I'm playing Devil's advocate because I agree with you Dymaxion, are they taking the high road to help draw the distinction between their tactics and the more Rovian-style tactics of the Clinton campaign? I don't think calling Hillary a name is a firing offense and I wish they would have stood up to her on it, but I can see how this could play to the Obama camp's advantage of running a "new" style of politics.

[Nicholas Beaudrot]

Mommy make the bad noise stop!

[Ron]

This is the kind of comment that should lead to a resignation but so should comparing Obama to Ken Starr or implying he is less fit to be commander-in-chief than John McCain. I'm not holding my breath waiting for those resignations to happen.

[ikl]

What Ron said. Of course the difference is the Power was off message and Wolfson was on message and Clinton is the candidate. Thems the breaks.

I would certainly hope that Power is back for an Obama administration if we get to that point. She is one of the reasons that I'm excited about Obama's candidacy.