So much for changing how Washington works.In the old days a holiday weekend Friday release would have buried the story completely. Nowadays, no so much. Lots of blogs, internet news sites, and even 24-hour cable channels can keep a "buried" story alive.
Crimping his carefully crafted outsider image and undercutting a centerpiece of his 2008 campaign, President Barack Obama got caught playing the usual politics — dangling a job offer for a political favor in the hunt for power.
His lawyer admitted as much in a Friday report. It detailed how Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, sent former President Bill Clinton on a mission: try to persuade Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa., to abandon his primary challenge to Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., by offering an executive branch post. Sestak said no, stayed in the race and beat the incumbent.
"I can assure the public that nothing improper took place," Obama had told reporters at the White House on Thursday.
True or not, Obama has a political problem.
Because what did take place was backroom bargaining, political maneuvering and stonewalling, all of which run counter to the higher — perhaps impossibly high — bar Obama has set for himself and his White House to do things differently.
The White House's reluctant acknowledgment of the chain of events shone a light on the unseemly, favor-trading side of politics — and at an inopportune time for Obama and Democrats as they seek to keep control of Congress.
This election year, angry voters have made clear they have little patience for politics generally and Washington politics specifically. And they are choosing candidates who promise to change the system — and ousting incumbents who fail to deliver.
But what may be even more troubling for the president is the question the episode raises: Has Obama become just like every other politician?
The answer could have implications for him ahead of congressional elections this fall and his likely re-election race in two years.
The White House tried to blunt the media maelstrom by releasing the report on the Friday before a long Memorial Day weekend, when fewer people are paying attention to the news.
This isn't going away.
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2 comments:
Obama's trying to disguise his backroom dealings now appears to be running afoul of the law. There are too many backroom deals and the stories behind them seem to change almost from day to day. Sooner or later he and his staff will be held accountable and then payday will come!
Obama hasn't reckoned on Rick Moore!
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