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March 7, 2008

More Obama amateur hour diplomacy (updated -- Power resigns)

By Ed Lasky

Samantha Power, Barack Obama's top foreign policy advisor, has now compiled quite  record of statements that raise the question of Senator Obama's judgment in choosing her to be his foreign policy major domo. We have commented before on a long series of anti-Israel comments,  her (and apparently Senator Obama's) plans to accept and promote ethnic cleansing when they retreat from Iraq, her characterization of  Hillary Clinton as a "monster",   and now the latest one: a comment that insults the Prime Minister of our closest ally.

In an interview with the British newspaper The Telegraph she comments upon her ties with various British officials. From the Telegraph:

Neither she nor Obama have met Gordon Brown or David Cameron. Their main point of contact is Mark Malloch Brown, the Prime Minister's eminence grise in the Foreign Office. "David Miliband seems impressive to me. I am confused by what's happened to Gordon Brown. I thought he was impressive."

Samantha Power states she is "confused by what's happened to Gordon Brown" which is a statement that in itself is confusing but may indicate disappointment in his performance as a Prime Minister. This does seem to be the import of her statement because her next sentence follows about Gordon Brown, "I thought he was impressive".

How diplomatic! Just as she years ago insulted Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon by equating him with terrorist Yasser Arafat , now she feels free to insult the Prime Minister of American's closest ally in the world.

What was that we keep hearing about Barack Obama's judgment?
 
Update by Thomas Lifson:

The Hillary Clinton campaign has demanded that Power resign. From The Guardian: 

Hillary Clinton's team is demanding Barack Obama sack one of his foreign policy advisers, Samantha Power, for describing Clinton as a "monster," one of the most personal comments yet in what is becoming an increasingly negative campaign.

Michael Crowley of the New Republic offers a "partial defense":

Inevitably, the Clinton campaign is calling for Samantha Power's head. That's to be expected, I suppose. But I think it's something of a pity. People in both campaigns say awful stuff about the other side all the time (though calling Hillary a "monster" was bracingly harsh, to be sure). So the content wasn't totally shocking.

Power's real mistake was declaring herself off the record a half-sentence too late. Because convention holds that a source must specify that before speaking, I think the reporter was within his rights to publish the quote. However on balance I wish he hadn't.

Let's get real, shall we? Power is ostensibly an expert at foreign policy and diplomacy. Any such expert who shoots off her mouth so carelessly cannot be entrusted with serious matters of state. Diplomats are often mocked for their roundabout language, carefully phrased to avoid creating the wrong impression, or, in the worst case causus belli.

Samantha Power has become the antithesis of a skilled diplomat. Harvard University continues to employ her in a prestigious position at its own peril of becoming a laughingstock. We shall see if the Obama campaign dumps her. They might be well advised to do so. But, of course, that will reveal that Obama can be pushed around by Hillary Clinton. Iran, Syria, North Korea, and Al Qaeda will all draw their own conclusions.

As should voters.

Hat tip: Atlas Shrugs and Powerline.

Update: Power has resigned. MSNBC reports  (and the New York Daily News confirms):

"With deep regret, I am resigning from my role as an advisor the Obama campaign effective today," Power said in a statement released by the campaign. "Last Monday, I made inexcusable remarks that are at marked variance from my oft-stated admiration for Senator Clinton and from the spirit, tenor, and purpose of the Obama campaign. And I extend my deepest apologies to Senator Clinton, Senator Obama, and the remarkable team I have worked with over these long 14 months."

Clinton campaign backers had earlier this morning called for Power, the Pulitzer-prize winning author, Harvard professor, to step down for her comments.

Obama campaign aides had little to say.

Well, Obama has promised "change" and he has already provided is with some.


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