Howard Wolfson’s article left me ready to forgive him for every hateful thing he said and did during the primaries. I am even half-way ready to forgive him for working for the hated Fox News. It was a beautifully written article and I was touched and impressed.
Please follow me below:
We already knew that Mark Penn did not know something as basic as how the votes were apportioned during the primaries. And they did not understand how the caucuses worked. As late as the day of Texas voting, members of the Clinton team were saying that the system was "complicated." But the most embarrassing point Wolfson article revealed, was that they did not know their opponent!
They created a war room but did not know the first lesson of any war, which per Sun Tzu, (The Art of War) is: Know your enemy.
Most of us never heard him speak in person. At work 14 hours a day in the war room, we focused on his perceived faults and deficiencies. Our time was spent sharpening and advancing arguments. Skepticism was critical to our efforts. Insulated from Obamamania, I met few Obama supporters and distanced myself from the ones I knew. I lived this way for 18 months.
Once we ran out of states and the campaign ended, we were like Rip Van Winkle. We awoke to a world transformed by political currents we had stood against. There was the neighbor in an Obama T-shirt getting the morning paper. Every parked car on the street bore an Obama bumper sticker. Had they been there along, or did they pop up overnight?
As a result of not doing their home-work, they discounted their opponent. They woefully underestimated their opponent. They didn't know who or what they were up against. How can you fight against something or someone of whom you only know the narrative that you created? And that tells us why they resorted to the kitchen sink strategy; the tried and true application of gutter politics.
Now we do not want to rehash all the bitterness of those fifteen months, but we are reaping the whirlwind of what Wolfson and his pals created. Because of their incompetence and laziness, they left a blue print that became eminently more believable when the Republicans eagerly and gleefully tapped into it.
But there is a silver lining behind every dark cloud. As a result of weathering the Clinton-induced storms, Obama has become a better candidate. He has blossomed into the best politician I have seen in my lifetime. He can no longer be described as the young man with "potential." Any astute observer will have to admit, that Obama has proven ability, to the point where comparing Palin to him is just downright ludicrous.
So for many reasons, I would like to thank Mr. Wolfson. And to congratulate Democrats. We truly got it right this time. We chose wisely this time.