As I warned you a few days ago, I am in an extreme 'things to do, people to meet' mode and blogging is more than somewhat restricted. So, forgive me if I merely provide you with this link which confirms much of what I previously wrote concerning 'the other woman' in Obama's life - Ms. Valerie Jarrett. And please note that it is written by The NYT not by Fox News!
Think of her as a female Thomas Cromwell. But less able.
Posted by: dearieme | Thursday, 06 September 2012 at 08:54
Actually, didn't Brendan Bracken serve a similar function? Or Harry Hopkins?
WKPD: An interesting insight into the nature of the relationship between Churchill and Bracken is found in Churchill's history of World War II. Churchill writes that he had received telegrams from Washington about Harry Hopkins, "stating that he was the closest confidant and personal agent of the President. I therefore arranged that he should be met by Mr. Brendan Bracken on his arrival." [6] The strong suggestion, of course, is that Churchill arranged, as is diplomatic custom, for Hopkins to be met by the person who was his closest counterpart in British government, and that Bracken often played the role of confidant and personal agent to Churchill. After Bracken met Hopkins' flight on 9 January 1941, Churchill and Hopkins forged a close association. According to Lysaght's biography, Bracken and Hopkins had met in America in the late 1930s, and this personal tie helped speed the decision to assist Britain nearly a year before the USA actually entered the war.[7] Churchill's references to Bracken's role in his political and personal life are noticeable by the stunning nature of their absence. Several intriguing explanations exist for this ranging in possibility from a situation where Bracken merged with the fabric of Churchill's life to the extent of becoming invisible, to the more likely situation in which Churchill agreed to comply with Bracken's unique quest for no personal glory. The latter might be summarized by Bracken's apparent motive: "True hero worship is an entirely selfless process."
Posted by: dearieme | Thursday, 06 September 2012 at 08:58
Yes, of course you are right, DM, all (or most) powerful political operators require a trusted friend to sit at their side. In Obama's case I don't object to the practice, only that his choice of Mrs. Jarrett is deeply informative given her appalling pre-history, in which she has wept crocodile tears for the poor and needy in Chicago whilst earning millions running tenements which were in such disgusting condition that the city had to close them down.
Posted by: David Duff | Friday, 07 September 2012 at 09:10