Obama won't have his advisers to cover for him if he's president

[Raede]

Here's an Op/Ed I wrote today:



Yesterday's episode of "The View" caused quite a stir in the afternoon talkshows.  Michelle Obama, the guest host for the day, said clearly that she had discouraged her husband from entering politics because he was "sweet and pathetic."  An Obama adviser quickly called the show to "clarify" that Michelle actually said "empathetic."  Her actual words are .

This incident got me thinking - how many times has Barack Obama been "saved" by his team of advisers?  There are two examples that currently come to mind:

When Obama told the audience at the CNN/YouTube debate last July that he would unconditionally meet with the leaders of Iran, North Korea, and Cuba, he was attacked by both sides for his "naivete."  His chief advisers immediately contacted the various news agencies to make sure the public knew that this was a mistake by their boss.

In February Obama was to speak in Ohio about his intention to opt of NAFTA.  Prior to his speech, one of his advisers called Canada's ambassador to the United States to let him know that the senator's words were "campaign rhetoric" and they should "not be taken at face value."

What would Obama do without his trusty advisers to clean up the messes he leaves behind?

The consensus is that Obama's naivete is what has led him to say these things and others that I did not mention.  It could be that, or they could indeed be his legitimate views.  But, that doesn't really matter.  What matters is he has advisers who, when he says something naive, ignorant, or generally detrimental to his run for president, "clarify" his words and/or attempt to cover them up.  So far they have arguably been very successful in keeping his controversial statements from affecting his image in the public light.

But what happens if he gets elected?  One of his most controversial and groundbreaking policies, mentioned above, is his intention to meet with the leaders of so-called rogue nations (with preconditions, of course).  If he says something similar to his above statements, there will be nobody to "clarify" his words.  Whomever he is speaking to will take them at "face value" and will act accordingly.  Most likely, this will not have a positive effect.

On the campaign trail, he is safe - his advisers are his safety net against ignorance and naivete.  But they will not be there on the big stage.  Can we trust him to say the right things as president if he cannot do so as a candidate?