Obama aide resigns in ‘monster’ brouhaha

A top adviser to Sen. Barack Obama resigned yesterday for calling Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton a “monster” in a news interview, as the Democratic presidential rivals dropped into Wyoming for their first and final campaigning before today’s caucuses.

Samantha Power, a key foreign policy adviser to the Obama campaign, stepped down with “deep regret,” calling her remarks “inexcusable” and out of sync with her “oft-stated admiration” for Mrs. Clinton and with Mr. Obama’s attempts to keep the campaign positive.

In a story published in a recent issue of the Scotsman in Edinburgh, Ms. Power said: “She is a monster, too — that is off the record — she is stooping to anything.

“You just look at her and think, ‘Ergh,’ … But if you are poor and she is telling you some story about how Obama is going to take your job away, maybe it will be more effective. The amount of deceit she has put forward is really unattractive,” said the Harvard professor, who was in Scotland promoting a book.

The remarks drew swift rebuke from the Obama campaign and Clinton supporters, who said they were out of line.

“We don’t need attacks on a person’s character. We need a civil contest,” said Rep. Nita Lowey, New York Democrat.

Meanwhile, yesterday, Wyoming was basking in the unaccustomed spotlight, voting at a crucial time in the Democratic nominating process — today. Only Wyoming and Mississippi — both Republican-leaning states — vote between now and the April 22 Pennsylvania primary, and Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama went there yesterday to continue their exchange over the Scotsman flap.

Mr. Obama rallied overflow crowds in speeches at the Casper Recreation Center and the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Meanwhile, Mrs. Clinton crossed paths with her rival for the nomination in appearances at Laramie County Community College and Casper College.

Mrs. Clinton said Mr. Obama had made the right decision in accepting Ms. Power’s resignation, but her campaign also jumped on remarks the adviser had made about Iraq in a separate interview. She had said that Mr. Obama’s promise to fully withdraw troops from Iraq was a “best-case scenario” plan.

Mrs. Clinton blasted the remark, saying that Mr. Obama campaigns on one thing, while his top advisers tell foreign reporters “he will not rely on his own plan” if elected.

Mr. Obama told Wyoming voters not to be “confused” by Mrs. Clinton and rebutted her charges.

“Senator Clinton used this to try to imply that I wasn’t serious about bringing this war to an end,” he said. “If it had been up to me we would have never been in this war. It was because of George Bush with an assist from Hillary Clinton and John McCain that we entered into this war.”

He said he has been against it every year and “will bring this war to an end in 2009. So don’t be confused when Senator Clinton is not even willing to acknowledge that she voted for war.”

Bill Luckett, communications director of the Wyoming Democratic Party, called the two candidates’ appearances “probably a once in a generation opportunity for Wyoming Democrats to see their presidential candidates.”

“It’s so cool,” he said.

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