Counter-punching

Barack Obama hits back at Hillary Clinton on the “bitter” flap.

This may be wishful thinking, but it’s just possible that the Clinton campaign has overplayed its hand on the “bitter” non-issue. When it comes to most politicians, if you can get them angry they’ll say dumb things and just dig the hole deeper. But Barack Obama knows how to use his anger. It’s not a pretty sight, if you’re the target.

Notice that he’s still pulling his punches just a little bit, in the interests of party unity for November: he mentions Mark Penn as a shill for the Colombian government, but not Bill Clinton.

Author: Mark Kleiman

Professor of Public Policy at the NYU Marron Institute for Urban Management and editor of the Journal of Drug Policy Analysis. Teaches about the methods of policy analysis about drug abuse control and crime control policy, working out the implications of two principles: that swift and certain sanctions don't have to be severe to be effective, and that well-designed threats usually don't have to be carried out. Books: Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know (with Jonathan Caulkins and Angela Hawken) When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment (Princeton, 2009; named one of the "books of the year" by The Economist Against Excess: Drug Policy for Results (Basic, 1993) Marijuana: Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control (Greenwood, 1989) UCLA Homepage Curriculum Vitae Contact: Markarkleiman-at-gmail.com