So Amanda has quit the Edwards campaign. It's the right thing to do. The box of a presidential effort is not the place for a writer as gifted, expressive, and wide-ranging as Amanda. And it's certainly not the place for one so controversial. But what seems to have triggered her final decision is another Donahue outburst over Amanda's recently-posted review of Children of Men, where she offers a feminist critique of the virgin birth.
Huh?
Why was the Edwards' campaign letting her blog privately? And I don't just mean in the aftermath to her being almost fired, I mean at all. From top to bottom this has been a study in online incompetence from that campaign. I love Amanda and consider her a good friend, but she wasn't the right choice to run their blog. Not only was she the wrong choice, but she was a wrong choice who wasn't vetted. And then, when the utterly predictable shitstorm started, the Edwards campaign spent two days offering unresponsive waffles. And then, when they finally stood by her, they let her continue pursuing her controversial solo work?
I appreciate the campaign's courage and conviction, both of which have been on admirable display throughout this kerfluffle. But it's hard to ignore their incompetence. Every action, and every reaction, in this entire chain, has been predictable, and a campaign playing in the big leagues simply has to possess that foresight. In a few weeks, The American Prospect will publish my profile of John Edwards. And it's a largely favorable take focusing on the candidate's populist convictions. But none of it matters if they can't get their act together.A campaign that can hardly limp through the hiring of a blogger is not prepared for the rigors of the race.
