Manipulating the press

David Samuels writes in the New York Times about Ben Rhodes, The Aspiring Novelist Who Became Obama's Foreign Policy Guru.

He is the master shaper and retailer of Obama's foreign-policy narratives, at a time when the killer wave of social media has washed away the sand castles of the traditional press.

Ace of Spades goes back and forth between the Times article and his own thoughts.

Ace:

The left's favorite headline opening? Actually, America Retreating from the World Isn't a Sign of Weakness...

Samuels:

This is something different from old-fashioned spin... Now the most effectively weaponized 140-character idea or quote will almost always carry the day, and it is very difficult for even good reporters to necessarily know where the spin is coming from or why.

Ace:

The decayed Imperial swells of the capital probably began bragging about how easily they manipulated the dummies of Rome, too -- right before the barbarians tore the place apart.