Watching the political campaign over the past few months, I’ve been disappointed to see Barack Obama occasionally falter in his effort to elevate this year’s political campaigning.  As he put it, “You get elbowed enough, eventually you start throwing some back.”

I can’t help comparing Barack’s struggle to that of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars trilogy.  Among the things George Lucas got right in creating his masterwork was a cogent examination of how much more difficult it can be to take the high road.  As the Pennsylvania primary unfolded, I realized that the Obama campaign needs no strategy more complicated than resisting the dark side of the force.

It’s no secret that the Clinton campaign tactic in recent primaries has been attack, attack, attack.  Combined with some masterful spin—she is undeniably amazing at turning every detail into arguments of why she should win, internally consistent or no–it keeps Obama in a lose-lose situation.  As an NPR pundit pointed out this evening, Obama faces the challenge that if he doesn’t respond in-kind to Hilary’s negative attacks, she paints him as being too soft to survive the general election.  Yet if he doesn’t rise above the political gaming, she’s quick to accuse him of no longer being the candidate of hope. “Good,” I can almost hear her breathing, “now release your anger…”

Am I being ridiculous to compare Hilary Clinton to Darth Vader?  At the beginning of the campaign, I might have thought so.  But with each passing day, it’s more readily visible that she has let ambition and lust for power push aside her desire to fight the good fight.  Heard much about health care lately?  Raise your hand if you think she wouldn’t slay a few younglings if it meant being president.  No one?  Didn’t think so.

So the key for Barack is to avoid fighting.  Stick with the plan Yoda drew out at the beginning of the campaign.  Don’t face Vader on his turf.  Stay on target… stay on target…  If you give in to anger, you get your hand sliced off, your friend gets encased in carbonite, and you lose Ohio River Valley states due to lack of connection with white, blue-collar workers.

Maybe my metaphor is falling apart.  Or maybe the Obama ground team in Indiana should think of themselves as Ewoks.  I don’t know.  What I do know is that I’m hoping the subtitle of the first movie will prove prophetic, and we will all soon enjoy a New Hope.

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