After a week of being fairly despondent about the prospect of losing another potential leader to the sensational, to the sound bite, I started to think about Flowers. Bill Clinton and Jennifer Flowers to be specific and how The Reverend Wright youtube sound bite 'controversy' looks more and more like that moment back in 1992.

I know, there is a huge difference between an affair being exposed and a candidate being associated with controversial sound bites from the pulpit, but there are larger similarities.

· Both media events exploited the sensational to seemingly confirm the unspoken worst fears surrounding each candidate.

· Both events, when they initially hit the street, seemed like insurmountable fatal body blows.

· Both candidates ‘flipped the event’ on their accusers and used a tough moment in the campaign to demonstrate their strengths.

Barack, by embracing his controversy head on, getting in the proverbial front of the story, borrowed a page right out of Bill's ’92 playbook Bill and Hillary went on 60 minutes, Barack gave a historic speech (and countless interviews on the subject). Just like Bill in ’92, how Barack is dealing with his”controversy” will ultimately resonate stronger with the public than the facts being exploited (Far less exploitable facts than Bills IMHO).

They both used controversy to demonstrate, as candidates, how he will face a shit storm and survive as leaders.

Barack, in his Flowers moment, exceeds Clinton in that he not only is indicating his political resilience (something we need in any President) but his unique ability to turn spurious accusations into a serious discussion and shape that discussion in a direct yet inclusive tone that the country is more than hungry for.

Simply, his response and reaction to The Reverend Wright youtube sound bite 'controversy' is a demonstration of leadership.

By the end of the ’92 campaign (when it mattered) we remembered how the Clintons refused to be brought down by sensational elements of the Flowers incident. Not the details of the incident itself. And it made us (or me at least) like Bill more for it.

In the end, we'll remember this in a similar light. Like Bill, he’ll get the respect he deserves for not backing down, staring into the eye of the storm and persevering. Unlike Bill, Barack will also be remembered for shifting the discussion on one of our 3rd rail social topics in this country. What a bonus!

I look forward to him taking on more of the inevitable controversial events (personal or otherwise) in this manner as my President.