A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

Here's the story. And here's a review of Doyle's job performance for when she was working for her old boss, Hillary Clinton:

After the [Clinton for Senate in 2000] race, Solis Doyle was put in charge of fund-raising and later became campaign manager for Clinton's Senate reelection bid in 2006. She earned a reputation as a contentious, domineering boss. Along the way, many of the staff members who worked under her left or were forced out, including several high-powered members of Clinton's inner circle, such as Kelly Craighead and Evelyn Lieberman, the deputy chief of staff to Bill Clinton famous for banishing Monica Lewinsky to the Pentagon. The frequent turnover in the fund-raising shop was a significant measure of Solis Doyle's unpopularity. Clinton staffers are notably loyal, and turnover among them tends to be much lower than it is among the staffs of other politicians. Fund-raising under Solis Doyle was a glaring exception, chalking up the kind of body count you'd expect from an episode of The Sopranos. She was infamous among her colleagues for referring to herself as "the queen bee" and for her habit of watching daytime soap operas in her office. One frequent complaint among donors and outside advisers was that Solis Doyle often did not return calls or demonstrate the attention required in her position.

Concerns about Solis Doyle have preoccupied many in the campaign for several years. Clinton insiders say that her campaign chairman, Terry McAuliffe, launched an unsuccessful bid to remove Solis Doyle while on vacation with the Clintons two years ago. Two top campaign officials told me that Maggie Williams, Hillary's former chief of staff (and, as of Sunday, her campaign manager), also sought and failed to have Solis Doyle removed two years ago. Last year, some of Bill Clinton's former advisers, known as the "White Boys," lobbied to oust her, too.

But because of Solis Doyle's proximity to Hillary Clinton, because she demonstrated the loyalty and discretion Clinton so prized, and because no one appeared capable of challenging Clinton's presumed status as the Democratic nominee-in-waiting, nothing was done. "What Patti has that is real power is the unquestioned trust and confidence of the candidate," Paul Begala, a veteran of Bill Clinton's campaigns, explained in an on-the-record interview last year. "That makes her bulletproof."

Of course, it didn't make Hillary Clinton's campaign bulletproof. The Obama people had better make sure that Doyle doesn't spend her time watching soaps in the office. The McCain people, on the other hand, may want to forward some "The Young and the Restless" DVD's over to Doyle to occupy her time. Also, they need to make sure that Doyle never learns about TiVo.

Now, I had thought that the most important aspect of this story was that the Obama campaign was getting an operative whose performance was . . . oh, how shall one phrase this? . . . less effective than the principal of that operative had hoped said performance would be. Not so! The really big news concerning this story appears to be the fact that the Clintons are about as enraged over Doyle's hire as Sauron would be had the Nazgul suddenly showed up at Frodo's and Sam's encampment and said something along the lines of "We're here to help you get rid of that pesky and troublesome ring. Oh, and you'll want to do something about that Smeagol fellow--we know for a fact that he is not to be trusted," and meant every word.

Quoth Ben Smith:

Though this will stir speculation that she's paving the way for Hillary, but it actually makes me think the opposite. Clinton fired her in February, and many of her backers view Solis Doyle as a bit of a traitor for having signaled that she'd move to Obama before the primary was over.

And Jonathan Allen:

. . . a Clinton insider, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told CQ Politics that the subtext is clear.

"Translated subtitles aren't necessary," the insider said. "There is no other way to interpret this other than `[Expletive] you.'" Burton declined to comment on the Clinton camp's reaction to the appointment.

Solis Doyle, who had served as Clinton's scheduler when the senator was first lady and in various capacities since then, was ousted as campaign manager a few days after the "Super Tuesday" Feb. 5 primaries. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that the two - who used to be extremely close - have not spoken since, though Solis Doyle continued to draw a salary of nearly $12,000 per month from the Clinton campaign at least through the end of April, according to federal election records.

It's never good when the [Expletive]'s come out. More expletives found here and this time, without the "[Expletive]" to soothe tender ears. We are a family blog so you'll just have to click through for the naughty wordage. But trust me. It's there.

And then, there is this. No expletives--within or outside of brackets--found, but the implications cannot be good for Team Obama as it seeks to rally Clinton supporters under its banner:

. . . Solis Doyle -- who after her firing midway through the primaries is no longer on speaking terms with much of the Clinton inner circle, including the senator herself -- has been tapped to serve as chief of staff to the future vice presidential running mate. Not exactly a signal that Obama is considering Hillary Clinton for the job.

At least that's how Clinton loyalists see it. "It's a slap in the face," Susie Tompkins Buell, a prominent Clinton backer, said in an interview. "Why would they put somebody that was so clearly ineffective in such a position? It's a message. We get it." She said it was a "calculated decision" by the Obama team to "send a message that she [Clinton] is not being considered for the ticket."

Other Clinton insiders also seethed. "Who can blame Obama for rewarding Patti? He would never be the nominee without her," one person who has worked for both Clintons and remains close to them said. The sentiment reflected what another person in the immediate Clinton orbit described as "shock" that Obama would send such a strong signal that he is not considering Clinton as his runningmate so soon.

Mount Doom rumbles with rage at the Obamanian act of insolence. The all-seeing eye likes not what it sees. I know that the Rohirrim were able to handle the Uruk-hai, but I am not sure that they will be able to handle the unbridled rage of Clinton supporters who likely view the pronouncements from Team Obama concerning the Doyle hire and its implications with the same degree of pleasure that Gandalf viewed the utterances of Grima Wormtongue.

(Okay, this post has to stop now. I am running out of Lord of the Rings analogies and metaphors.)