See it now:  Obama as tragic hero.  He brings Apollo to the Gulf, the man of light and form, a thinker who sculpts reality with the Hammer of Reason, dreaming a Change We Can All Believe In.

Then, see Dionysus, the force of nature, of earth, a will to be shaped for power by Apollo, but when unshaped, a will to power of its own.  Bend to the beach and feel Dionysus with your touch.  The red sticky tar ball that cannot be shaped with the Hammer of Reason.  Apollo cannot shape this Dionysus.  Dionysus shapes Apollo.

And that is Obama’s tragedy.  He plays against the intoxication of the will to power inherent in oil oozing from the earth.  Apollo and Dionysus.

. . . can you tell that I’ve been reading Nietzsche again?  No wonder I sound crazy.  But reconsider.

Nietzsche created a metaphor of artistic criticism in his Birth of Tragedy when he asserted that Greek (Attic) Tragedy arose from the clash of Apollo and Dionysus, or Obama and Oil.  Aren’t we witnessing such a tragedy?

Modern persuasion research associates the foot in the door persuasion tactic with a 1966 study from Jonathan Freedman.  Freedman showed that if you get acceptance with a first, small request, you can get greater acceptance with a second, larger request.  Turns out there’s an earlier and well documented test of this tactic.  Consider the text.

And the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, “I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? “Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” And the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: “Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” And He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” Then he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” And He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.” And he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” Then he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” And he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

This from Genesis 18:20-33.

Now, here’s the interesting question.  Who is using foot in the door:  Abraham or the Lord?

Leaders should avoid criticizing other leaders publicly.  If you don’t get that as both a leader or as a persuader, you can stop reading this post and move on.

Mr. Obama publicly doubted Hamid Karzai following Karzai’s disputed election which led to predictable counter-reactions from Mr. Karzai.

Today, Mr. Karzai paid back.

He told Mr. Obama to not fire General McChrystal over the General’s offensive comments on Team Obama’s War policy.  Such actions would seriously harm the war effort at a sensitive moment in the campaign.

So, Mr. Obama offended another leader and now when he confronts an insubordinate subordinate that other leader promises punishment if Obama moves against that subordinate.

If You Cannot Succeed, Don’t Try.

All Bad Persuasion Is Sincere.

Persuaders Can Either Be Famous or Effective, But Not Both.

Persuasion Is Strategic or It Is Not.