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Former White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers was forced out because Sally Quinn didn't like her. Also she wore pretty dresses and went to nice parties. And one time she called the President a "brand."

A Secret Service fuckup gave the cloistered DC lifers who hated Rogers anyway an excuse to attack her that was not simply "she is from out of town and does not respect our customs," and it also conveniently provided Republicans an opportunity to shout and bray about some bullshit so they could get their names in The Politico.

Also David Axelrod thought her fancy pictures in fancy dresses were Not The Right Message to Send during the Great Recession. And one time Rogers referred to "the Obama brand" and David Axelrod said "The president is a person, not a product," even though Axelrod is one of the people who invented the Obama brand in his incredibly successful marketing campaign to get that brand elected president.

This seems like a bit of a stretch, on the part of The New York Times.

Public life has singed presidential friends over the years with striking regularity, people like Bert Lance during Jimmy Carter's administration, Vincent W. Foster Jr. and Webster L. Hubbell during Bill Clinton's, and Harriet E. Miers and Alberto R. Gonzales during George W. Bush's. Washington can be seductive and then destructive.

Right. Yes. An old friend of the Obamas joining them in DC to perform one of the least important jobs in the White House and then leaving after a year is basically just like Harrier Miers and Alberto Gonzales making a complete mockery of the concept of public service and Vince Foster killing himself.