It was a disappointing week for the powerful. We expect them to get whatever they want; they are the Captains of Industry, the Movie Moguls, our most prestigious elected officials, people at the top of their game. But they don't always triumph.
Last week President Obama put his prestige on the line for the Chicago Olympics-and got soundly trounced by the IOC. Mr. Letterman had his way with a number of women who worked under him (it is hard not to have double entendres when writing about this subject) but got backed into a corner by a lowly producer who intended to blackmail him for money and miscalculated how much humiliation the talk show host could tolerate. Rather than pay the money (and live under shadow of more blackmail) Letterman had to admit to his fans that he had been acting in a "creepy" way (his adjective) and basically submit to the drubbing the media gave him, and will give him (not to mention, I would assume, his wife's probable reactions.). Roman Polanski, free and famous for so many years after fleeing the country, was finally picked up in Switzerland, after so much time had elapsed since his crime that I suppose he had convinced himself that even the United States would back down after his longtime successful evasion of the law.
But Power doesn't always win the day. Prestige, money and fame will buy you a lot- sycophants, the best seats at hard to get concerts and restaurants, and generally a much easier and luxurious way through the demands of every day life. Powerful people get used to the waves parting for them, getting put to the front of the line, and getting away with impolite or aggressive behavior. Most, though not all of them, can be uncommonly persuasive and charming. We all love having their light shine on us. No wonder, they have every reason to believe it will continue forever.
But a cat can look at a king, as they say. Other people, with less power, envy them. People who do not have the same kind of sway in the world sometimes get a chance to have the last word-and it is almost irresistible to take it. The IOC had the delicious position of keeping Presidents from several countries in a supplicant position. The police that arrested Roman Polanski could treat him as just another rapist and runaway felon- no matter what France's cultural minister thought of the producer's artistry. And a producer who was beneath Letterman's radar could attempt to hold him up for money and failing that- succeed in holding him up for scrutiny, accountability, embarrassment, public disgust, and perhaps, exposure to legal sanctions
In the end, all of these people may have their way with the world again. But the powerful are targets as well as archers. Power is a liability as well as an asset, and while not all the backlash or application of the law against powerful people may be justified or fair, the fact is that there is some comfort knowing that the perks of power are not absolute.
