In this case, it looks like she has gotten a debate out of it in her state, which slightly boosts the economy in Arizona’s and increases AZ’s presence on the national stage.

If President Obama did the same thing with his jobs plan–”going for it” with a bold, large jobs plan–he would also be better off, even if he got only some (or none) of it passed by a Republican congress and a disproportionately vocal Tea Party bloc. It is undoubtedly the best strategy for Obama, and it is a tactic that was employed by Brewer (consciously or unconsciously, I don’t know) and countless other politicians and groups.

This, President Obama, is unfortunately how politics works: you advocate strongly and loudly for your position (or perhaps an extreme or ambitious form of your position) and then negotiate for something less (and not give up everything to the other side in the name of “working together”).