Well if by “politics”, SC means “dirty or unethical Politics” then he needs to make that distinction. Because as I pointed out, every decision that gets made is political. And not all politics is “dirty politics”. Legitimate authority is politics. Writing our Congressman in an attempt to influence him to do what is right is politics. This very post is politics. The Pope speaking his idealized vision of politics, is politics.
This may be a difference of words, but for me, i unfortunately see "politics" as dirty as in "negotiating to get the best for me" and I see it as separate from leading. The "leading" to me looks like what you are calling "non-dirty politics"
So it may just be a case of semantics.