CNN: Obama calls Clinton's Foreign Policy ‘Bush-Cheney Light’

[ariesgem]

CONCORD, New Hampshire (CNN) — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama left little question as to his position on diplomacy with enemy states Thursday, days after his response to a question during Monday’s CNN/YouTube debate drew sharp criticism from opponent Hillary Clinton.

“I’m not afraid to lose the P.R. war to dictators,” Obama said in a speech in Concord, New Hampshire Thursday, where he picked up an early Granite State endorsement from first-term Democratic Congressman Paul Hodes. “I’m happy to look them in the eyes and say what needs to be said… I don’t want Bush-Cheney Light.”

In a later conference call with the press, Obama continued on the topic: “Part of the Bush doctrine has been to say ‘no.’ You’ll have to ask Senator Clinton what differentiates her position from theirs.”

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/07/26/obama-calls-clinton-like-diplomacy-stance-bush-cheney-light/#comments

Edited: To correct header

[jefferson_dem]

1. Tell it like it is, Obama!

:applause:

[durrrty libby]

4. It is sad for Obama when even Hillary Loathing Tucker Carlson

says Obama lost this round and should help himself by letting it go
and stop embarrassing himself

[MannyGoldstein]

8. Actually, Fucker's Comment Indicates That Obama Won, No?

Because Fucker is wrong virtually all of the time.

[durrrty libby]

27. Twist it anyway you want that makes you happy.

[jefferson_dem]

10. Oh yes, we should all look to Fucker for our cues on who's winning things political.

:sarcasm:

[UrbScotty]

57. Tucker wants Hillary to get the nomination...

...because she'd probably get clobbered in the general. Thus he's trying to make Obama look bad.

[durrrty libby]

60. He has said several times that he would prefer Obama. Why

make shit up? :spank:

[draft_mario_cuomo]

64. lol say it ain't so! nt

[thatsrightimirish]

67. Tucker Carlson?

Oh No!

[draft_mario_cuomo]

2. Calling HRC "Bush-Cheney-lite"?

Wow, this takes this to an even higher level. I was unsure how this battle would play politically but after this, though, I think he has went too far and it will backfire against him (especially given the whole "new kind of politics" shtick).

[jefferson_dem]

7. Why do you keep using the "new kind of politics" meme

to suggest he's not allowed to differentiate himself and his vision from the other candidates?

[draft_mario_cuomo]

20. Perception is reality

Regardless of what "new kind of politics" really means the perception among many people--fostered partly by Team Obama--is that Obama is above such things. Whenever he does something contrary to that positive image it hurts him. Pointing out distinctions is one thing; comparing a Democrat to *-Cheney is quite another.

[jefferson_dem]

29. Actually, the "reality" is here that Obama never directly suggested

Hillary would be *-C Light. He said that's not what we need and reffered questions about Hillary's approach to Hillary.

Do you object to him distinguishing his foreign policy approach from the current administration or that of other Democratic candidates? I see this as a rather hefty deal and not an issue of "small politics" at all. But that's just me...

[draft_mario_cuomo]

39. Come on. It was classic Obama. Indirectly make a negative "attack" on a rival

==Do you object to him distinguishing his foreign policy approach from the current administration or that of other Democratic candidates?==

No. I was simply looking at it from a political perspective and saying this will likely hurt him politically. I have no problem with him talking about differences between him and other candidates. In fact, I wish the "tough guy" would do so directly in a debate for once. ;)

[jefferson_dem]

50. I appreciate your point, DMC.

The fact is Obama needs to step up and make his case more aggressively. Politically, that pursuit might run head first into his rallying cry for a "new kind of politics." It's a tightrope indeed. But if he doesn't get up there and try to walk it, the race may be over with *you know who* running away from the pack real soon.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

53. I agree. Both he and Edwards have stagnated in the polls

HRC is increasing her lead greatly and the rest of the field needs to do something to stop her growth before it is too late. Obama reached the 20's in the polls with what he has done thus far but he clearly needs to change if he is to win (as does admittedly Edwards, and I think there has been a shift in his political tactics over the past month or so).

[UrbScotty]

54. Telling the brutal truth - now THAT's what I call "classic Obama." (nt)

[durrrty libby]

62. No truth. He sees the polls and feeling desperate, so he tries

making a little noise.

[UrbScotty]

52. Part of discussing the 'new kind of politics' ...

...involves distinguishing oneself from the 'old kind of politics.'

[John Q. Citizen]

73. I find his honesty refreshing for the top tier.

When Hillary said back in Feb at one of her first town hall meetings after she announced that "Americans are the hardest working people in the world." I thought, oh no, no, do I have to listen to her bullshit me for the next two years now?

Obama is right on this. Being afraid to talk to someone because of what they might say about you isn't my idea of leadership. It's just being afraid.

I'm voting for Kucinich but Obama is right about this.

[NOVA_Dem]

3. That's what I'm talking about!

If she wants to be seen as a hawk so badly do to her what we did to the Reps in Nov. Watch her backtrack.

[sidwill]

17. Hillary is Bush lite

Again, it's not that she would be as incompetant as Bush (no one could) it's just that she is definitely cut from the same corporatist cloth.

She would listen to many of the same corporate-military interests that drove us into Iraq.

[aquart]

22. Bush is a fascist. Is Hillary a fascist?

It's what you mean. Have the guts to say it.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

51. HRC may be a corporatist but Obama is crushing her on Wall Street

What does that make Obama then?

[MannyGoldstein]

5. Perfect

Obama should link her to Bush/Cheney whenever he can.

[Bake]

15. I think we Dems can and should do better than that.

Once again, Obama's "new kind of politics" is just the same old same old.

Bake

[draft_mario_cuomo]

46. Remember the last guy who ran on a "new kind of politics"?

He also ran on "unity"...

==COOK: Bush campaign strategists say that, you know, they do polls and all this. And so most of time when they get a strong reaction from a speech, they're not surprised. But they've said out on the campaign trail, the two issues that have surprised them the most, in terms of really resonating with voters, that they didn't anticipate, was military readiness, and the second was changing the tone of Washington, the way things are played -- the partisanship and the infighting and backbiting and finger-pointing, that those are the two things that people react to the most strongly. And I think you saw that in this speech.==

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0008/04/se.02.html


==I am optimistic that we can change the tone in Washington, D.C.

I believe things happen for a reason, and I hope the long wait of the last five weeks will heighten a desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past.

Our nation must rise above a house divided. Americans share hopes and goals and values far more important than any political disagreements.

Republicans want the best for our nation, and so do Democrats. Our votes may differ, but not our hopes.

I know America wants reconciliation and unity. I know Americans want progress. And we must seize this moment and deliver.

Together, guided by a spirit of common sense, common courtesy and common goals, we can unite and inspire the American citizens.==

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/transcripts/121300/bush.html

==That background may lack the polish of Washington. Then again, I don't have a lot of things that come with Washington.

I don't have enemies to fight. And I have no stake in the bitter arguments of the last few years. I want to change the tone of Washington to one of civility and respect.==

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/2000_George_W._Bush's_Republican_Convention_Acceptance_Speech

Is Axlerod a Rove clone or something? :rofl:

[UrbScotty]

59. The holes in that argument are bigger than

the Grand Canyon.

[SaveElmer]

6. So Obama has taken to lying in his stump speeches...

Interesting strategy...

Part of a pattern it seems...

[MannyGoldstein]

11. And Which Part Was A Lie? n/t

[SaveElmer]

14. His contention that Hillary opposes direct diplomacy...

A rather blatant one...

Not unlike the lie about his health care plan...

His lie about passing a finance reform bill...

His lie about not helping Tony Rezko...

Like I said...a pattern

[MannyGoldstein]

37. Where Does He Say That?

All I see is:

“Part of the Bush doctrine has been to say ‘no.’ You’ll have to ask Senator Clinton what differentiates her position from theirs.”

Is part of that untrue?

[SaveElmer]

38. Wow...how triangulating of you..nt

[MannyGoldstein]

41. I Think You Should Apologize For Putting Words In A Candidate's Mouth

Unless you can show that he said what you said he did.

[SaveElmer]

44. He put the words in his own mouth...nt

[UrbScotty]

55. Didn't know 'triangulation' and 'telling the truth' were synonymous (nt)

[SaveElmer]

61. Their not...

And Obama is not telling the truth...

A pattern with him it seems

[jefferson_dem]

16. Lodging a criticism against the poster's preferred candidate = lying.

I guess. :shrug:

[SaveElmer]

23. So then Obama is not saying...

Hillary is against direct diplomacy...?

[SaveElmer]

24. delete

[killbotfactory]

28. She is against direct diplomacy without preconditions

That was the point of her calling Obama naive, right?

[SaveElmer]

31. Obama is implying Hillary is against direct diplomacy period...

Hence the Bush-Cheney reference...

But if Obama want to come out whole hog for no preconditions....go for it!

Dig Obama Dig!

[MessiahRp]

35. So wait... Direct Diplomacy = Not talking to the other leaders directly and having others do it?

How is that in anyway direct?

Rp

[SaveElmer]

40. So if Obama scheduled a trip to Havana or Tehran next week...

You think that would be a good idea...

[MessiahRp]

74. No that's what summits are for in neutral nations.

And yes meeting with people we dislike and finding common ground is what America USED to do with the Russians at the height of the cold war and as it turns out not a single missile was launched. Not that Chavez and Castro are ready to strike but our ridiculously immature "we don't talk to people we dislike" pollicies along with that whole 'axis of evil' crap is why North Korea and Iran have been scrambling to produce their own weapons.

We don't HAVE to give them everything they want, but it is irresponsible to not at least hear out leaders of other countries.

Rp

[jefferson_dem]

42. I think the problem is...

We're all confused as to exactly what Hillary's position on diplomacy really is. She seems to adjust it over time, depending on the political circumstances at hand.

[SaveElmer]

47. Demonstrate that with citations...nt

[jefferson_dem]

34. Did you read the quote?

Actually, he didn't directly characterize Hillay's foreign policy approach at all.

If he had said "Hillary is against direct diplomacy" that would be a bit of a stretch. Agreed.

[SaveElmer]

43. C'mon...you have more integrity then that...

He wouldn't have said that had he not been trying to make a comparison...

Hiding behind semantics...

Yesterday she was a flip-flopper, today she is Bush=Cheney lite...what will it be tomorrow?

[jefferson_dem]

45. Yes..."What will it be tomorrow"?

See my response above - #42.

[SaveElmer]

48. See response 47...nt

[SaveElmer]

25. Dig Obama DIg...nt

[aquart]

26. He's behind, so he's trying to bite her ass.

Gives us an idea of what a fun guy he'll be if he wins and we disagree with him on anything.

[Hippo_Tron]

32. No, lying would be saying "Hillary Clinton killed Vince Foster"

Saying that she is Bush-Cheney lite is his opinion.

[Bake]

9. That's BS and Obama ought to be ashamed of himself.

Bake

[killbotfactory]

12. Except he really didn't call Clinton "Bush-Cheney Light"

But close enough, I guess.

[jobycom]

63. He called one of her policies Bush-Cheney light. But you'd better be wearing armor

This feeding frenzy is will rip us all to shreds.

I remember the old days on DU, when someone would make a post like the OP, and most responses would discuss the pros and cons of the statement, and the thread would angle out instead of going straight up and down, and the insults wouldn't start until half a dozen posts into each branch. And I thought that was bad.

Now I'm depressed. If this is the Democratic Party, who needs Republicans to destroy the country?

What the heck, I'll post an old school post. I think Obama is just trying to make political hay by using harsh rhetoric, but he's got a point. Hillary's first comment made it sound like she would put conditions on whom she would negotiate with. Obama was right to ask her to clarify that point, but she did clarify it rather well, and Obama should have left it at that. However, since Hillary called his answer "naive," he felt he had to respond in kind, and so he did.

Both of them have a point, and both of them are overstating the other's position. Obama didn't mean what she said, Clinton didn't mean what Obama said. In a non-political world they wouldn't pretend to misunderstand the other.

No big. Long way to the election.

[quinnox]

13. Obama is reminding me of Howard Dean's campaign in 2004

Perhaps he is borrowing a page of Dean's "Kerry is Bush-lite" jabs, but I think it is way too far over the top to be effective against Hillary. It just doesn't compute and is too absurd on its face. Might as well say Night is Day.

I liked Obama's earlier response on day one of this mini controversy but this is a little ridiculous and getting close to maybe showing signs of frustration (trying to move poll numbers that are stuck) in the Obama campaign.

[Bullet1987]

18. Fucker represents conservatives defending Clinton's fron-runner status

A better view of this incident is how it was reported on the Situation Room. Fucker has been trying to attack Obama for about 2 weeks now and has failed each time. He's simply using this as a crutch for his argument.

[Larkspur]

19. I'm not an Obama supporter, but his retort to Hillary calling him naive was a good one

Obama's right. The President of the United States should not be afraid to meet with dictators. Only a King or Queen of the United States would.

[rinsd]

21. Obama's own oppo research debunks this.

His first talking point was that she was a flipflopper.

Now she's Bush lite.

[Dawgs]

30. Fist she flip-flopped, now she's Bush-Lite.

Makes sense to me.

[rinsd]

33. "Makes sense to me"

Of course it does.

Obama could issue a statement tomorrow saying the sky was green and you would be here discussing why he was correct.

[Hippo_Tron]

36. Yea, Bush has never flip-flopped...

Except for changing the reason we need to be in Iraq on a weekly basis.

[UrbScotty]

49. Which reminds me, I gotta donate more $$ to Obama. (nt)

[Colobo]

56. Gobama! Let's keep donating and spreading the word!

[Lord Helmet]

58. bwahahahahah

[Major Hogwash]

65. And they claimed he was too inexperienced!

Hahahaha, I love it.

Go after her, right for the throat!

[AntiFascist]

66. Whoa, can he discuss some of the details? n/t

[thatsrightimirish]

68. boo hoo

:cry:

[mikelgb]

69. Obama = Hillary Light

[illinoisprogressive]

70. Many of think of her as Bush lite. so, I agree with Obama

[John Q. Citizen]

71. Obama isn't my candidate, but I like when anybody tells the truth. Thanks Obama,

for telling the truth! You got my attention with that.

[hijinx87]

72. Hillary's response : "This Is Getting Silly"

SEN. CLINTON: “Well, this is getting kind of silly. I’ve been called a lot of things in my life but I’ve never been called George Bush or Dick Cheney certainly. We have to ask what’s ever happened to the politics of hope?

http://www.examiner.com/blogs/Yeas_and_Nays/2007/7/26/Hillary-On-The-ClintonObama-Name-Calling-This-Is-Getting-Silly

I can't vouch for the source, and I picked it up on drudge (which doesn't speak highly of it).

but it sounds like her.

[illinoisprogressive]

75. she make think it silly because she started and now can't get out of it.

[farmboxer]

76. I will quit reading any of the Hillary Hate threads, this is getting

absurd. Repubs are laughing so hard now. If he called Hillary Bush/Cheney, then I am just can't support what he says. This is it for me.......I will vote for a Democrat even if it is Hillary Clinton. Compare Bush/Cheney with Clinton/Gore, there is no comparison, I wish Clinton were back.

[Ethelk2044]

77. She can not get out of it. She was out spoken for the war and in the

video on Youtube she sounds just like him.