Obama doubletalks on the Drudge "Somalia garb" photo

[ruggerson]

February 26, 2008

At the Cleveland debate on national television.

"SEN. OBAMA: Well, first of all, I take Senator Clinton at her word that she knew nothing about the photo. So I think that's something that we can set aside."

http://thejournal.epluribusmedia.net/index.php/state-news/ohio-news/58-cleveland-debate

March 10, 2008

“When in the midst of a campaign you decide to throw the kitchen sink at your opponent because you’re behind,” he said, “and your campaign starts leaking photographs of me when I’m traveling overseas wearing the native clothes of those folks to make people afraid"

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/03/10/politics/fromtheroad/entry3923339.shtml

Which is it, Barack?

[anonymous171]

1. It's great how Clinton never specifically DENIED this.

[Hoof Hearted]

6. It's great how O-folk keep repeating that bullshit MEME.

[niceypoo]

14. Why should she?

Drudge works for the Neo-cons

[nonconformist]

104. Yes she did.

Why are you promoting lies?

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LisaL]

3. Oh my goodness.

He said he takes her at her word?
Where was obamabots outrage over this?
Somehow I missed it.

[krkaufman]

89. Let's see...

• Obama is a Christian.
  
• Drudge claims Clinton campaign leaked Somali-garb photo.

One is a readily-observable fact; the other a news story involving smear tactics during a political campaign. A person *should* be able to discern a difference.

[zabet]

4. Two words.

Flip flop.

[mckeown1128]

11. Is it possible at all that he could have found out

that she did leak it over the few weeks between the two quotes.

[zabet]

23. How can she leak a photo that

was previously published
and has been on the web
for quite some time?
Did she take the picture
and send it to Drudge?
Not hardly. I hope you
know Drudge just does
controversial acccusations
with nothing to back them
up to draw web traffic,
which makes him money.
This pic has gotten him
more free advertisement
and more site hits than
anything he has done in a
while.

[TheDoorbellRang]

50. He said he took her at her word that *she* knew nothing about it

IIRC at the debate it was said that her campaign had circulated the picture, and when Clinton said she knew nothing about it, Obama responded that he took her at her word. Notice he didn't add what he thought her word might be worth.

[krkaufman]

96. ding.ding.ding. We have a winner.

... what "her word might be worth"

[Arkansas Granny]

83. If he found any proof he should substantiate his claim.

[krkaufman]

90. Or, as I posted elsewhere in this thread, Obama has learned ...

... that Hillary's word isn't worth a plug-nickel.

[dansolo]

21. Two words.

Reading comprehension.

In the first quote, he says that he doesn't believe that she was personally responsible, and in the second quote he attributes it to her campaign. As has been clearly shown, Hillary is not necessarily aware of everything that everyone in her campaign does (like spending all of her money)

[jwirr]

25. I saw that right away. This is not a lie but a statement of his belief

that persons other than her did this. Actually I see no problem with wearing native dress. I live on an Indian reservation and we do it all the time. We are proud of our heritage.

[zabet]

31. Two words.

Issue comprehension.
The whole stupidity of the situation is,
The pic has been out there, on the web,
before Drudge ever put it up with the
'received in an email' with no proof of
such and every Obama supporter bought it.
He is a right wing hack and stirring shit
is what makes him money. I am sure he loves
all the free advertisements and the site
hits from all of this attention over a
previously published pic.

[ruggerson]

52. Pretty convoluted

but let's accept your parsing for the moment - what about "that's something we can set aside."?

This isn't really setting it aside, is it?

[Ashy Larry]

5. He said her campaign leaked it.

He didn't say she knew about it.

[LisaL]

7. How do you leak something that's already been published?

It's not like a freaking big secret.

[Ashy Larry]

13. Maybe leak isn't the proper term then.

Perhaps "push on reporters" would be better.

[krkaufman]

91. Precisely. Just as her campaign did in Iowa ...

... with the pre-existing "Obama is a muslim" email.

[rocktivity]

8. It isn't possible that your campaign can do things without telling you?

:headbang:
rocknation

[pajjr]

22. It isn't possible that the republicans did it?

and drudge just stirred the pot with the dems hitting both obama and clinton with one shot.

[judaspriestess]

41. nah, you're making to much sense

(I agree with what you are saying btw) just looking to blame Hillary Clinton for one more thing.

[DrFunkenstein]

9. Your Children Will Die in Their Sleep if You Vote For The Drug Dealing Muslim

Do you really want to bring this subject up again?

[Pablooscar]

10. Obama supporters love Drudge

As well as many other right-wingers, as long as they talk bad about Hillary.

[bicentennial_baby]

12. Welcome (back) to DU

[ruggerson]

30. I want royalties for that

;)

[bicentennial_baby]

35. You got it!

:patriot:

[ruggerson]

36. we'll just pretend I'm Deval

and you're Barack.

Consider it a gift amongst friends. :P

[bicentennial_baby]

38. !

:spank:

:rofl:

[walldude]

39. Hey there will be no laughing or unity among Democrats

you'll blow the whole image. :rofl:

[jefferson_dem]

15. Wow. Back so soon.

Welcome...again. :hi:

[Blue-Jay]

18. Pie Hole!

[walldude]

20. Bullshit....Show me a list of Obama supporters who

claim to like Drudge. Fuck the big list, show me 5 Obama supporters who have shown their support for Drudge. 4? 3? Links?

[Swamp Rat]

27. LOLOL!!! ... the Mods were too quick!

[GoldieAZ49]

55. damn you guys nailed him fast! How did you know it was him?

same content in posts?

[Swamp Rat]

59. It came back again as '24areas' but the Mods got it in 2 posts:

:rofl: ISP trace.

The Mods, again, beat me to it: :D
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5012739&mesg_id=5014581

[stillcool]

40. did you see this?

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/22/america/drudge.1-156891.php?page=2

The Drudge Report warms to the Clinton camp, or is it vice versa?
By Jim Rutenberg
Published: October 22, 2007

WASHINGTON: As Senator Barack Obama prepared to give a major speech on Iraq one morning a few weeks ago, a flashing-red siren alert went up on the Drudge Report Web site. It read, "Queen of the Quarter: Hillary Crushes Obama in Surprise Fund-Raising Surge," and, "$27 Million, Sources Tell Drudge Report."

Within minutes, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's fund-raising success was injected via Drudge into the day's political news on the Internet and cable television. It did not halt coverage of Obama's speech or his criticism of her vote to authorize the war in 2002, but along the front lines of the campaign - the hourly, intensely fought effort to capture the news cycle or deny ownership of it to the other side - it was a telling assault.

Clinton's aides declined to discuss how the Drudge Report got access to her latest fund-raising figures nearly 20 minutes before the official announcement went to supporters. But it was a prime example of a development that has surprised much of the political world: Clinton is learning to play nice with the Drudge Report and the powerful, elusive and conservative-leaning man behind it.

That man, Matt Drudge, came to national prominence a decade ago as a nemesis of the Clintons who used the Web to peddle, gleefully, the latest news and rumor generated by the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
------------------------------------------

Clinton's communications team, led by Howard Wolfson, is not leaving Drudge to the Republicans. Five current and former Democratic officials said Clinton has on her side the closest thing her party has ever had to Rhoades in Tracy Sefl, a former Democratic National Committee official. The officials said that Sefl had established a friendly relationship with Drudge and that Clinton's campaign often worked quietly through her to open a line of communication with Drudge.
------------------------
Though liberals say Drudge's ideological imbalance remains plain, Republicans, who viewed the site as theirs in campaigns past, say they are noticing what they believe to be more Democratic driven, often Clinton driven, items on it.

And, as New York magazine reported recently, it has escaped no one that Drudge has sometimes mentioned Clinton favorably on his syndicated radio program, even if no one really knows whether his comments reflect admiration for her or simply a recognition that keeping her in the news is good for his business.
-----------------------
Former Republican Party and Bush campaign officials said that in 2004 they considered Drudge's site so central in their efforts to undermine Senator John Kerry's presidential campaign that they systemized their approach to him. Senior aides in the Bush war room, run by Steve Schmidt, a veteran Republican communications aide, insisted on vetting any information to be fed to Drudge so as not to annoy and overwhelm him with items he might find unworthy. And, these officials said, when the approval was given, the main point of contact was usually the Bush aide who then had the closest relationship with Drudge, J. Timothy Griffin, currently a consultant to the campaign of Fred Thompson, the former Republican senator from Tennessee.

Through that system, Bush's aides funneled embarrassing tidbits about Kerry in which mainstream news reporters had initially shown less interest. From time to time, those former aides said, an item's appearance on Drudge would drive it into mainstream news coverage: A video clip of Kerry contradicting himself, or a photograph of him wearing a protective germ outfit.

[directdeposit]

44. Did you see this?

Did you see the unsubstantiated rumors about Clinton in Drudge? Do you see Drudge every day, with 50 good news for Obama and 50 bad news for Clinton? (exaggerating, but you get the point).

So apparently all you got is an opinion piece from October, 2007, speculating that Drudge may be warming to Clinton.

Give me substance.

[stillcool]

46. umm...If you do a search..

for the name mentioned in the article that is the liaison with the Clinton Campaign, you will find what you need to know. I could search for you, but you probably wouldn't read it anyway. Just in case though, the information is there...in the article.

[yesteryear]

56. He warmed so much that he posted a pic of Hil's wrinkly face

what a friend, huh?

[yesteryear]

57. And he "warmed" so much that he said, without evidence, that an email

was circulating from the Clinton campaign of Obama in a Somalian garb.

I don't ever want to have friends "warm up" like that to me. Do you?

[TahitiNut]

63. Zombies! Hillary Zombies ("Hillbies"?) Everywhere! Is this Night Of The Living Brandead?

:rofl: :rofl:

Whack-A-Mole has become Whack-A-Piehole!

[anigbrowl]

68. Surely 'hillbillies'....

[Swamp Rat]

16. Maybe someone who quit the Clinton campaign told Obama the source of the photo leak?

He could have gotten new information in those two weeks. :shrug:

[rodeodance]

79. stop spreading dangerous concocted rumor you just made up please.

[Swamp Rat]

82. A harmless question on a message board is a "dangerous concocted rumor?"

LOL! You attribute to me too much power. :D

[texastoast]

17. Both

It's the campaign. Whoever decided for Hillary that the showing the photo was a good idea just showed desperation.

It was somewhat like John Edwards' $400 haircut. It was a stupid thing to do.

[RBInMaine]

19. He said the "campaign" leaked it, not her personally.

[Abacus]

29. Yep, the statements are not mutually exclusive. /nt

[ruggerson]

32. parsing eh?

even if that was true, this is not really "setting it aside" is it?

[boppers]

51. Reading comprehension.

"Setting aside" personal emnity towards her doesn't mean he's just going to pretend her campaign is any less sleazy than it is.

[ruggerson]

62. don't even try

he said "So I think that's something that we can set aside."

Referring to the photo incident. Not to "personal enmity" or anything else you can make up off the top of your head.

Face it. He's a doubletalking politician like the rest of them. This "new kind of politics" is just a sad gimmick.

[democrattotheend]

24. I was surprised he chose to bring this up

Is there new evidence that her campaign was involved?

[RoadRage]

26. I take Senator Clinton at her word

Perhaps it was when Obama said this in all honesty.. and then she turned around and threw the same "plagerized" phrase back at him a few days later with "I take him at his word (that he's not muslim)"..

Perhaps THAT is when he decided to stand up for himself, and throw a bit of the sink back at her. Please.. she deserves 100 times more then what he's dishing out.. but he's trying to walk the walk that he preaches. Good for him... screw her!

[Arkansas Granny]

86. "I take him/her at her word" is hardly an original phrase so how could

it be plagarized. I still don't understand how taking someone at their word can be an insult or mean that a person is not telling the truth.

[DemGa]

28. Well now, that's not setting it aside, is it?

You get the impression Barack Obama just kinda "says stuff" -- then forgets all about it.

[walldude]

33. Well I think he may have tried to set it aside...

but after being told he should be ashamed of himself, told he's not qualified to do anything but ride her coattails, told that the republican is the more experienced candidate, maybe he got tired of setting shit aside.

[ruggerson]

34. or maybe he lied on national television to appear gracious when he isn't

[DemGa]

37. I think the point is that Obama is going back on his former statement

The question arises: is he even aware of this inconsistency? Or does he apply little importance to his word?

This is not the quality of decisiveness needed in a President.

[RBInMaine]

42. One day Hillary praises him, the next she plays the "shame on you card."

Hillary has no case when it comes to doubltalk. She has been up and down like a yoyo using any angle, throwing everything but the kitchen sink, going scorched earth, saying he isn't experienced enough then saying she'd like him to be VP, embracing McCain to bloody Obama, using the 3am phone angle, mocking his supporters, spinning away defeat after defeat in red states and dissing Dems in those states as not mattering, and on and on and on. Next time the Hillary people need to bring a case if they are going to try to make one.

[johnnydrama]

54. VP

1. Barack isn't experienced enough to be President
2. But he can my VP, we'd be unstoppable
3. But he's not ready right now, only in 3 months.

That kinda inconsistency?

[DemGa]

60. Why not address Obama in terms of Obama?

Is every flaw in Obama related somehow to Clinton? This is bizarre.

[krkaufman]

92. She has *NOT* made the "in 3 months" statement...! ??

You've *got* to be kidding me. Exactly what extra foreign policy and CIC experience is Obama going to get in the next 3 months? He certainly doesn't need more time on the campaign trail, 'cause if we're judging by how the campaigns are being run, Obama is light years ahead of Clinton, now.

[goclark]

43. And what if a presidential candidate in the feature is Muslim/Jewish?

JFK was Catholic and recall what hell they put him through ~ Kerry too.

When Democrats talk this stuff up it really disappoints.


This is so crazy of Pillary to play this card.

This is a county of many religions and many ethic groups.

Charles Manson was White so does that mean that all White People are bad? NOOOOOOOOO!

What if a candidate's first name was Monica? Does that mean she would not be a nice person?

It is such a 60's approach to life ~ let's jump into the 21st century please!

[CreekDog]

45. He said that at least 1 "as far as I know" ago

She doesn't get to use his decency to evade a response to her tactics.

[MagsDem]

48. It's a bullshit accusation on his part on you know it

[CreekDog]

49. "As far as you know"

and you know it. :rofl:

laugh at yourself a little. ;)

[MagsDem]

53. Well tell us which staffer did it then?

Drudge knows the Clinton campaign denied it, and he hates the Clintons. Why not just say who sent it to him if it was a Clinton staffer. It's a bullshit accusation and your guy knows it. But he is a liar, so he lies.

Look, this is hardly all Obama has lied about. Hell he has been caught numerous times, NAFTA being the latest. And I can gaurantee you he is lying about not taking lobbyist money. I personally know lobbyists who are bundling money for him at his request. He hides it but he is having lobbyists solicit donations for his campaign. The man is an abject liar. And it is a fool that votes for him.

[CreekDog]

58. Do you think I think he is an angel, or Jesus Christ come back to earth?

you are stupid if you think I do and stupider if you think that is how I decide whom to vote for.

i think he is the superior candidate. i don't think Hillary or Obama are necessarily more or less truthful than each other.

i think what makes her the inferior candidate is that when she swings for a pitch, she misses and spins herself around in the process. in other words, her political instincts seem to lead her and her campaign to make bad decisions time after time.

if you think i'm brave enough to put that up against the Republicans this fall, you are crazy.

and by the way, who is doing the whispering campaign that Obama is a Muslim? whom does it help? whom does it hurt?

[rodeodance]

80. I see you have no name yet. Drudge has not produced the email either. YOU LOSE!

[CreekDog]

102. oh I lose, oh noes! i am the weakest link

:rofl:

you hurty my feewings.

[krkaufman]

93. You certainly can't be asking for a journalist to reveal his source. n/t

[rodeodance]

99. HA HA DRUDGE is a journalist!! --Where IS that email?--No where!!!

[krkaufman]

100. Did you like that? I was immensely proud.

I pondered editing the post, after the fact, to add some emoticon to make it more obvious, but decided against, as I was curious to see which 'bot would be the frist to reply. (sorta like those convenience stores that intentionally misspell messages on their signs as a ploy to get customers to come inside the store to yap about the error.)

Sorry. No kupie to give ya.

[rodeodance]

105. drudge said he had an email. which he did not produce. Therefore therei

is NO evidence it was the clinton camp. Drudge only said it was.
end of story.

[krkaufman]

106. Ok, putting aside the fact that, no, Drudge is NOT a journalist ...

... rhymes with sludge ...

... I'm sure he *considers* himself as such and would hide behind source confidentiality. Did he report that there was no email, or did he say that he wouldn't release it?

Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get me. And just because Drudge is scum, it doesn't mean he's incapable of making a true statement.

[MagsDem]

47. Clue: Obama is a doubletalking liar

On PAC money, which he raises.

On lobbyist money, which he takes

On NAFTA where he tells voters one thing and Canada another

On Rezko, where is he lying his ass off

On the patriot act, which he pledged to vote to repeal when he ran for the senate, then voted for as soon as he was elected to the senate.

[Ileanasouza]

66. Agree n/t

[DrFunkenstein]

74. Yeah, We Need a Clinton Back in The White House to Get Some Truth

Then we can all exhale.

[krkaufman]

94. good one.

Thanks, I needed that.

:rofl:

[annie1]

61. don't worry, he'll apologize again for pushing the racisism charge at the next debate.

[rodeodance]

81. yeah I recall BO saying HRC comments were NOT racial (MLK) on the eve

of one of the earlier debates.

In the meantime--his silence lead to a toxic stew of racism against the Clintons. He could have stepped in sooner--but he let his surrogates add toxins to the stew

[malik flavors]

64. Nafta-Gate was B.S. and the Clintons pushed that story, so this is fair game. You reap what you sow.

[Metric System]

65. Obama just found out that Hillary has a time machine and that she went back to 2006 to leak the pic:

http://www.geeskaafrika.com/ethiopia_31aug06.htm

[malik flavors]

69. The problem isn't the pictures existence. The problem is circulating it in e-mail form...

to get a rise out of people. It's the context in which the photo was used and how it was turned into a tool to raise questions about Obama's background. The fact that the photo existed prior to the e-mail doesn't make any difference.

[ruggerson]

71. show us the proof as to who emailed it to whom

the only word we have on this is from Matt Drudge.

It was never corroborated by anyone nor proved by him. Yet Obama takes Matt Drudge at his word?

[rodeodance]

78. Drudge has NEVER produced the email. It is heresay by DRUDGE!

[Lord Helmet]

67. this is the lamest post I've seen here

you have hit the bottom of the barrel, dude.

[Unsane]

70. He likely learned the truth betweeen 2/26 and 3/10

[ruggerson]

72. If he had, it would have been a huge news story

[Unsane]

73. Doubt it. The press is in full anti-Obama mode right now.

[krkaufman]

95. Yes, the truth that Hillary's word cannot be counted-upon. n/t

[avrdream]

75. It just keeps getting better and better.

Can the man actually keep a straight face while he says all this shit?

[amborin]

76. equivocate, equivocate, and hope the duped masses don't notice

[bigtree]

77. Kick

:kick:

[Occam Bandage]

84. Sen. Clinton didn't know about the photo. Sen. Clinton's campaign did. Where's the disconnect?

[elixir]

85. I guess you missed the program where she did.

[rug]

87. He wants the smear to stick knowing he hasn't any proof. Inspiring.

[krkaufman]

88. Perhaps, since that statement on February 26th, 2008 ...

"I take Senator Clinton at her word that she knew nothing about the photo."

... Sen. Obama has come to realize that Sen. Clinton's "word" is meaningless. She *does* seem to have an issue with the meaning of "pledged."

[thewiseguy]

97. How many threads are you going to make on the very same topic?

lol that shows desperation.

[bridgit]

98. Did you see the press conference his handlers shut down? Be looking for BO to double-talk his way

through his presidency. He'll likely bow out of 'the press conference' as a means of interacting with people in that like bush he's not good on his feet, and hates questions that don't fit into what he wants to talk about.

Be looking for a lot more double-talk; it will be among the hallmarks of a BO presidency: pissy, snide, condescending double-talk

[newfie4]

101. Maybe he shouldn't wear those clothes to begin with if he wants to run for President

Don't make clothes that make people afraid...makes sense to me.

"No thanks, I won't wear this bizarre outfit...you see I'm running for President soon and I have to watch my image closely"

if you make these stupid decisions, than don't blame your opposition for pouncing on it.

[redqueen]

103. LOL... yes, let's cater to idiots everywhere!

:rofl:

You're a funny one, you are.