Hillary Adviser Wolfson: Obama's Claim That Bill Is Fibbing Is A "Right Wing Talking Point"

[ProSense]

Hillary Adviser Wolfson: Obama's Claim That Bill Is Fibbing Is A "Right Wing Talking Point"

By Greg Sargent - January 21, 2008, 1:32PM

This is getting interesting. In an interview with me a couple of minutes ago, senior Hillary adviser Howard Wolfson claimed that Obama's assertion this morning that Bill Clinton is fibbing about his campaign is a "right wing talking point."

Wolfson was responding to my questions about Obama's Good Morning America appearance this morning, in which Obama claimed that Bill has been dissembling badly about Obama campaign tactics. Obama also charged that Bill has been dissembling regularly about the Illinois Senator's consistent opposition to the Iraq war and about Obama's claim that the GOP has been the "party of ideas."

"From time to time the Obama campaign has used right-wing talking points against Bill and Hillary Clinton," Wolfson said at one point in response to questions about Obama's appearance. Asked whether Obama's claim that Bill is fibbing is one of them, Wolfson said: "Yes."

The assertion that calling Bill a liar is a "right wing" attack escalates the battle over today's Obama interview. And it's heavily suggestive, because it seems to imply that Obama's claims are of a piece with charged moments in the past that the right has attacked Bill for his mendacity.

link

"Simply put, the president's deposition testimony regarding whether he had ever been alone with Ms. (Monica) Lewinsky was intentionally false and his statements regarding whether he had ever engaged in sexual relations with Ms. Lewinsky likewise were intentionally false," the judge wrote of Clinton's January 17, 1998 deposition.

link

President Clinton today admitted for the first time that he intentionally misled the government and the public about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

<...>

"I tried to walk a fine line between acting lawfully and testifying falsely, but I now recognize that I did not fully accomplish that goal and that certain of my responses to questions about Ms. Lewinsky were false," Clinton said in a written statement read by Press Secretary Jake Siewert.

In an agreement reached with Independent Counsel Robert Ray, Clinton agreed to pay a $25,000 fine and not to seek compensation for attorneys' fees he paid during the investigation. The agreement also ends a bid by the Arkansas Bar Association to disbar the president.

link

Hillary Clinton reveals personal anguish over Lewinsky saga

[ClericJohnPreston]

1. Obama already channels Reagan

hardly a stretch for his campaign to go Rovian.

[Bitwit1234]

16. And of course ALL the republican ways of doing things.

[bigdarryl]

2. Wolfson is a major league DICK HEAD

[David Zephyr]

3. I guess that Bob Kerrey who called Clinton "an unusually good liar" is now a right-winger, too?

Yawn.

[IndianaGreen]

27. Did you mean to say John Kerry?

Bob Kerrey is supporting Hillary.

[ccpup]

4. if one is honest, you can trace the Right Wing theme

of Bill being dishonest with their use of the moniker "Slick Willy"

No groundbreaking news here: The Right Wing pushed Clinton's alleged dishonesty -- even laing a very expensive, multi-year perjury trap to Impeach him -- and Obama once again pivots into the arms of the Democrat-hating republicans in his blindly ambitious desire to be President.

Yawn.

[MNDemNY]

6. "Slick Willy" was used widely by Bill's Democratic primary opponents.

[Jai4WKC08]

14. Can you document that?

I wasn't politically active in 1992 because I was in the military -- voted, had a few cautious discussions with co-workers, but that was about it. But I don't remember any Democrats calling him that. In fact, I seem to remember first hearing it from Rush Limbo, who was gaining popularity at about the same time.

[MNDemNY]

24. Only because that's what many of us called him when I was a Jesse Jackson delegate ...

to the DFL State Convention in MN.

[Jai4WKC08]

32. Well, if you say so. Perhaps not nationally...

That's not the way I remember it. I don't recall any instance of it being used in the media, even the right wing rags, until Rush started it.

And fwiw, I voted for Jesse down in FL. Not particularly germaine to this discussion, but just a way of saying "Hi!" :hi: by showing that I'm was never a die-hard Clinton fan, and hoping we'll all be back on the same side when this is over.

[ProSense]

7. Clinton: "my responses to questions about Ms. Lewinsky were false."

Bill lied!

[ccpup]

8. why don't you take some time

to read a few of the wonderfully informative (as well as riveting) books out there that speak about the Richard Mellon Scaife financed and Republican led perjury trap laid for Bill between 1992 (when he was Inaugurated) up until they Impeached him. I'm sure you'd learn a lot.

[rox63]

11. Vast right-wing conspiracy or not, Bill is not known for his honesty

And yes, I do admit there WAS a vast right-wing conspiracy against Clinton. But he still lied about some stuff.

[ProSense]

12. Here

background.

[rodeodance]

17. and many times I fail to see the differences between lies and your parsing of words.

[ProSense]

18. These are not Clinton's words: "my responses to questions about Ms. Lewinsky were false."? n/t

[robbedvoter]

19. Another RW darling talking point. QED

[MNDemNY]

28. While Barack fried?

:smoke:

[tabatha]

5. So opinions are now owned?

is this a democracy?

[rox63]

9. One candidate calling another candidate a liar is not a "right wing talking point"

It's called politics, and it happens all the time.

[Cha]

10. What else is ol' mr original going to say?

They have a hat handy to pick out their responses and as long as they have the attack dog syndrome they're happy as pigs in shit.

[dkf]

13. "I was against the Iraq war from the start!"

Yeah. uh huh.

[sniffa]

15. Obama's in on the vast right wing conspiracy.

:grr:

[robbedvoter]

20. He' s certainly using their stuff - as do many DU-ers these days

[cali]

21. ROFLMAO

So they're trying to say that any criticism of Bill is a right wing talking point- even pointing out that he's distorting what Obama says?

Too funny. What a crew. Wolfboy sounds just like certain DUers.

:rofl:

[pdxmom]

22. So Bill Clinton can never be called on telling a lie, because anyone who

points out an untruth is spouting right wing talking points? I want that pass on making less than honest statements. How do I get that?

[Skip Intro]

23. My God, the hypocrisy from Obama and some of his supporters

Obama would rather call Clinton a liar than stand behind his own words.

The Clinton campaign responds saying Obama uses right wing talking points.

Obama supporters respond by bringing up the biggest rw smear effort of the last 20 years, Bill\\\'s indiscretion with Monica Lewinsky.


:crazy:

[ProSense]

25. A lie

is a lie!

[Skip Intro]

31. And the truth is the truth.

I hope Obama himself starts bringing up Monica Lewinsky. Let him play Ken Starr like his faithful here do. Let him bring up Vince Foster and Whitewater. Let him try to bash Hillary with these things, see how that plays out. I am sure he will before he finally calls it quits. I dont think it will be long now...

[Nedsdag]

26. A "rw smear effort?"

Whose DNA turned up on Lewinsky's dress? That's not a right-wing talking point.

When your enemies are pointing guns at you, don't give them the bullets. That's what Clinton did.

Was it a personal matter? Of course it was; however, Clinton made it easy for them to go after him.

[IndianaGreen]

29. Let's see, Bush accuses his critics of being soft on terrorism while Hiilary's people

accuse her critics of spewing RW talking points. Bush and Hillary appear to share the same strategy, use fear mongering to silence dissent.

What a lovely four years we have to look forward to with the Clintons in the White House, assuming they don't send us all to Guantanamo!

[Skwmom]

30. Oh please. I know a lie when I hear one.