Obama camp blasts Clinton for 'Obama in Muslim garb'

[kpete]

Obama camp blasts Clinton for 'Obama in Muslim garb'
Nick Juliano
Published: Monday February 25, 2008

When he toured several African nations 18 months ago as his presidential campaign was gearing up, Sen. Barack Obama engaged in the time-honored practice of American politicians visiting foreign countries: he was photographed wearing local garb.

The photograph, taken in the summer of 2006, re-emerged Monday in this year's hotly contested presidential campaign, after a report that staffers working for Hillary Clinton sent reporters the photo, which shows Obama wearing a turban and native Kenyan clothing. Clinton's campaign did not deny its staffers distributed the photo, and Obama's top advisers were quick to blast what it called an underhanded campaign tactic.

“On the very day that Senator Clinton is giving a speech about restoring respect for America in the world, her campaign has engaged in the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we’ve seen from either party in this election. This is part of a disturbing pattern that led her county chairs to resign in Iowa, her campaign chairman to resign in New Hampshire, and it’s exactly the kind of divisive politics that turns away Americans of all parties and diminishes respect for America in the world," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe in an e-mail sent to RAW STORY and other news outlets Monday morning.

Three Obama foreign policy advisers participated in a conference call with reporters Monday in advance of an anticipated Clinton speech outlining her foreign policy goals. All criticized her campaign for distributing the photo.

more at:
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Obama_campaign_blasts_Clinton_over_photo_0225.html

[scheming daemons]

1. There are already a half-dozen threads about this.... read before you post....

[Emit]

2. This one is not from Drudge

it's from Rawstory

[wndycty]

3. Exactly as long as its a Drudge story they can dismiss, if its from another source. . .

. . .they have to address it.

[Emit]

4. I see too that other sites have picked this up

Politico, for example.

[scheming daemons]

15. Wndy... I'm the biggest Obama supporter around.... continually talking about this HELPS the GOP

Don't take the bait.

[maddiejoan]

5. and Rawstory's source is?

DRUDGE

nuff sed.

[Alamom]

6. To repeat, Drudge. Everyone's source is.....Drudge. nm

[Emit]

7. Actually, the Rawstory report includes comments by the Obama campaign

so, it's further info on the subject, no matter the originating source in this particular matter, IMHO

[maddiejoan]

9. and Ploufe

is going off half-cocked on the Clinton campaign with no proof that it this originated with them.

[Emit]

13. It needs to be addressed

recall the fliers the precinct captain sent out in Reno which did not originate from the Obama campaign, urging Repugs to switch sides for a day just to vote against Clinton. That didn't originate from the campaign, but it made national news through blogs and was addressed immediately.

[maddiejoan]

14. Which leads me to believe

that Obama was indeed behind those fliers.

They certainly had a response ready right away. How?

[Emit]

16. Communication?

Please, it was very evident from the news stories I read that it was the efforts of the one precinct captain and not the whole campaign. I think he even had to resign. A similar event occurred with a Hillary maverick supporter -- can't recall the particular issue, but similar in nature -- originating from Iowa, IIRC, regarding sending that Muslim e-mail (see story in original OP).

[maddiejoan]

18. So this story has been live for 2 hours now

But you're all ready to get the noose out for Hillary.

[Bluebear]

20. Now she has to "GET OUT OF OUR FUCKING PARTY!!!!1111" . . . .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4757652&mesg_id=4758174

[Emit]

21. Not at all, maddiejoan

I'm just saying it has to be addressed and the way to do that is to ask questions and air things out. I have no clue where it originated -- although there's a thread floating in here somewhere that has info that it originated in freeperland back on 2/04. My apologies if any of my posts were misunderstood in that regard.

[maddiejoan]

22. and THAT is fine, Emit

But as of now we already have DU members AND Obama's campaign blaming Hillary based on nothing more than a DRUDGE report with no proven facts behind it.

Then they are calling out Hillary's campaign for not issuing a denial (and how could they yet?)

It's entirely possible someone on her campaign staff (and what does THAT mean?) circulated it (and what does THAT mean?)

The story is now 2 hours old --but people are fixin' to hang Hillary over it.

[Emit]

24. I see your point n/t

[Zueda]

8. Clinton won't deny it...

Not smart of them not to deny it.

[DemzRock]

10. Have they really been asked? n/t

[yourguide]

19. yes

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8667.html

"The Clinton campaign did not deny the charge, but did not comment further."

[maddiejoan]

12. What else can they do?

They don't know.

campaign 'staffer' is a very general description.

Don't you think the campaign needs to investigate the truth of this before they can make a statement?

[stillcool]

17. funny, isn't it?

Memories, light the corners of my mind. Misty water-colored memories of the way we were

Clinton Surrogate Compares Obama Ad to Nazi March
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080201/cm_thenation/45278988_1
Fri Feb 1, 2:23 PM ET
The Nation -- On a media conference call organized by the Hillary Clinton campaign today,
Clinton surrogate Len Nichols compared an Obama health care ad to Nazis.
----------

Accusing political opponents of Nazism is an outrageous smear. Raising the specter of a Nazi march in response to a health care mailer that evokes the insurance industry is so absurd, it would be hard to take the attack seriously, were it not launched from a high profile national campaign conference call in this crucial stretch of the presidential race. And political observers know, of course, that the Clinton Campaign regularly arranges opportunities for surrogates to launch these kind of smears, which are later followed up with apologies.
(See: Bob Johnson, Bill Shaheen, Bob Kerrey, and Francine Torge, to name the most recent offenders.) For his part, Nichols did not immediately return a call requesting further comment.
-------------------------
Len Nichols, Director of New America's Health Policy Program, stated, "For nearly 17 years I have worked tirelessly to reform our nation's struggling health system. Today my passion overwhelmed me. I chose an analogy that was wholly inappropriate. I am deeply sorry for any offense that my unfortunate comments may have caused.

Clinton adviser steps down after drug use comments
Earlier Thursday, Clinton personally apologized to rival Obama for Shaheen's remarks.
Obama accepted her apology, according to David Axelrod, the top political strategist for the Obama campaign.http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/13/clinton.obama/index.html

January 6, 2008, 5:18 pm
Edwards: No Conscience in Clinton Campaign
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/edwards-no-conscience-in-clinton-campaign/
By Julie Bosman
KEENE, N.H. – John Edwards angrily took on Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton at two news conferences in a row on Sunday, saying that her campaign “doesn’t seem to have a conscience.”

COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton and her campaign tried to mend ties to black voters Thursday when a key supporter apologized to her chief rival, Barack Obama, for comments that hinted at Obama's drug use as a teenager. The candidate herself, meanwhile, praised the Rev. Martin Luther King and promised to assist with the rebirth of this troubled, largely black city.

Bob Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, apologized for comments he made at a Clinton campaign rally in South Carolina on Sunday that hinted at Obama's use of drugs as a teenager.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-01-17-johnson-apology_N.htm?csp=34

Sound familiar?

December 10, 2007
Third Clinton Volunteer Knew Of Smear E-Mail
A third volunteer for Hillary Clinton's campaign was aware of a propaganda e-mail alleging that Barack Obama is a Muslim who plans on "destroying the U.S. from the inside out."
"Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential Candidacy," the email reads. "Please forward to everyone you know. The Muslims have said they Plan on destroying the U.S. from the inside out, what better way to start than at The highest level."

Two Clinton volunteers, Linda Olson and Judy Rose, have already been asked to resign from the campaign for their roles in forwarding the e-mail. The AP reported yesterday that Olson, a volunteer coordinator in Iowa County, sent a version of the e-mail to 11 people, including Ben Young, a regional field director for Chris Dodd's campaign. Young passed it on to the AP.
http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/12/third_clinton_v.html

Hillary: Sorry for Any Offense Campaign (Bill) Has Caused
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB65wJ6Rcfs

Bill Clinton Asks for a Second Chance
By Liz Halloran
Posted February 11, 2008
The morning after his wife, Hillary, was routed in three state contests by Sen. Barack Obama in their dead-heat battle for the Democratic nomination, former President Bill Clinton made his case for her before a packed Sunday service at one of the largest black churches in Washington, D.C. But first he offered an apology of sorts for racially tinged comments he made about Obama and his candidacy that have triggered a backlash in the black community and among many other Democrats.

Clinton invoked his "worship of a God of second chances" in pronouncing himself glad to be at the Temple of Praise, which claims nearly 15,000 members. His invocation of second chances echoed comments he made early last week at black churches in California, where he campaigned for his wife before that state's Super Tuesday primary, which she won.
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/02/11/bill-clinton-asks-for-a-second-chance.html

Bill Clinton To Apologize At LA Black Churches
Once again, Bill Clinton is ready to repent.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/02/bill-clinton-to-apologize_n_84573.html
On Sunday the former president is scheduled to visit black churches in South Central Los Angeles, where he's expected to offer a mea culpa to those who "dearly loved him" when he was their president, Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.) says. Watson, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who has endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), tells us she'll usher the former president to more than half a dozen churches in her district where she says he needs to "renew his relationship" with congregants who were turned off by his racially tinged comments in the days leading up to and following the South Carolina primary. (Such as when Clinton compared Sen. Barack Obama's landslide victory to Jesse
Jackson's wins in 1984 and 1988.)

http://graphics.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/politics/20080112_nevada_lawsuit.pdf
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/17/a-feisty-bill-clinton-defends-nevada-lawsuit/
CLINTON ALLIES SUPPRESS THE VOTE IN NEVADA...
On the Press on Sunday, Hillary Clinton said her campaign had nothing to do with a
lawsuit--written about by Nation Editor Katrina vanden Heuvel--that threatens to prevent thousands of workers from voting in the Nevada caucus on Saturday.
Back in March, the Nevada Democratic Party agreed to set up caucus locations on the Vegas strip for low-income shift workers, many of them members of the state's influential Culinary Union, who commute long distances to work and wouldn't be able to get home in time to caucus.
It was an uncontroversial idea until the Culinary Union endorsed Barack Obama and the Nevada State Education Association, whose top officials support Clinton, sued to shut down the caucus sites.
The Clinton camp played dumb until yesterday, when President Clinton came out in favor of the lawsuit.
Clinton's comments drew a heated response from D. Taylor, the head of Nevada's Culinary Union, on MSNBC's Hardball. "He is in support of disenfranchising thousands upon thousands of workers, not even just our members," Taylor said of Clinton. "The teachers union is just being used here. We understand that This is the Clinton campaign. They tried to disenfranchise students in Iowa. Now they're trying to disenfranchise people here in Nevada, who are union members and people of color and women."
Rank-and-file members of Nevada's teachers union also come out against the lawsuit filed by their leadership. "We never thought our union and Senator Clinton would put politics ahead of what's right for our students, but that's exactly what they're doing," the letter stated. "As teachers, and proud Democrats, we hope they will drop this undemocratic lawsuit and help all Nevadans caucus, no matter which candidate they support."
The lawsuit's opponents make a persuasive point. Creating obstacles to voting is what the GOP does to Democrats, not what Democrats should be doing to other Democrats.

If we had the chance to do it all again tell me, would we? Could we? Memories, may be beautiful and yet What's too painful to remember we simply choose to forget

[9119495]

11. This is Kpete posting this...THE KPETE!

Kpete can post ANYTHING.

Respect my brother.

[Voice for Peace]

23. Finally found out what "jump the shark" means

from wikipedia, referring to an over-the-top episode of Fonz jumping over a shark while waterskiing

"Jump-the-shark moments may be scenes like the one described above that finally convince viewers
that the show has fundamentally and permanently strayed from its original premise.

In those cases they are viewed as a desperate and futile attempt to keep a series fresh in the face of
declining ratings.

In other cases the departure or replacement of a main cast member or character or a significant change
in setting changes a critical dynamic of the show. These changes are often attempts to attract their
fans' waning attention with over-the-top statements or increasingly overt appeals to sex or violence."

[Raejeanowl]

25. How Can A Photo Be "Designed To Be Divisive"

The photo is what it is, an inanimate thing.

I understand the thought behind the accusation (i.e., is this Hillary trying to regain ground through Islamophobia?), and I'm really not sure of anyone's intent or credibility on its publication, but the photo was a voluntary thing, not a trap the Clinton campaign led Obama into. Let's not go overboard.

If Obama had no Muslim "connections" whatsoever that he has been at some pains to deny throughout (why, I don't know-why is it a horrible thing to be raised as a Muslim or have relatives who still are?), it would be a complete non-issue, as are the photos of the other leaders respectfully wearing local attire. If he has been quoted to say that if he were, he'd be proud to claim his heritage, then I'd apologize and think more of him.