Gary Hart is right - Hillary broke the final rule in her endorsement of McCain!

[Emillereid]

Breaking the Final Rule
Posted March 7, 2008 | 12:45 PM (EST)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-hart/breaking-the-final-rule_b_90420.html

It will come as a surprise to many people that there are rules in politics. Most of those rules are unwritten and are based on common understandings, acceptable practices, and the best interest of the political party a candidate seeks to lead. One of those rules is this: Do not provide ammunition to the opposition party that can be used to destroy your party's nominee. This is a hyper-truth where the presidential contest is concerned.

By saying that only she and John McCain are qualified to lead the country, particularly in times of crisis, Hillary Clinton has broken that rule, severely damaged the Democratic candidate who may well be the party's nominee, and, perhaps most ominously, revealed the unlimited lengths to which she will go to achieve power. She has essentially said that the Democratic party deserves to lose unless it nominates her.

As a veteran of red telephone ads and "where's the beef" cleverness, I am keenly aware that sharp elbows get thrown by those trailing in the fourth quarter (and sometimes even earlier). "Politics ain't beanbag," is the old slogan. But that does not mean that it must also be rule-or-ruin, me-first-and-only-me, my way or the highway. That is not politics. That is raw, unrestrained ambition for power that cannot accept the will of the voters.

Senator Obama is right to say the issue is judgment not years in Washington. If Mrs. Clinton loses the nomination, her failure will be traced to the date she voted to empower George W. Bush to invade Iraq. That is not the kind of judgment, or wisdom, required by the leader answering the phone in the night. For her now to claim that Senator Obama is not qualified to answer the crisis phone is the height of irony if not chutzpah, and calls into question whether her primary loyalty is to the Democratic party and the nation or to her own ambition.

[AzDar]

1. Ayup. And her scorched-earth campaign should get her booted out of the Party,

right into LieberLand.

[jazzjunkysue]

41. Truer words were never spoken. Scorched earth. That's it.

Just ask an Iraqi.

[papau]

2. nonsense - Hillary said the public sees McCain as CinC -and not Obama - deal with it

[Emillereid]

4. She did not say that it's the tack that McCain would use - it's the tack that

she is using. Read and listen to her statements carefully. She is a traitor plain and simple.

[papau]

6. McCain has already used "the tack"

[anigbrowl]

11. In other words, she's saying the Dems shouldn't win unless she's the nominee. Cute.

I think you'll find yourself in a minority on this one.

[ieoeja]

13. She didn't say the public sees it that way.

She said McCain is obviously qualified, that she "believes" she is qualified and that you would have to ask Obama what he thought about himself.

Actually the only candidate she took a blatant swipe at was herself in saying that McCain was obviously qualified while she only believed herself to be so. In her zeal to imply Obama is not qualified, she ended up claiming McCain is more qualified than herself.

I'm sure the Republics would love to run against her in the general election broadcasting that soundbite ad nauseum.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. She's making the superdelegates' decision easier.

You know, I figured there were two possibilities after tuesday.

1. She could do the right thing and drop out, save grace.

2. She could stay in and continue to humiliate herself, and her supporters, with this terrible campaign she's running.

Turned out it was #2, and even I'm suprised with how quickly she went from the PR gain on tuesday to sticking her foot in her mouth on thursday.

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. "Monkey Business"

[cali]

14. Genifer Flowers and your cognitive dissonance n/t

[The_Casual_Observer]

16. Rezko

[ingac70]

18. Rezko?

[VolcanoJen]

22. Frank Giustra

This is fun. :eyes:

[cali]

27. Hsu, Gupta, Giustra, Paul, Rich and a cast of hundreds. n/t

[Oleladylib]

20. Yes, like Gary who?

[cali]

28. only for ignorant little hillybots.

[VolcanoJen]

17. Monica Lewinsky.

This could go on for awhile.

[Oleladylib]

31. You seem to be referring to a "guy" problem.

[VolcanoJen]

40. A "guy" problem?

Sorry, but I'm not the kind of feminist who would allow a man to treat me like shit and publicly humiliate me for 30 years. I actually do think it's relevant. And if Clintonistas are going to throw names around to attack Obama or anyone who defends him, I've got a stack of names to play with, too.

I mean, who doesn't?

[Hart2008]

39. Danny Williams is more interesting, but why does Chelsea look so much like Web Hubbell?

Do you really want to open up that can of worms?

[anigbrowl]

7. Not only that; even if she wins...

she'll go into the election with a public thinking she's a backstabber, and if she does win the election people (both in the US and abroad) are going to be extremely wary of her. She's demonstrated that she is not a team player.

[SoFlaJet]

8. People are finally starting to wake up to the fact

that she AND HER SUPPORTERS are not democrats they are Clintoncrats. She crossed the line (as do her supporters who let it go calling it "politics as usual") when she said Obama is even less qualified than McCain. She was wrong and they are wrong and will pay the price for their insurrection. She is now The Medusa

[K Gardner]

9. "That is not politics. That is raw, unrestrained ambition.." This has NOT escaped the

notice of the party elders, leaders and superdelegates. They are aware the media is in FULL SPIN mode for Hillary right now, but watch for many, many more delegates to endorse Obama after WY, then again after MS.

[democrank]

10. Now the pro-war Clintonistas have another person to hack up.

Gary Hart. Next will be Al Gore.

[Skip Intro]

12. Show me the endorsement please. (crickets). Obama said Hillary could not be trusted.

Is that not ammunition for the opposition party?

[anigbrowl]

15. Did he say McCain was trustworthy at the same time?

I suppose it depends what the meaning of 'endorse' is.

[Skip Intro]

30. Well, you would think there would be a handy quote of her endorsing mccain, but there is no such

quote, because she did not endorse mccain.

[Oleladylib]

32. He called to congratulate johnny on the nomination.

[JBoy]

19. Hillary lifts up McCain to help in her effort to smack down Obama

That's not what a good Democrat does.

[Martin Eden]

21. Hillary may have broken the rules but she did not "seriously damage" Obama

Just how much are the few words Hillary spoke in March going to hurt Obama in a general ekection against McCain in September/October/November?

Rest assured that McCain will run on a comparison of CinC credentials whatver Hillary may have said. To the extent those credentials are important to the voters, they are sure to focus much more on the mano-a-mano exchange between the candidates than on what Hillary said half a year earlier.

[suston96]

23. Hillary is correct - McCain has more experience, in many ways.....

....than either Democratic candidate.

But why should Obama supporters complain? "Experience doesn't count" we are told by Obama and his surrogates. So what's the big deal with commenting on McCain's experience??

[VolcanoJen]

25. Because John McCain is the Republican nominee in this election.

And he's going to flip Hillary's words right back on our nominee.

McCain won't hesitate to agree with Gary Hart and Keith Olbermann that Hillary Clinton herself thinks he's more qualified to be commander-in-chief than Barack Obama.

I can't remember John Kerry, Howard Dean or John Edwards making this kind of argument against each other in 2004, using George W. Bush instead of John McCain. In fact, I can't remember this kind of argument in any previous Democratic primary, like, ever.

[Hieronymus]

26. Perhaps you'll vote for a McCain/Hillary ticket .. good luck.

[Oleladylib]

33. actually, I would...

or Obama/Paul, Edwards/Huckabee, t'would be novel..but where are we as a country..sorta at the bottom and can only go up.

[barack the house]

24. Cindy Sheehan 2005 "HRC is a powrer mongerer" yep,rather have the hope kind myself.

[The Stranger]

29. Finished with Hillary. We need to move on with Obama as our nominee.

[Scurrilous]

34. Kick

:kick:

[AntiFascist]

35. The Clintons and their hillaroids are the reason the party is so damaged...

Add Gary Hart to the list of people they will turn against in their quest for McCain as president.

[orleans]

36. she lost me. i've been fence sitting, liking both candidates

but last night, today, i'm walking away with a different opinion.

rather have a republika over obama? i don't care who you are: FUCK YOU! how disgraceful.

shame on her for pushing mccain up our ass!

between the news of the muslim email coming out of her campaign in iowa, the saudi's donating (how much 10 million) to clinton library--hence holding back the tax return & calling obama ken starr????

fuck this.

[Lance31]

37. Hillary is Right

I need to vote for Mccain when she gets nominated. After all she endorses him.

[elizm]

38. She has exposed her true colors. And it is ugly. nt

[surfin]

42. She thinks she is our queen, rules do not cover her

Does anyone remember when she was in the white house their was a report from lower level staff that they had to turn their heads if they ran into her and not look at her? Did they prove that true?

[Scurrilous]

43. K & R

:thumbsup: