The harbinger of this "bittergate" nonsense was Karl Rove

[Zodiak]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/02/rove-talks-to-gq-obama-i_n_94636.html

April 2nd:

Rove And rather than having an inspiring, forward-looking message, instead he's out there as an ordinary pol saying, "Hey, I'm number one, I'm in first place! I won more states than she did. I won more delegates than she did. What the hell's she doing offering it to me? That's insulting." And he did it in an arrogant way that I don't think made him look that good."

GQ: So you don't think his response played well?

Rove No. Take a look at the footage. Turn the sound off and look at it. You can tell that he is arrogant, and you can tell that he's a little bit angry, and you can tell he's very dismissive. He takes his hands and he sort of, you know, waves his hand like, "I'm dismissing something." (emphasis and speaker IDs mine)

I find it rather interesting that only a week after Karl Rove uttered this, this "bittergate" business started.

When you couple this information with this article below, it paints an interesting picture.

The Clintons recognize the skill Rove has brought to politics and admire his craft, if not his ideology. Just days after the November 2004 election, Bill Clinton pulled Rove aside at the dedication of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library in Arkansas. "Hey, you did a marvelous job, it was just marvelous what you did," Clinton told Rove, according to the book "The Way to Win: Taking the White House in 2008," by John F. Harris and Mark Halperin. "I want to get you down to the library. I want to talk politics with you. You just did an incredible job, and I'd like to really get together with you and I think we could have a great conversation."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/14/AR2007081401722.html

So are the Clintons getting help from Rove in the same way Leiberman did in 2006?

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2006/10/roves_call_nets_cash_for_liebe.html

I have no idea, but it sure seems suspicious to me.

[anonymous171]

1. Clinton's are using Rove's strategy, Obama is using Dean's.

[Fovea]

9. The former is antithetical to the ideals of the Democratic Party

The latter is forged in the core ideals of our party.

Rove is the master of division and exclusion. We are the big tent party. We have room for professors and farm workers. Our philosophy rests on a tradition that includes John Kennedy, Woody Guthrie and John Donne.

JFK said, "Ask what you can do for your country."
Woody Guthrie said, "This land is your land. This land is my land."
John Donne said, "No man is an island unto himself."

Rove's heroes all say "Fuck you, I've got mine."

[Zodiak]

13. That is an accurate assessment /nt

[creeksneakers2]

2. Some lady over at the Huffington Post started the whole bittergate

mess. She's an Obama fan too. Here's a link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-rosen/the-uncharted-from-off-th_b_96575.html

[zalinda]

4. But, don't you know it's always Clintons fault. n/t

[Zodiak]

6. No

She provided the catalyst...she did not start the campaign. This campaign is active, especially now that there is an ad made with Hillary's approval.

This was not viral...it was pushed.

[creeksneakers2]

14. I checked Google News

Hillary definitely spread it.

April 11, MSNBC (day story hit Huffington Post)

"She was responding to remarks Obama made at a recent, closed-press San Francisco fundraiser about small-town Pennsylvanians. Her campaign sent emails to reporters earlier Friday afternoon pushing the story line."

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/04/11/880232.aspx

It doesn't look like Karl Rove had anything to do with it though. Any campaign operative in the world would see right off that Obama really stepped in it with that quote.

[ShortnFiery]

7. No, anyone who listens and half-way respects Obama, knows this is B.S. manufactured outrage.

:thumbsdown:

[smalll]

3. Wow! Interesting! Rove said that on April 2, then Barack made his San Francisco remarks ...

just FOUR DAYS LATER! Seems to me Karl Rove was sending out some powerful brainwashing mind waves which FORCED Barack to say what he did, just to create some "evidence" to support the arrogance meme.

WHY is Rove allowed to do such things? He must be stopped! Is there no legal recourse anywhere? Can't he be prosecuted for something?

[VenusRising]

5. And they have been stamping the labels all over Obama.

Effete elitist. Snobbish. Condescending. Out of touch.

Rove needs to get the fuck out of our politics.

K&R

[depakid]

8. Unfortunately, Rove is correct with respect to Obama's non-verbals

Hopefully, the long primary campaign has and will give him time to improve on that.

[gateley]

10. This kills me:

"And rather than having an inspiring, forward-looking message...."

Obama doesn't have an inspiring, forward-looking message??? :rofl:

That's rich.

[cyberpj]

11. It will backfire. We ARE bitter.

[oasis]

12. Barack's trap to tie Rove to Hillary. He makes stupid, dismissive comments about

small town folks a week after Rove reveals the master plan. Then Hillary pounces.

Brilliant. Simply brilliant.:wow:

[Bolo Boffin]

15. All they would have to do is read the GQ article and start casting around for a videotape.

There's no need to pose anything more than that.

[AZBlue]

16. I've been suspicious of Rove's current employer for a while.

Can't help but think it's the Clintons.

[Bonaparte]

17. I find the claim a bit dubious

Since Rove had to have known that Obama said what he said.