John Berman has been at ABC since 1995, and allowed to appear on television since 2001. He covered the 2008 campaign extensively, following John McCain and Mitt Romney during the primaries and then Barack Obama in the general election. He also spent more than 20 months chasing George W. Bush around the country as a producer from 1999 until 2001, earning the clever nickname, "Pain in the Ass," from our 43rd president. He is a frequent and sometimes welcome contributor to all of ABC's broadcasts.

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GOP Targets Clinton-Obama Rift

August 25, 2008 1:12 PM

From ABC's Rick Klein, author of The Note: It must be a fun time to be a Republican in Denver this week.

There’s that swanky war room set up down the street from the Pepsi Center. There’s the fun slogan: "Not Ready '08: A Mile High, an Inch Deep." There's knowing that you’re dining out on Democratic dollars this week.

And no one is having more fun playing with (and maybe overplaying) the Clinton-Obama drama than GOPers. The Republican National Committee on Monday is hosting a "Happy Hour for Hillary," only too pleased to capitalize on lingering tensions between the two camps.

Now comes this ad, from the RNC's independent expenditure arm, set to run in Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin through the weekend:

ANNOUNCER: “Who has the experience to govern our nation?”

Sen. Clinton: “Senator McCain will bring a lifetime of experience to the campaign. I will bring a lifetime of experience. And Senator Obama will bring a speech he gave in 2002.”

ANNNOUNCER: “Barack Obama. He gives a great speech. But Americans must ask ourselves: should we elect the most inexperienced presidential candidate of our times? Or was she right? The Republican National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.”

Technically, because this is placed by the RNC’s independent expenditure arm (it’s a loophole in campaign-finance law both parties exploit), this ad couldn’t be designed or placed in coordination with the RNC itself, or the McCain campaign.

Not that it takes that much imagination to use Clinton’s words against Obama . . .

August 25, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (47)

User Comments

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jhw539 - you are a paid Obama blogger. Your opinion means nothing to me, or to the millions of Democrats who refuse to hop on board the Obama train wreck. John McCain would have spent NOT ONE DAY in a racist, anti-Semitic, un-American church. He would have walked out the door. I prefer substance over style, that's why I'm voting for John McCain over Barack Obama. Have a great day defending your Messiah.

Posted by: Carrie | Aug 25, 2008 2:13:02 PM

Janet: I can see your point. So we should have put Hillary in with all her bad baggage... Or McCain with all his, which by the way far exceeds Obama's if you people would do your homework and stop letting the news lead the way you think.

Posted by: beck | Aug 25, 2008 2:15:04 PM

svv:

She was the documented, indisputable pick of the DNC at the beginning of the primaries, with an order of magnitude greater superdelegate support than Senator Obama. She has a prime speaking spot. Her husband has a prime speaking spot. She has a role call vote. Florida and Michigan (where Obama was not even on the ballot) are reinstated to full voting rights as she asked. Several planks to the DNC platform, including one praising Senator Clinton's historic efforts, were added at her behest.

Yet you say, "Her supporters voices can no longer be ignored by the dictatorial DNC-Obama axis." I have provided factual counter examples, do you have any facts supporting your hypothesis?

Posted by: jhw539 | Aug 25, 2008 2:15:46 PM

Carrie: I am not a paid Obama blogger, and you have shown yourself to have no facts supporting your position beyond the well-worn Pastor Wright controversy. That's fine - it saves me time.

Posted by: jhw539 | Aug 25, 2008 2:17:03 PM

Do Hillary supporters remember when a journalist asked Obama if he was worried about getting the support of Hillary supporters? His answer was: “Where else do they have to go?” I can answer that question, Barry. We have three places to go – vote Ralph Nader, stay at home, or vote John McCain

Posted by: Carrie | Aug 25, 2008 2:18:14 PM

I agree with Hillary Clinton. John McCain has credentials in foreign affairs, and Barry Obama has a couple of lame speeches.

Posted by: Carrie | Aug 25, 2008 2:19:00 PM

I agree with John Edwards. Obama voted "present" all the time because he didn't want to take a stand on the issues, and have his positions come back to haunt him.

Posted by: Carrie | Aug 25, 2008 2:19:39 PM

Carrie: McCain was at war for 5 hours... 5 hours that is how much war experience he has. Then he was shot down and became a POW like hundreds of others. Hundreds of other men suffered the same blows. Stop putting McCain on some golden thrown... McCain is an empty suite period. If you want the US to fall and fall hard and you want to stand in soup lines in 4 years then by all rights vote for McCain and then close your mouth and never complain about a thing from that point on.

Posted by: beck | Aug 25, 2008 2:20:22 PM

I agree with Joe Biden. The Presidency does not lend itself to on the job training.

Posted by: Carrie | Aug 25, 2008 2:20:44 PM


I'm a democrat BUT i will vote
republican in november.....
I don't trust Obama as commander
in chief.........
Obama is an opportunist,un-qualify
un-experience for the highest office
in the land........
country first..........

Posted by: ROBERT | Aug 25, 2008 2:23:55 PM

McCain is complaining that Obama is getting all the media attention???? No, I think McCain Attack Ads are getting more attention than McCain and Obama combined!!!

Posted by: rant3000 | Aug 25, 2008 2:24:40 PM

I LOVE this ad. I'm a Hillary supporter who will be voting McCain this fall, so this is right in tune with me. Got to give it to the Repubs - they've come out with some "fresh, fun" ads this year which are driven by underlying truths.

Go McCain!!

Posted by: Never Obama | Aug 25, 2008 2:25:52 PM

Carrie: Hate to blow the comment you made about Obama's voters saying that Hillary voters are old, uneducated, stupid and racist... that was not the Obama voters saying those things that in fact was the news people doing their polling at the booths..

Posted by: beck | Aug 25, 2008 2:26:28 PM

Carrie:

“Where else do they have to go?” I can answer that question, Barry. We have three places to go – vote Ralph Nader, stay at home, or vote John McCain"

None of those three options support Senator Clinton's platform. A Clinton support voting for anti-choice, anti-healthcare McCain? Please. This is politics, not prom king.

" Obama voted "present" all the time "
If you call 0.03% of the time "all the time" (thats less the number of votes Senator McCain ducks entirely).

"Barry Obama has a couple of lame speeches"
And work with Senator Lugar, and committee work in the Senate, and discussions with numerous world leaders this summer, and a prescient assessment of the Iraq war years ago - before it even started, when it was politically dangerous to be against taking out the Tyrant Saddam.

And that's the end of my lunch break folks. Have fun.

Posted by: jhw539 | Aug 25, 2008 2:27:24 PM

I'm signing off for the day. Still Carrie, still a Democrat, still voting McCain . . . love to rile up the Obama cult members!!!!!!

Posted by: Carrie | Aug 25, 2008 2:28:18 PM

When will Obama supporters get it through their thick skulls that we did not vote for Hillary because she is a female, but because she was the experienced one that we felt would be able to handle the task at hand. As an African American I did not even have to think twice about voting for Hillary, it was about who would make the best president, so now why would I go back and vote for him just because he is the democratic nominee. I then went back like I did in the beginning and looked at both sets of credentials for Obama and McCain just to make sure that I was making the righ tdecision and McCain is now the most experienced of the two and he has a proven record of getting things done even if it riles his party, which is a good sign for me. When are you people that supported Obama going to take responsibility for your vote, if he loses this thing, you better take a look in the mirror and blame yourselves, you are the ones that decided to vote for an unqualified individual to run the country, if you had done your research like I did and not just drink the Change Kool-aid you would have made the right decision to vote for the invidual with more experience as well as the ability to win, the person that would fight to the end, that knows how to handle the repbulican machine, but eventually an empty suit will fall and you have no one to blame but yourselves for voting for a nominee that you knew could not withstand the competition, how about you take a good look in the mirror instead of blaming everyone else and calling them racist for having good judgement.

Posted by: Kim | Aug 25, 2008 2:32:57 PM

It seems that Big O camp does not let any chance of rubbing salt to HC's old wound. The latest example is their cynical decision to sit full delegates from MI and FL now that the count is meaningless.

Posted by: Obama-Yah-Wright | Aug 25, 2008 2:47:06 PM

Attention McCain paid posters: Please check in

http://www.johnmccain.com/ActionCenter/BlogInteract/BlogInteract.aspx

The first 50 employees to report will receive a FREE McCain Bobble Head IN addition to a signed photo of John with his head buried in Bush's sweaty armpit! Remember, we pay top $$ to spread lies. Let's have a team hug and get those fingers tapping.

Posted by: Cindy | Aug 25, 2008 2:52:58 PM

What rift? Barry will unite the world. At least that's what his marketing materials say.

Posted by: Mack | Aug 25, 2008 3:05:49 PM

OK
ALL YOU CROSSOVER REPUBS PUSHING CLINTON YOU CAN GO HOME NOW AS YOU ARE VERY OBVIOUS-----NO SELF RESPECTING DEMOCRAT WOULD EVER VOTE FOR MCCAIN---SEE WE KNOW THAT MCCAIN WOULD HAVE BEATEN HILLARY---GUESS YOU LOST THIS ONE.

Posted by: rodney | Aug 25, 2008 3:20:10 PM

DEMOCRATS REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR CHILDREN IN SCHOOL AND TAKE THEIR VITAMINS---OR THEY WILL BECOME REPUBLICANS.

Posted by: rodney | Aug 25, 2008 3:33:50 PM

Obama can't heal a rift will Hillary Clinton and he thinks her supporters don't matter. Well maybe we don't....
now....but we will in November...we will, we will REMEMBER! We will vote for McCain.

Posted by: Obamasbeenlyin | Aug 25, 2008 9:00:05 PM

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