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Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper

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Friend #5

January 15, 2008 2:43 PM

...weighs in (see below blog entries for context):

"The current Clinton Obama dust-up should have been politics as usual, but when one of the sparring partners is black, every jab and uppercut takes on racial significance.  If Barack Obama were white, President Clinton's 'fairy tale' remark and Senator Clinton's MLK comment would have been long forgotten.  But at this moment in American politics everyone is hypersensitive to race.

"The Clintons are far too smart to make even veiled racist remarks on purpose, but their eagerness to continue discussing and explaining their comments does raise eyebrows.  It obviously serves some political purpose.  By repeatedly saying 'this isn't about race' they are in effect making Obama the 'black' candidate when he has thus far avoided the label.  Diabolical indeed, which is not at all out of character for Bill or Hillary.

"But the controversy could also serve to Obama's advantage, which is why I believe his campaign might be helping keep it alive.  If they can brand the Clintons as racially insensitive, then undecided black voters, especially the ones in South Carolina, might choose Obama.  For all that talk about Bill Clinton being the first black president, he wasn't black and Hillary was most definitely not the first black first lady.

"Was I personally offended by either of the Clinton's comments?  Not at all.  Senator Clinton's MLK dis was definitely ill-advised.  Embarrassingly so, but I saw beyond her words to the point she was trying to make.  And it was not about race.  Bill Clinton says his 'fairy tale' remark was about Iraq, and I believe him.  None of what's happened in recent days even approaches Joe Biden's racially insensitive description of  Barack Obama as "articulate' and 'clean.'  It's been blown out of proportion and I'm certain that if Obama's campaign continues to be successful, we'll see far worse."

- jt

January 15, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (8)

User Comments

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Where is Clintons credit to the Republicans in Congress for without LBJ would of got nothing passed!! Since the Dems were trying to Filibuster it.

MLK did a lot for Civil Rights, For with out him LBJ would of done nothing.

The True colors of the Democrat Liberal Party - They love playing the Race Card, but in this case it is Obama not Hilary and trust me I dislike both.

Obama thru his surrogates is playing the card, if you do not believe that I have a bridge to sale you!

Posted by: spock | Jan 16, 2008 10:20:41 AM


Hillary Clinton`s praise of LBJ is getting the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed was not a gaffe or an insult to the memory of Matin Luther King..
After Abraham Lincoln, LBJ did more for blacks than any other president in US history. The Civil Rights legislation would not have been passed without LBJ`s effort and it took a lot of courage on his part.This legislation was stalled during the Kennedy administration and because of LBJ`s skill as a legislator is passed... The democratic party lost the South because of that legislation. LBJ took a risk because he thought it was the right thing to do.
Obama and his supporters owe Hillary and the family of LBJ an apology for denigrating LBJ`s contributions. Martin Luther King`s rhetoric and marches brought attention to the bill but you cannot pass legislation on oratory alone

Posted by: Reba Shimansky | Jan 16, 2008 3:47:58 AM

Jake, friend number 5 has it mostly right, except about the part that the diabolial Clinton plan may benefit Obama. We as a country had been making progress putting race behind us, but for whatefer reason, progress has slowed in the last fifteen years or so. Now it is beneficial to the Clintons to pull this. It didn't matter what they said----they knew that------it was a cold, calculated political move to open the race discussion because they know there are many whites and hispanics who will gravitate away from Obama for the wrong reason--the race reason. Give the Clintons credit for some things in the past--but they, and their kind of politics, will be long gone any day now. I hope that day has come.

Posted by: SteveW | Jan 15, 2008 9:45:30 PM

So let me get this straight:

Clinton sticks her foot in her mouth.

The American people take notice of that said foot implanted in her mouth.

Clinton, speaking muffled through said foot in mouth, blames Obama for putting her foot in her mouth.

Yup, That about sums it up.
Everything else is just BUNK.

Posted by: PulSamsara | Jan 15, 2008 4:12:24 PM

Chris is right.

Posted by: geevill | Jan 15, 2008 3:36:28 PM

Don't delete steve's post - it's valid because it shows how the voters are responding even though I believe the opposite of what steve believes - here is my take on the dust-up:

Race baiting is the art of taking a nice thing a white person says about a black person COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTEXT and I think Al Sharpton's antics gave people race-baiting fatigue. As a result, the bulletproof tactic of race-baiting unexpectedly BACKFIRED on Obama. But the fact that Obama would even think of race-baiting makes me confident in my decision not to vote for him. I wont vote for a man who fans the flames of racism, no matter how passively he does it.

Posted by: chris | Jan 15, 2008 3:06:02 PM

I was especialy disturbed by Hilary and Bill Clintons comments, they were RACIST plain and simple. IF a white republician had said this ABC woudl be jumping all over the story as RACISM. ABC can try to protect Hillary all they want
BTW I am not backing down on the Arrest of TOP Clinton Advisor for aggravated DWI, Which u will NOT report on. Delete it again if u want Matt Drudge is still got it posted!!!

Posted by: steve | Jan 15, 2008 2:55:59 PM

What is the point of THIS? Let this crap DIE. No one really cares anymore. I know you have to get a story out today, but just wait until the debate kicks off tonight. The only ones fueling this 'race' crap are the sneaky Clintons and bored journalists.

Posted by: ROB | Jan 15, 2008 2:54:36 PM

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