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Obama & Clinton Spar Over Novak Claims of "Dirt"
November 17, 2007 2:16 PM
ABC News' David Wright reports: A provocative item today from columnist Robert Novak has the Obama campaign stirred up.
Novak writes that "agents of Sen. Hillary Clinton are spreading the word" that they have some sort of scandalous dirt on Obama, but Clinton's campaign has decided "not to use it."
Novak's blind item prompted an angry response from Obama saying he'll not be deterred by "the old Swift Boat politics."
"If the purpose of this shameless item was to daunt or discourage me or supporters of our campaign from challenging and changing the politics of Washington, it will fail," an Obama campaign statement said.
The statement also called on Clinton to respond, saying, "Senator Clinton should either make public any and all information referred to in the item, or concede the truth: that there is none."
The Clinton campaign responded by saying, "Once again Obama is echoing Republican talking points."
True or false, the scurrilous little item from Novak succeeded in getting both campaigns to sling the mud.
Clinton's statement sniped at Obama's supposed inexperience, saying, "Voters should be concerned about the readiness of any Democrat inexperienced enough to fall for this."
That prompted a taunt from Obama's campaign on Clinton's supposed evasions. A further statement from campaign manager David Ploufe answered the Clinton statement as follows: "The 'experience' America's looking for today is not the practiced Washington art of evasion and deflection. Once again, the Clinton campaign refuses to answer two simple, direct questions: Are 'agents' of their campaign spreading these rumors? And do they have 'scandalous' information that they are not releasing? Yes or no?"
November 17, 2007 in Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (180)
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If this is the type of tactics that America wants from a female president, ye deserve what ye are going to get. More of the same as Bush.
Hilliary get off the fence, stop the bull and spin and get a grip and cop-on.
Posted by: Jeff Rudd | Nov 17, 2007 3:14:08 PM
If anyone would know about dirt, it would be the Clintons.
Posted by: dajetigabe | Nov 17, 2007 3:18:47 PM
Hillary, we are so done with you and your planting questions, stacking debates, and now rumor campaign tactics. WE ARE SO DONE WITH YOU AND READY FOR CHANGE!
All you are doing is firing us up, we are ready to go!
Go Obama!
Posted by: Matt Sutton | Nov 17, 2007 3:23:15 PM
I bet there is a ton of dirt on HILLERY.
Then let's see her get out of this. Can't
wait.
Posted by: Sylvia | Nov 17, 2007 3:23:37 PM
Its ironic - when the Clintons at this VERY time are trying to deny the public access to documents through the courts (that indicate their financial suspicious actives) for two forth coming years. Enough time in their eyes just to get into the White House and bury more of their activities.
Posted by: Jeff Rudd | Nov 17, 2007 3:26:33 PM
That is a bluff by Mrs. Hillary Clinton. Cheap shot.
The demographic winter is here.
Aging workforce in the US.
Have a nice day.
Sincerely,
Solange
Posted by: Solange Miller | Nov 17, 2007 3:27:01 PM
Oh Boy! This is very dirty. Democrats are like kids who get easily trapped by scumbags like Novak. Why does not Obama get the truth from Novak directly and disclose what the story is, all by himself, before others swift-boat on this. Thus he can burry this dirt once far all. Of course he will do that if so principled more than others. This is rotten, and Obama is loosing his mind. Wake up Obama, you are smart, get the facts right and then attack.
Posted by: amir | Nov 17, 2007 3:30:09 PM
I am no fan of dirty politics, and still have nearly a year to research and select the candidate that will receive my vote. What I'd love to know though...what the hell does Hillary being female have to do with this? To quote one poster, "If this is the type of tactics that America wants from a female president, ye deserve what ye are going to get. More of the same as Bush." Why the female spin? Get back in your cave, Rudd - male or female, it's dirty politics. We all know that this may be the single most important election in decades and will have huge effects on economy, defense, etc. I don't give a damn if the next president is male or female, I'm more concerned with integrity. Shame on anyone that sees boobs before brains. Idiots.
Posted by: luckyduck | Nov 17, 2007 3:36:08 PM
How absurd. ROBERT NOVAK writes an unsourced, baseless article accusing Sen. Clinton of "holding dirt" on Sen. Obama, and Senator Clinton has to respond? And I suppose she also owes the ASPCA an apology for killing Katherine Willey's cats? The silliness of this.
Posted by: dawn | Nov 17, 2007 3:39:05 PM
I do hope Hillary will favor us the most rare and precious commodity she can offer - a yes or no answer.
Posted by: jacknyc | Nov 17, 2007 3:46:00 PM
We would all go broke buying enough soap to clean-up Hillary's dirt! The rest to the world looks at us today and wonders how our nation every became so great! 2008 appears to be the beginning of the fall of the empire!
Posted by: 312 Capri | Nov 17, 2007 3:49:07 PM
She can't give a YES or NO answer till she does some polling and is able to see what position to take on her answer! And as for being a "female" president, lord knows that can get a lot more deceptive, dirtier and nasty than Bill could ever do!
Posted by: Jeff Rudd | Nov 17, 2007 3:52:58 PM
i'm really fascinated at how Clinton constantly refers to Obama's use of the 'republican' play book, when in fact SHE tends to vote with THEM on a lot of critical issues.
as a democrat i'm repulsed by the fact that our leading candidate looks like Bush-lite and the media outlets say nothing about it.
Posted by: mpinnocky | Nov 17, 2007 3:53:22 PM
Wow, O-Bomb-A is really stupid!
He would be a DISASTER on the national ticket.
Posted by: Los Angeles Democrat | Nov 17, 2007 3:53:43 PM
CORRECTION: She can't give a YES or NO answer till she does some polling and is able to see what position to take on her answer! And as for being a "female" president, lord knows that SHE can get a lot more deceptive, dirtier and nasty than Bill could ever do!
Posted by: Jeff Rudd | Nov 17, 2007 3:54:13 PM
All i know is in politics when you are attcked you respond very quickly so as not to lose credibility, the obama campaign responded well, the american people will see hillary for wht she really is callous and miscalculating and grossly inexperienced, America is all about change and the American people will choose change in obama,its time for honest change that is all about the American people, that hillary cannot provide, she is corrupt and defends a corrupt system that doesnt work for middle class America,she attended a meeting on nafta and said in the debates all she could remember were a bunch of charts??? i dont think the American people want a president that doesnt pay attention when American jobs get lost to questionable trade agreements… hillary go home and be a good wife to bill before he does something stupid again, the more i think of bill, the less and less i like him…..obama 08!!!
Posted by: jacobs | Nov 17, 2007 3:56:45 PM
312 Capri - Sadly, "the fall of the empire" began when Bush senior sold out to the Arabs for their oil... and look where that has got America now. Ye reap as ye shall sow. Go a head, elect another corrupt official, see where it gets you further!
Posted by: Jeff Rudd | Nov 17, 2007 3:58:01 PM
The American people are gonna get what they deserve in hillary, more of the republican style, from someone who wants to be commander in chief this is really low, if you think you have some thing the public should know by all means expose it, if you dont shut up and dont try to ruin our political process, folks a vote for clinton is a vote for divisive politics and further polarization of our country, she cant hope to re-unite this country by playing this type of games!!!
Posted by: jacobs | Nov 17, 2007 4:00:57 PM
I hope Hillary does win the nomination so she can lose.
Democrats are nothing but low life cowards and that includes obama.
Posted by: Travis | Nov 17, 2007 4:04:02 PM
The more I read about the "situations" Hillary finds herself in and her "responses" the more I am convinced that she walks a VERY THIN LINE between her and the GOP.
Posted by: RW | Nov 17, 2007 4:07:30 PM
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