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Obama on the State of the Union “Snub”
January 29, 2008 1:38 PM
ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: The morning after the State of the Union the Obama press plane was all a twitter over the body language between Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton during a brief moment leading up to the president’s address on Monday evening.
TO SNUB OR NOT TO SNUB? JUDGE FOR YOURSELF BY WATCHING THE VIDEO HERE.
Obama attempted to clarify what many newspapers called a “snub” – the moment when Clinton reached out to greet Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, who was standing next to Obama, and Obama turned his back to the interaction.
“I waved at her as we were coming into the Senate chamber before we walked over. I think there's a lot more tea leaf reading going on here than I think people are suggesting,” Obama defended.
He explained that at that moment he was actually leaning over to answer a question from Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and not intentionally turning his back on his top competitor.
“Senator Clinton and I have very cordial relations on the floor and off the floor,” Obama said with a straight face, just three days after a fierce battle for South Carolina in which both campaigns were on the attack.
Obama blamed the scrutiny over last night’s body language as a side effect of both candidates holding similar positions.
“There's a lot of overlap in terms of policy positions between the Democrats, less so on the Republican side. So that probably leads us to comb over the gestures and the body language as reported in the Senate chamber,” said Obama.
Obama flew with McCaskill, one of his surrogates, from Washington, D.C. to Kansas Tuesday morning where he’ll pick up the endorsement of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who delivered the Democratic response to the State of the Union.
Obama will hold a rally in McCaskill’s state, Missouri, later in the day on Tuesday, the start of an intense phase of the campaign leading up to Super Tuesday.
“The schedule is compressed so Senator Clinton has a big advantage going into the February 5th states. She's much better known and I'm still being introduced to a lot of casual voters in these states,” Obama told reporters aboard the press plane, adding, “we're scrappy though.”
January 29, 2008 in Bush, George W., Kucinich, Dennis | Permalink | User Comments (205)
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Wasn't it Groucho Marx who famously said "Who are you going to believe, me or your lyin' eyes?"
Stay classy, Obama!
Posted by: Abby | Jan 29, 2008 1:50:08 PM
sure looked like he intentionally snubbed her. no class! and she smiled and shook hands with teddy even though you know she must want to choke him. she's got the ability to behave like a grownup
Posted by: so saddened | Jan 29, 2008 1:52:07 PM
A picture is worth a thousand words. We all saw it so stop spinning it for us. Senator Clinton showed class, something you obviously lack. If it was Senator Clinton or President Bill Clinton who had done this, it would have been all over the news, they would be called vindictive and racist but since it is you, well...
Posted by: jack | Jan 29, 2008 1:52:48 PM
You are right sir, if this had been the clintons, the news would have not made the tv fast enough. This just shows the true bias for Obama. I think the media should all get jobs with Obama.
Let some real non bias people tell us the truth about the news and let us make up our own minds.
Posted by: che | Jan 29, 2008 1:59:17 PM
Five soldiers died on Monday and not one story.. But we worry about this.. Come on get a life..
Posted by: Ann | Jan 29, 2008 2:03:04 PM
I don't think it will matter much in the end.. Hillary will win all the way into the White House.. The question is..will Oboma be the V.P.?? .. Together they will be unbeatable.. I'm looking forward to Feb. 5th..
Posted by: J.Murphy, CA. | Jan 29, 2008 2:03:27 PM
Obama needs to grow up. Not only was he disrespectful and arrogant, he was also very rude! Mrs. Clinton showed a lot of class by shaking Kennedy's hand even if she did not mean it. That is the experience that Obama does not have.
Posted by: Ximena | Jan 29, 2008 2:10:21 PM
I disagree J.Murphy. No running mate could save a Clinton ticket, in my view. Obama wouldn't wash Clinton's negatives away. If she wins the nomination, Obama will have a difficult choice, assuming she offers the spot. To turn it down will look like he's not doing what he can for the party, but to accept will only diminish his prospects for the future, which both he and the party have an interest in protecting.
Tough. Not sure what he'd do.
Posted by: Paul | Jan 29, 2008 2:10:57 PM
After all the people she's snubbed, including U.S. soldiers, and I'm supposed to think less of Obama? Please. I'd have turned my back on her, too - but I would have looked her hard in the eyes first.
Posted by: Gia | Jan 29, 2008 2:17:47 PM
I am so sick and tired of the press (and Obama) making lame excuses for his behavior. Besides the fact that Teddy Kennedy's endorsement showed a total lack of class, Obama - as usual - took the opportunity to gloat. I don't trust him as far as I can throw him. I truly believe he has one face for the camera and another behind closed doors. Love her or hate her, Hillary has been gracious throughout this campaign, continually attempting to make her case on issues. When Obama complains that he doesn't know who he's running against - Hillary or Bill - my immediate thought is who is SHE running against, Obama or the whole damned press corps?! While Bill is accused of playing bad cop to Hillary's good, Obama has every media outlet doing the exact same thing for him. It not only makes me angry by ashamed of this country. The whole "race" thing was Obama's tactic which was turned upside to Hillary's detriment. Remeber when asked if he thought Bill was "black", Obama stated that he'd have to see him dance first. If that's not stereotypical, I don't know what is. If Hillary had responded, for instance, "Yes, and he likes watermelon too", can you imagine the roasting she would have received. Finally, I think the true indicator of the two candidates is this: if Obama wins the nomination, I'm sure the Clintons will campaign for him; if Hillary gets it, you'll see how petty Obama really is.
Posted by: druggstohr | Jan 29, 2008 2:20:28 PM
I think that the media as usual is to blame for this.
The complete photo of him standing next to that female senator from Kansas tells the whole story.
Its purely amazing what people would do to tell a story. Its like you cropping photos from your digital camera.
Disgusting
Posted by: Andrew | Jan 29, 2008 2:20:59 PM
Every one should really get a life. He doesn't need to run and smile in her face every time he sees her. It's a hard campaign and if I remember correctly her distortion of his record is much more childish than not speaking in a huge crowd of people. He did interviews after the speech, she agreed to speak to the media then canceled. Were her feelings hurt? He obviously had other things to do. What about her?
Posted by: Mona | Jan 29, 2008 2:22:27 PM
Great communication Obama the UNITER / DIVIDER has. Never congratulated Clinton on her both wins. Now Obama acting like a baby at the State of the Union Address. Grow Up Obama Trolls also. Obama is not GOD. He stole money needed by the poor dealing with Rezko.
Posted by: Odog | Jan 29, 2008 2:27:12 PM
I am faced with a quandary. What is a self professed right wing conservative (slowly, slowly creeping left) to do when the African American Former Muslin No Experience Democrat (AAFMNED) is the only one with something worth listening to?
I'm tired of Bush. I'm tired of the status quo. I'm tired of the Clintons... did I say I was tired of the status quo? I'm tired of the war, I'm tired of being sneered at or feared when I am over seas.
I'm tired of $3.49 gasoline... I'm tired of us spending billions (nay, trillions!) to save other people in other countries (OIL) when we have poverty, joblessness etc here...
All of this leads me to Barack Obama.
Guess what? He moves me... Now dont get me wrong, I'm not a sucker, a little jaded, but definitely not a sucker. I know that all politicians are shady and shifty... but this guys is really appealing to the fed up part of me.
Earlier I called him an AAFMNED. Let me quantify a few things...
I don't care what his racial back ground is... (AA)
I don't care what his religion is (FM)
I happen to think that being in the State Senate and U.S. Senate for for 12 years is worth more in the experience column than being the Spouse of a President and then riding his Coat Tails on name recognition in the senate of somewhere other than your home state.... (NE)
Now I still don't care for the fact that he is a Democrat (D) but for the first time in my life, I'm willing to overlook that... why?
I don't think he is owned by the system yet... I may actually have to read "The Audacity of Hope".
Posted by: Sean | Jan 29, 2008 2:33:30 PM
druggstohr: WHAT DID YOU PRINT? 'Hillary has been gracious throughout this campaign'???????? You must be blindly voting gender, or you have not been watching the debates. Not only has SHE, on occassion, lost her cool (not to mention, outright lied)but she's allowed Bill to come in and do her dirty work for her. I shudder to think of 4 or even 8 more years of those 2 in the WH. And yes, he will be the co-President. If she hasn't reined him in during the campaign, she certainly won't do it after she wins. I used to be a staunch supporter of Hillary, but I can't ever imagine voting for her.
Posted by: ABCforshort | Jan 29, 2008 2:35:39 PM
Obama is a snob. He thinks he is up above Hillary, because the Kennedys' endorse him. He is whinning and giving excuses for his childish behavior, for snubbing Hillary. He is arrogant. Well, he needs to show or to prove to the voters that he is qualify to run this country. He has no voting records to show where he stand. He votes 'PRESENT' to show that he is afraid to stand a stand. I know that many of us will pick McCain or Romney over Obama.
Posted by: tigerjcs | Jan 29, 2008 2:41:53 PM
The MSM needs to get a life and to stop trying to start a fight. I take Senator Obama at his word and Senator McCaskill has said that was what happened. In the meantime, I wouldn't blame him if he did snub her after the way Billary treated him in Nevada and South Carolina.
Posted by: Carolyn Grace | Jan 29, 2008 2:42:34 PM
Mona you are wrong, Obama congrats senator clinton for both wins.Yes, Obama should have talk to her so that the super media can see that they not have any difference.Again he said he waived him b4 they have their seat, this is not important please America we have much things to do than someone shaking hands with godzillas clintonians, they think this there world everyone should shake their hands.
Posted by: sam | Jan 29, 2008 2:53:43 PM
I hope Hillary beats the pants off of Obama..people keep calling him Osama by mistake (such as Ted Kennedy did yesterday)...what a yoyo. He's showing his true colors by ignoring Hillary. He's the one who started all this bad name calling stuff at the beginning and she had to defend herself.
Posted by: May | Jan 29, 2008 2:55:30 PM
Senator Obama's behavior does not look very presedential. A person who would be president extends his hand both to friend and foe because his behavior now will be the same behavior when he is elected president. I know of no execuse to turn your back on a person.
Posted by: Eva Manning | Jan 29, 2008 2:58:49 PM
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