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Clinton Response to Obama's Accusation of Scare Tactics
February 29, 2008 4:51 PM
ABC News' Kate Snow and Eloise Harper Report: Senator Hillary Clinton fought back against Senator Barack Obama’s criticism of her latest ad that he said inspired fear.
The Clinton campaign released an ad today with ominous undertones.
"It's 3:00am and your children are asleep," a voice over says in the ad entitled "Children". "There's a phone in the White House, and it's ringing. Something is happening in the world. Your vote will decide who answers that call."
"Whether someone knows the world's leaders, knows the military, someone tested and ready to lead. It's 3am and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?" the ad concludes.
Obama, D-Ill., pushed back hard against the new ad, which ABC News' George Stephanopoulos described as "the nuclear option" on Friday's "Good Morning America."
Addressing a group of veterans at an American Legion post in Houston, Obama said: "We've seen these ads before. They're the kind that play on peoples' fears to scare up votes."
Today Clinton defended her ad.
“Senator Obama says that if we talk about national security in this campaign we are trying to scare people. Well I don’t think people in Texas scare all that easily. The American people aren’t afraid of the challenges and dangers we face in the world. They want a president who with the strength and wisdom to take those challenges and dangers head on,” she said.
Clinton defended the ad saying she would know what to do when that phone rang in the White House at 3am. “There isn’t any time to convene your advisors, to do a survey on what will or what will not be popular. You have to make a decision. And in the world that we face with both the challenges and opportunities we need a president who picks up that phone ready to decide.”
Clinton went further, making the argument that Obama was not there when important decisions needed to be made.
“Senator Obama talks about these issues when it came time to act he was missing in action.” Clinton said. “He was missing in action when he failed to show up for a vote dealing with Iran. He was missing in action when he failed to hold a single substantive hearing on a committee that he chaired that had responsibility for Europe and NATO and NATO’s policy in Afghanistan.”
Earlier today Obama said that Clinton had her "red phone" moment -- and that was when she voted for the war in Iraq.
Clinton walked through Obama's war position saying "He gave a speech in 2002 against the war in Iraq and I commend him for that speech. By 2004 he was saying he wasn't sure how he would have voted because he never had to vote and then basically agreed with the way President Bush was conducting the war. By the time he got to the Senate he voted exactly as I did. There is a difference between giving a speech and having the responsibility and step up and take charge."
Senator Clinton was introduced on stage by retired four-star General Wesley Clark who also urged voters view the ad.
"The phone rings and we have to have the right person answer that phone,” Clark said, and then turned to Clinton saying “I guess you have been on that bedside when the phone rang at 3 o’clock in the morning.”
February 29, 2008 in Bush, George W., Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (97)
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Why are people so scared of WAR if the enemy was about to bomber your home again???? Good judgement is to protect your people at all cost!!! Our soliders are not here doing show, they are to protect people!!!!
Posted by: No-good-judement | Feb 29, 2008 6:03:34 PM
This 3AM ad was lifted from an old John McCain ad.
Posted by: JB | Feb 29, 2008 6:08:48 PM
and "s.b."
I don't know if you have notivced the job the senate armed services committee has done for the armed services for the past eight years...but I would definitely not be touting that too much.
Serving on a committee...even showing up (half of the time) doesn't mean the person was good at it. The armed services are struggling and it was Obama (you know the guy that hasn't done anything) that was the first senator who brought Walter Reed and the veterans out of shadows. It was Obama that said our veterans lives are worth more than this war.
Posted by: dave | Feb 29, 2008 6:09:31 PM
Dave are you suggesting you have to check Obama's web site to read what Obama says he will do if the hot line rings? Don't you know?
Posted by: Wil | Feb 29, 2008 6:11:25 PM
She's acting out of desperation. That's not a good sign.
Posted by: Don | Feb 29, 2008 6:11:47 PM
and as far as Obama supporting or voting against the war... oy... get the facts straight here people...
When he was running for office (you remember when the Dixie Chicks were sent death threats practically sent to Siberia because they spoke up against the president because he took us there) ...Obama was running for senate and into a national microphone and his constituents said this was all wrong for all the reasons that it has come to be wrong.
When he was in the senate he put the best votes forward for the troops who were sent to defend our country and to try to end this with the least long term violence... but it is about judgement in the face of fear... not based on worry of the polls.
Posted by: dave | Feb 29, 2008 6:15:46 PM
Ref: The VA situation was made public to me via MSM outlets. Since then many, many law makers and private citizens on both sides of aisle acted. At no time did I ever see the Name Obama until now. So, he's taking credit for fixing that now too, is he?
Posted by: Wil | Feb 29, 2008 6:16:46 PM
Dave do you REALLY mean when Obama actually showed up to vote at all?
Posted by: Wil | Feb 29, 2008 6:17:58 PM
No I am saying check Hillary's website because you obviously don't. Look at her track record over how many years in the senate. ...and this was a woman who was looked at as the "inevitable" President and see even with that power how much she launched and got passed in congress.
Posted by: dave | Feb 29, 2008 6:18:09 PM
On the war in Iraq, Obama say, McCain had the wrong answer, Bush had the wrong answer, Clinton had the wrong answer, to him they were all wrong so I guess he believe he was right.
Obama is failing to tell everyone that he was in no position to answer,he had no authority to give an answer, he was not in the senate therefore he was not part of the process so how could be have been right?
Hillary is also correct when he did have the authority to be part of the process he went along with everyone, so exactly what kind of double speak is he trying to fool people with?
He is such a phony he could not even come with a good rebuttal ad in reply to Hillary's ad, he had to copy everything in her ad to give a reply.
Posted by: SJ | Feb 29, 2008 6:18:23 PM
Who is she fooling. "FEAR" A woman who can't make-up he mind and unsteady. It won't work Hillary. Give it up! I'm tired of all this negative whispers and talk toward Barack Obama or his Wife Michelle... They have run a very clean campaign!
Posted by: QuietStormX aka Carroll | Feb 29, 2008 6:23:17 PM
And Hillary failed to show for a vote to end unconstitutional wiretaps and prevent telecom immunity!
And when she did show, she suppored invading Iran, a Bush-Cheney nightmare scenario. Would hate to see her handling a 3am phone call dealing with that!
Posted by: Jackt51 | Feb 29, 2008 6:24:02 PM
When was the last time that scenario actually played out? NEVER! I fear a 3:00am now phone call a lot less than I did during the cold war when an all-out nuclear holocaust could wipe out the entire human population of the globe. Let's have a little perspective here.
Posted by: Don | Feb 29, 2008 6:26:36 PM
Obama is now telling Americans to forget 9/11 its should not matter in this election.
I was really amazed at hearing him say such a thing. Should anyone aspiring to be President of this country dismiss this period in American history, or ask person to do so?
Can someone inform Obama that this event is something that no American will dismiss just like that no matter who wins this election, they will carry those event with them through their years.
Posted by: SJ | Feb 29, 2008 6:27:03 PM
Dave come on, buddy. Do you honestly claim you believe anything the media claims about which individual was unstoppable before anyone voted? However, I do know Hillary's campaign team of Penn and company have done her no favors, believe me. I don't mind speaking facts even if its not nice to my own candidate. Penn and company dropped the ball even back in Iowa and often since then. Hillary is better than the team around her. Not a good choice. Poor ground game, yet somehow Hillary is hanging in despite the Penn and company idiots.
Posted by: Wil | Feb 29, 2008 6:28:40 PM
I have a cousin and three friends that died in september 11.
I am tired of there deaths being denegrated into a political football.
Posted by: klondike | Feb 29, 2008 6:31:23 PM
Obama is right.
Posted by: klondike | Feb 29, 2008 6:32:55 PM
Desperation? Come on folks, it's called a campaign. I think the Obama supporters follow the advice of their candidate from the Ohio debate:
"But I think it's very important to understand the context of this, and that is that Senator Clinton has, in her campaign at least, has constantly sent out negative attacks on us, e-mail, robo-calls, flyers, television ads, radio calls, and we haven't whined about it because I understand that's the nature of this campaigns."
Why did Senator Obama even pause to respond to her ad? Perhaps Senator Obama should listen to his own advice.
Posted by: LOM | Feb 29, 2008 6:34:41 PM
"Whether someone knows the world's leaders, knows the military, someone tested and ready to lead. It's 3am and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?" the ad concludes.
TESTED!? When was she tested? Has she already received one of those 3:00am phone calls?
Posted by: Don | Feb 29, 2008 6:37:26 PM
Hillary + Fear Mongering = A Third Bush Term
A vote for Obama is a vote against Bush.
No Wonder Bush has endorsed Hillary as his favorite dem candidate to succeed him.
Posted by: Inspector 71 | Feb 29, 2008 6:38:10 PM
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