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War of Words Rages Between Clinton, Obama Camps
March 22, 2008 2:31 PM
ABC News’ Sunlen Miller and Kate Snow report: Gen. Tony McPeak, one of Sen. Barack Obama’s co-chairs, addressed, on camera, Bill Clinton’s remarks from yesterday in North Carolina.
Clinton in Charlotte said, "I think it would be a great thing if we had an election year where you had two people who loved this country and were devoted to the interest of this country and people could actually asks themselves who is right on these issues, instead of all this other stuff that always seems to intrude itself on our politics."
McPeak, at a rally in Medford, Ore., read Clinton’s statement and responded, “Both Barack Obama and John McCain are great patriots who love this country and are devoted to it. So is Hillary Clinton. Any suggestion to the contrary is flat wrong.”
He added that he was astonished and disappointed by Clinton’s words and that he doesn’t believe these types of tactics belong in politics.
McPeak said Clinton should understand this, being a victim during his own previous campaign.
“I'm saddened to see a president employ these kind of tactics. He, of all people, should know better because he was the target of exactly the same kind of tactic when he first ran 16 years ago. They had no place then. These tactics have no place in American politics ... And I am happy and proud to support a candidate who loves his country so much that he would never play that kind of divisive tactic."
Yesterday, McPeak made an off-camera statement likening Clinton’s remarks to McCarthyism. But today, his rhetoric was admittedly tamed. “[The]senator's got me on a short string here 'cause occasionally I say something a little earthier.”
McPeak, in the past, has been somewhat of a loose cannon for the Obama campaign -- most notably coming under criticism for his comment following Hillary Clinton’s tearful moment in New Hampshire when he said that Obama “doesn’t go on television and have crying fits: he isn’t discovering his voice at the age of 60.”
McPeak later took back those comments, and the Obama campaign distanced themselves from his remarks.
Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson calls McPeak's comments about Bill Clinton's words a "deliberate misreading" of what Clinton said.
Referring to yesterday's reference to Joseph McCarthy, Wolfson added, “I think most Democrats would be shocked to learn that a two-term president was compared to McCarthy. Comparing Bill Clinton to Joseph McCarthy is an outrage and ought to be retracted. That is a deliberate misreading of what the president said, and [McPeak] knows better.”
Wolfson said that Clinton's original remarks had "absolutely nothing to do with Sen. Obama."
Clinton deputy communications director Phil Singer said he would encourage members of the media to question the Obama campaign about why they continue to invite McPeak to speak on the campaign trail. “It’s a question they should have to answer," Singer said.
“Senator Obama talks about running a high-minded camp and then continues to associate himself with someone who engages in these kinds of personal attacks," Singer added.
He said that, to compare Clinton to McCarthy “doesn’t pass the laugh test. Instead of willfully and deliberately distorting Bill Clinton’s remarks, the Obama campaign ought to do a better job of making the case for why their candidate is ready to be commander-in-chief. Manufactured attacks like this one aren’t going to divert attention from the Obama campaign’s recent political troubles.”
Obama, himself, did not address the issue at his town hall. Instead, in a bizarre order of events, at the top of his speech, said, “I’m gonna go a bit out of order here. Usually I don’t do this,” as he prompted McPeak to come on stage to make his comments on Clinton.
And Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said, in a written statement, "Since the Clinton campaign had a news-less conference call, reiterating tired lines of attack with no basis in reality, instead of responding with a call of our own, we are going to give the press corps a break so that we can all enjoy this holiday weekend with our families, and maybe even watch a little basketball."
UPDATE:
ABC News senior national correspondent Jake Tapper asked Singer how the Clinton campaign could be so offended by McPeak’s comments when Bill Clinton, in 1992, suggested that former President Bush used McCarthyism tactics. Singer replied, “President Bush actually employed a McCarthyesque tactic to which Bill Clinton responded. Bill Clinton didn’t question Obama’s patriotism.”
And when Singer was asked about Wolfson comparing Obama to former independent counsel Ken Starr, he said, “Ken Starr raised questions about Sen. Clinton’s ethics. The Obama camp is doing the same thing.”
March 22, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (488)
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Obama had to call someone else on stage to attack Bill!!!! This man is truly shameless. He is not even man enough to say his own mind. How idiotic can Obama be. In the WH, not that he will ever get there, probably he will call on Michelle to say the hard parts of the speech to the other world leaders.Men, another new low!!!!!!!
Posted by: lluluadorl | Mar 22, 2008 2:38:34 PM
llulu:
I think it was good that McPeak was made to town down his attack on the Clintons, and in asking him to do that, Obama showed both his leadership and control that Hillary wasn't able to show during the Ferraro incident.
Gerry went on to say the same ridiculous stuff 50 more times on TV. McPeak was quickly reigned in during both his incidents.
Posted by: memoryaid | Mar 22, 2008 2:49:19 PM
That Obama guy is just to much. It turns out that the company that looked at the passport files is headed by an Obama advisor. Obama is just plain stupid or is the biggest liar on this earth.
Posted by: jim | Mar 22, 2008 2:51:30 PM
Give me a break, everyone that heard that remark knew what Bill was trying to say. It is just more shameless race baiting tactics by Barrack...Maybe Barrack should denounce his lifelong mentor who spews hate
Posted by: Chipo1965 | Mar 22, 2008 2:52:16 PM
Now I remember why I was so sick of the Clinton's in 2000, that I didn't even bother to vote for Gore!
Posted by: Chris D. | Mar 22, 2008 2:54:46 PM
Memeoryaide: Gerry was speaking the truth about this race, another instance of Barracks campaign twisting words to race baiting. Pretty soon no one will be able to say anything about ethnic origin in the country without Barrack turning it into a slight against him and/or his church
Posted by: Chipo1965 | Mar 22, 2008 2:55:46 PM
I had some reservations about Obama early on but all these strange twist of events have led me to believe I could never vote for him. To much politics as usual with him. I wanted to believe in his change message but he doesn't walk the talk.
Posted by: sue | Mar 22, 2008 2:56:06 PM
Can Bill ever shut up. I mean after she gives the state of the union, does he get five minutes? Does he get to "clarify" her statements, every time she makes a speech. Just who is going to wear the pants in the presidency, if she gets elected? Is she her own "girl" or not??? What the hell is she running for? Is she just Bill's "sponsor", is that why she let's him speak for her?Why can't SHE be the President all by herself? It's not like she's senile yet like McCain? This is the worst kind of stereotype for women, and she's running on it. "I'm in charge, but I've got a President to take over when things get too tough." What hogwash. Either she is going to be "her own girl", or she can just stay home for once. Not that it's gonna keep Bill home anyway. Personally how can you blame him?
Posted by: cba | Mar 22, 2008 2:56:19 PM
So it was Obama's advisors company who looked at the passport files. Wow, that's change you can believe in.
Posted by: Jack | Mar 22, 2008 2:58:07 PM
I love Bill Clinton ... he can say in a few words what it takes NObama three days to put in a pointless, racist speech!!
Posted by: Jackson | Mar 22, 2008 2:58:22 PM
Bill Clinton needs to begin to chill just a bit. Let the rest of the primaries play themselves out. But it appears Obama is going to win the Democratic nomination. And if the 527's want to play the Wright sound bites ad naseum this fall (and begin to sound more and more like a Michael Richards--aka, "Kramer"--rant) then let them. America isn't going to fall for that okie doke again. Not this time.
Posted by: frankiestage | Mar 22, 2008 3:00:44 PM
I never heard anyone speak negative about the Rev Wright’s color. It is what he stated. If Rev Wright was Caucasian his comments would still be offensive. Obama turned it into a racial issue. Obama also supplies a picture of Rev Wright at the White House and a letter thanking him for attending.
I don’t know about you but I’ve never been to the White House and then Obama defends Wright’s comments in context. It does not seem to me that Rev Wright was treated badly by former President Clinton, yet he spoke with so much hate for Hillary Clinton.
From Day one Obama’s plan was to seek the support of a divided democratic party then try to unite the party in the general election.
Obama’s goal was to polarize the party in the same vein that Kennedy did with Carter years ago.
Posted by: Truth | Mar 22, 2008 3:01:04 PM
Obama can say "typical white people" and he is all over Clinton for saying nothing offensive. It never ceases to amaze me what his thought process must be.
Posted by: Janet | Mar 22, 2008 3:02:03 PM
Obama will talk about anything but solutions for America's most critical problem: THE ECONOMY!
Posted by: Paula | Mar 22, 2008 3:02:05 PM
LOL! Looks like the Clintonistas are here in full force today. Keep it up, morons...even if you do manage to steal the vote from Obama with your GOP i-like smears and tactics, you will have turned off so many Democrats that McCain will walk away with the election. In so doing, however, the Clintons will finally be relegated to the fluid-stained dust-bin of history where they belong! Go away already!
Posted by: Change4Good | Mar 22, 2008 3:03:11 PM
When did the Hillary supporters get so angry? Do you think the vitriolic nature of the campaign might reflect your candidate a little bit. The only read differences policy-wise between HRC and Obama is her flip-flop on the war. In every other respect he is the ideal candidate, yet I read these comment boards and the Clinton folks are all so po'd. Just because he has beaten the pantsuits off her so far to an insurmountable lead is no reason to be so bitter. If she was more likable or less of a known quantity as a gouble-talking phony, she might not be in this mess. Don't be so angry, IT HURTS THE PARTY.
Posted by: tom | Mar 22, 2008 3:05:06 PM
Come on, President Clinton’s comment were not anywhere near McCarthism…Obama just wants to make a big deal about this to deflect the attention off him and his “spiritual mentor.”
Posted by: Albert | Mar 22, 2008 3:05:43 PM
Just imagine if Clinton were the one blocking a DNC approved revote in Michigan! The press and Obama would be calling her a cheat, and a lot worse that I cannot print here.
Obama has turned out to be just another politician with a lot less experience.
Posted by: Sam | Mar 22, 2008 3:06:12 PM
Ya gotta love it! Bill, you did it again. Got them talking on and on and on. You really must have a lot of influence out there, because they sure are worried about every word that comes out of your mouth. Atta, boy!
Posted by: Byme2 | Mar 22, 2008 3:07:10 PM
This is really getting amusing. Obama was supposed to be the candidate who would transcend all this type of "politics as usual". Now he will do almost anything to get the focus off of his "Reverend Wright problem". Pretty low blow here Obama people.
Posted by: Jim | Mar 22, 2008 3:07:24 PM
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