Obama: "...we're going to have to do is to directly confront Bill Clinton..."

[Christians4LessGvt]

Exclusive:
Barack vs. Bill: Obama Hits Ex-Prez Over 'Troubling' Attacks
Reuters, by Staff

Jan 21, 2008



Sen. Barack Obama says he's ready to confront former President Bill Clinton, calling his advocacy on behalf of his wife's presidential campaign, "troubling."

In an exclusive interview with ABC News' Robin Roberts "Good Morning America" today Obama, D-Ill., directly engaged the former democratic president on a series of issues.

You know the former president, who I think all of us have a lot of regard for, has taken his advocacy on behalf of his wife to a level that I think is pretty troubling," Obama said during his first morning television interview since coming in second in Nevada. "He continues to make statements that are not supported by the facts -- whether it's about my record of opposition to the war in Iraq or our approach to organizing in Las Vegas.

"This has become a habit, and one of the things that we're going to have to do is to directly confront Bill Clinton when he's making statements that are not factually accurate," Obama added.

Obama apparently was referring to Clinton's comment that it was a "fairy tale" that Obama has consistently opposed the Iraq war from the start, and that Nevada union officials backing Obama were strong-arming members into caucusing for Obama.

Bill Clinton took on Obama's record on Iraq at a Dartmouth College event days before the New Hampshire primary, saying it was wrong Obama was able to trumpet superior judgment on Iraq by claiming he had been against the war from the start.

"Give me a break. This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen," Bill Clinton said.

Bill Clinton was making the case that Obama -- just like Sen. Hillary Clinton -- had voted to fund the war since he's been in office.

Obama said the former president has taken his campaigning on his wife's behalf too far.

"I understand him wanting to promote his wife's candidacy," Obama said. "She's got a record that she can run on. But I think it's important that we try to maintain some -- you know, level of honesty and candor during the course of the campaign. If we don't, then we feed the cynicism that has led so many Americans to be turned off to politics."

Hillary Clinton's campaign manager Howard Wolfson said Obama may just be smarting from his loss to the New York senator in the Nevada caucuses on Saturday.

"We understand Sen. Obama is frustrated by his loss in Nevada, but facts are facts," Wolfson said. "Sen. Obama's allies in Nevada engaged in strong-arm tactics and intimidation against our supporters and his record against the war has been inconsistent. President Clinton is a huge asset to our campaign and will continue talking to the American people to press the case for Sen. Clinton.

"Of course Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama are the candidates on the ballot and she is winning because she is giving voice to the Americans who will provide real solutions to the challenges they face in the daily lives," he said.

During the run up to the caucus, Obama received a lot of pressure to denounce a third-party advertising supporting him, but accusing Sen. Clinton of abandoning Hispanic workers.

"The ad that happened in Nevada, we had nothing to do with. I wasn't even in the state of Nevada when it went up for the couple of days right before the caucus," Obama said.

"To the extent that it implied that Sen. Clinton was trying to suppress Hispanic votes, I think that would be absolutely incorrect and unfair. I think that they were concerned about the fact that the Clinton ad -- that Clinton supporters, not the Clinton campaign -- the Clinton supporters had filed a lawsuit in the eleventh hour to try to change the rules of the caucus in the way that they thought would advantage them. And this happened right after the union endorsed me. So understandably, the union was upset," he added.

He did not denounce the ad, but when a similar ad in Iowa aired against him, Obama said third-party ads should not be tolerated.

"What I don't want is a situation in which we are so driven to just win that we are willing to say anything, and over time, you know the American people just get turned off because they don't believe what politicians say," he said.

"My concern is not to try to go tit for tat on these issues and it's also, you know, not to suggest that there's not going to be some sharp elbows in politics. I understand that there are going to be sharp elbows in a primary and certainly there's going to be some rough 'n tumble in a general election," Obama added.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Story?id=4162996&page=1

[Xavier_Onassis]

It seems to me that Obama and Hillary have been rather nice to one another during this campaign, and neither one should bitch about it.
I don't think anyone can fault Bill Clinton for supporting his wife, or Michelle Obama for supporting her husband.

People do not decide any election based on slurs, anyway. It takes some sort of semi-true rumor at least.

[Plane]

"--- we're going to have to do is to directly confront Bill Clinton when he's making statements that are not factually accurate,..."


This could keep you very busy.

[Michael Tee]

Seems to me that if Obama in fact voted to fund the war AFTER voting against it in the first place, the Clintons are correct in labeling his opposition to the war "inconsistent."  Of course if Hillary voted for the war in the first place and then voted to fund it after, she's more consistent than Obama, but that is consistent in her support of the war.

This stuff is very troubling to me.  If you're against the war, how can you vote to fund it?  These people are playing games aren't they?

[Plane]

Seems to me that if Obama in fact voted to fund the war AFTER voting against it in the first place, the Clintons are correct in labeling his opposition to the war "inconsistent."  Of course if Hillary voted for the war in the first place and then voted to fund it after, she's more consistent than Obama, but that is consistent in her support of the war.

This stuff is very troubling to me.  If you're against the war, how can you vote to fund it?  These people are playing games aren't they?

The swiftboat Clinton crew.

[Xavier_Onassis]

The Clintons do not come anywhere near the Swiftboat clowns in anything they have said.

The gist of Hillary's attacks are that Obama lacks experience, especially in foreign affairs, which seems like a fair statement. This does not mean that he would necessarily be bad at it.

[Plane]

The Clintons do not come anywhere near the Swiftboat clowns in anything they have said.

The gist of Hillary's attacks are that Obama lacks experience, especially in foreign affairs, which seems like a fair statement. This does not mean that he would necessarily be bad at it.

What is Hillarys experience that it should be bragged of?

[yellow_crane]

The Swiftboat campaign was a paste-up of those who could be persuaded for what ever reason ($) to denounce Kerry and assault his character.

It was a smear job from start to finish, though I would not blindly defend Kerry and his prediliction to capture his finer moments on film or whatever to later contribute to his political ambitions.  It may have been a smear job on a checked PR field, but it was a smear job nonetheless.

This was financed through a 527 operative agency by Alice Walton, daughter of big Sam of Sam's Clubs and Walmarts fame.    (Hillary sat on the board of Walmart).   A besotted recluse and one of the top three wealthiest women in the world, quaint, Sweet Charlotty little Alice laid down a little over two million, if memory serves.

I believe this was after Alice killed someone in a car wreck which was her fault, and for which charges never ever materialized, down there in Arkansas.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Hillary was not on the board of Wal*Mart when Kerry was swiftboated. This was back when Wal*Mart was the fastesty-growing Arkansas-based company around, and when Bill was governor and Sam Walton was in charge, not his children.

I am hoping that the feud between Obama and the Clintons does not get too nasty, because , as I said, if they were on the same ticket, they could get out a large enough number of the Balck vote to trounce whatever the GOP runs for president.

[yellow_crane]

Hillary was not on the board of Wal*Mart when Kerry was swiftboated. This was back when Wal*Mart was the fastesty-growing Arkansas-based company around, and when Bill was governor and Sam Walton was in charge, not his children.

I am hoping that the feud between Obama and the Clintons does not get too nasty, because , as I said, if they were on the same ticket, they could get out a large enough number of the Balck vote to trounce whatever the GOP runs for president.

Actually, I stuck that fact in there writing the post, remembering I had just heard Barack mention it in the Dem debate.  It was new to me, and was misplaced in talking about the Walton-financed Swiftboat ambush.

Since Walmart now has the local taxpayers in their locales paying for the purchase of their land and the construction of their stores--having surpassed the tobacco companies in their ability to worm their way into the local of local American government and reign in silent tyranny--it would seem to me that the last person I would want running this country would be a Democrat who had actually lawyered for Walmart and not spent long hours lamenting every moment they worked there.

Hillary Clinton is a corporate lackey--was then, is now.

If her health care plan comes into effect, it will be insurance companies and pharmeceuticals who will reap the rewards, not the poor or what is left of the middle class.

She is shit in a jumpsuit, wishing she could wear a double-breaster in public.