Obama on Clinton’s 35 years
Before the primary in Maryland, I was bombarded nightly by Hillary Clinton ads where she claimed to have 35 years experience to be President – 35 years ago was 1973 when she was working on the Congressional legal team attempting to impeach Richard Nixon. Now, that Barack Obama has dregged up her husband’s support of NAFTA, she wants to pick and choose which days she can be considered “experienced” and Obama is calling her on it (Washington Times link);
Sen. Barack Obama said today Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton presents herself as if she was “co-president” from 1993 to 2000.
Mr. Obama, holding a town hall forum at a wall board manufacturing plant here, said his criticism of her position on the North American Free Trade Agreement is fair because she includes her time as first lady for eight years as part of her claim to “35 years of experience.”
“She has essentially presented herself as co-president during the Clinton years,” the Illinois senator charged during a press conference after the town hall concluded. “Every good thing that happened she says she was a part of, and so the notion that you can selectively pick what you take credit for and then run away from what isn’t politically convenient, that doesn’t make sense.”
The Right has been asking about this “35 years” of experience for several weeks, but the media never bothered to ask about it – just accepting it. Well, until now.
Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson responded to the co-president remark on a conference call later: “I don’t accept that charge.”
“There’s no question that Senator Clinton … was a key and valued adviser to her husband [and] took the lead in several significant areas,” he said, but, “that is not a title that Senator Clinton or her husband would accept as valid.”
Then why is she bragging about 35 years of experience that qualifies her to be President? At least someone is asking the question that’ll be heard for a change.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Obama’s campaign is filing charges with the FEC against a group of Clinton-backers;
A group of Barack Obama backers are seeking to shut down an outside political group launched last week to fund television advertisements lauding New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Three supporters of the Illinois Democrat mailed a complaint to the Federal Election Commission today charging that the pro-Clinton organization is violating election laws.
Subodh Chandra, an Obama backer who drafted the complaint, says the new organization was established to allow “fat cat Clinton donors” to “cheat the system” by paying for their own advertisements for Mrs. Clinton even though they had already donated the maximum $2,300 allowed by law to her campaign. Mr. Chandra wrote the complaint on behalf of three other low-dollar contributors to Mr. Obama’s campaign.
The Washington Post writes that the DNC is filing a complaint against the McCain campaign;
The Democratic National Committee will file a complaint Monday with the Federal Election Commission, alleging that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has illegally blown through spending limits imposed by the presidential public financing system.
“This is a classic example of someone who talks one way and does the other,” DNC Chairman Howard Dean said today. “Our purpose here is to get him to obey the law.”
Alex Conant, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, replied that Dean lacked credibility on the issue, while McCain spokesman Brian Rogers noted that Dean withdrew from the public financing system during his bid for president four years ago.
“Howard Dean’s hypocrisy is breathtaking, given that in 2003 he withdrew from the matching funds system in exactly the same way that John McCain is doing today,” he said.
The complaint is based on a dispute between McCain, who appears headed toward his party’s nomination for president, and the FEC, which notified him last week that it had not approved his request to withdraw from the public funding system.
Lie down with dogs….
Category: Politics
