Obama and Clinton Trade Barbs After Photo Circulates
Here's the skinny... Drudge Report posts a photo of Obama wearing traditional African clothing (including a white turban and wraparound cloth) during a visit to Kenya in 2006, and says it was circulated by Clinton staffers.
Keenly aware of the cultural pushbuttoning (thank you Warren Ellis for that phrase) the "he's a radical muslim!" hoax email caused (and still causes among those who take third hand information as fact), the Obama camp was quick to call the Clinton campaign on their tactics.
Clinton's camp then fires back with the following:
What I find GLARINGLY OBVIOUS is the lack of the Clinton camp's denial of providing the photo to the Drudge Report. By supplying the photo to the Drudge Report, they have done exactly what Obama is accusing them of.
Obama has no reason to be ashamed of wearing traditional Kenyan garb, and has not stated that he IS ashamed of it. He recognizes the photo circulation as another attempt by Clinton to solidify a non-American image in the minds of voters, going along with the conservative smear tactics to paint him as unpatriotic.
Just one more reason I have no interest in voting for Clinton.
UPDATE: Just read an opinion piece that held the same view as me, but has an even better non-denial denial... Read it:
Keenly aware of the cultural pushbuttoning (thank you Warren Ellis for that phrase) the "he's a radical muslim!" hoax email caused (and still causes among those who take third hand information as fact), the Obama camp was quick to call the Clinton campaign on their tactics.
"On the very day that Senator Clinton is giving a speech about restoring respect for America in the world, her campaign has engaged in the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we've seen from either party in this election," [Obama campaign manager David] Plouffe said.
Clinton's camp then fires back with the following:
"Enough. If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed," Clinton's campaign manager Maggie Williams said in a statement.
What I find GLARINGLY OBVIOUS is the lack of the Clinton camp's denial of providing the photo to the Drudge Report. By supplying the photo to the Drudge Report, they have done exactly what Obama is accusing them of.
Obama has no reason to be ashamed of wearing traditional Kenyan garb, and has not stated that he IS ashamed of it. He recognizes the photo circulation as another attempt by Clinton to solidify a non-American image in the minds of voters, going along with the conservative smear tactics to paint him as unpatriotic.
Just one more reason I have no interest in voting for Clinton.
UPDATE: Just read an opinion piece that held the same view as me, but has an even better non-denial denial... Read it:
"There are 700 people in our organization," the Clinton campaign told blogger Marc Ambinder. "We can't be sure that it didn't come from us. It is not the intent of the campaign to release this picture to tarnish Senator Obama in any way, but if someone in the campaign thinks the Obama camp gets treated differently by the media, well, they're right."
So essentially camp Clinton is saying: it may or may not have been us, but even if it was us, that's fine, because the media is biased in favor of Barack Obama.
by MG at 3:57 PM
8 Comments:
They've both gone negative in their respective ways and need to get it together, the last thing they need to do is to fracture any support that they're getting from independents with Darth Nader coming in. Unless they want to king McCain.
On the other hand, Matt Drudge is a right wing tool of the first degree. So how do we not know that he planted the photo and blamed the Clinton camp?
I'm pretty disappointed with the Clinton campaign, but come on, he's Matt Drudge.
Anon, I agree that Drudge is a right wing tool, and would have no problem calling him on being a lying sack of crap, but look at the Clinton camp response to this - non-denial denials. "We're not sure whether we did it or not, but Obama should be ashamed of himself for being angry about this..."
How DO you control 700 people? Isn't it better to say what they did... "we're not sure" than it is to see some future Faux News report with an interview of a low level rogue staffer who fess's up to the crime to get 15 minutes of fame?
c'mon. The photo IS a story in my opinion, that Obama should explain. You know it would have come out anyway.
MJ
MJ, what exactly does Obama need to explain? That he was on a trip to Kenya and was presented with clothing he tried on as a guest might?
Given the circumstance I can't hold the choice of verbiage against the Clinton campaign. (A) They don't know if one of their folks are responsible for it so they don't want to get caught in an accidentally false denial. (B) Obama's campaign manager introduced the shame word when he pinned the potentially erroneous blame on the Clinton campaign (C) The fact that the Obama campaign sees this as a negative image would in fact indicate that they don't want to take ownership of it they would rather hide it rather than pride it (D)How do you know that Karl Rove or some other ambitious Republican didn't get this out there to start in-fighting and Obama's campaign manager took the bait hook line and sinker. Or that the Obama campaign didn't put it out as a dirty trick? so they could portray Clinton the way that they have.
We don't know.
One thing that we do know as a result of this picture is that Obama comes from a diverse background and therefor it is reasonable to expect that he is capable of respectfully communicating with people across various cultures which is integral to successful diplomacy.
The idea that there should be some kind of reaction to this simple photo says more about us socially than either candidate.
Winston - if the Clinton campaign wanted to, it would be very easy to come out and state it was never authorized by the campaign managers, nor is it the kind of campaign she wants to run.
If Drudge points to the Clinton staffers as being the source of the photo, then Clinton needs to have a chat with Drudge for spreading lies.
I know if someone attributed a controversial issue to ME that wasn't true, I would be standing up loud and long about it, and demand public explanations. However, it's become known that Clinton and Drudge have been cozying up to one another... have a read:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/us/politics/22drudge.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Just makes for an interesting connect-the-dots.
Mox...I'm Just sayin... the Drudge report spreads lies about every one - or rather they feel no impetus to verify what they are saying much less who they are getting info from (I would believe Fox before Drudge)I don't think a Clinton staffer would say, " Oh by the way this photo's from Hil with love..." They wouldn't want the blow back. This was probably delivered by certain dimwitted conservative groups who have tried to portray Obama as something he is not.
People like Drudge & Rush Limbaug have made lots of money shaping public opinion against the Clintons. This is a two for one swift-boating sale for those types of folks who want to get McCain elected.
Between you and me, considering the race baiting, and the channeled but anonymous leek source it reeks like Rove -who should be in jail- but is now said to be on McCains payroll.
For her campaign to come out and say that it was not authorized or not what they want to run would imply that they are indeed responsible in some way and that they do know it. Its better for them to say we don't know because in-between the lines that says we had nothing to do with it.
I did read the article and even though the Drudge has commented on some of her successes its also fair to say that they know full well that nothing mobilizes some Americans against the Democratic party like the thought of Hilary in the white house. So anything positive they have to say about her campaign is feeding there agenda.
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