Hillary Bombs the Iraq Question

Hillary blew it:

You know, the point is that I certainly respect Senator Obama making his speech in 2002 against the war. And then when it came to the Senate, we've had the same policy because we were both confronting the same reality of trying to deal with the consequences of George Bush's action.

I believe that it is abundantly clear that the case that was outlined on behalf of going to the resolution -- not going to war, but going to the resolution -- was a credible case. I was told personally by the White House that they would use the resolution to put the inspectors in. I worked with Senator Levin to make sure we gave them all the intelligence so we would know what's there.

Hmm...maybe Hillary didn't actually read the title of the resolution she voted for:

AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF MILITARY FORCE AGAINST IRAQ RESOLUTION OF 2002

In reality, everyone in Washington knew exactly what they were voting for when they cast their votes in 2002. For Hillary to claim ignorance at this point in time casts significant doubt on her claims that experience is the most important factor in the choice between herself and Obama. Apparently, all of her experience didn't help her to understand the ramifications of the most important vote of her life that resulted in the deaths of 4,000 US troops.

Her answer got worse:

Some people now think that this was a very clear open and shut case. We bombed them for days in 1998 because Saddam Hussein threw out inspectors. We had evidence that they had a lot of bad stuff for a very long time which we discovered after the first Gulf War.

Knowing that he was a megalomaniac, knowing he would not want to compete for attention with Osama bin Laden, there were legitimate concerns about what he might do. So, I think I made a reasoned judgment. Unfortunately, the person who actually got to execute the policy did not.

Perhaps Hillary made a mistake when she said Hussein "would not want" to compete for attention with bin Laden. It would seem to make a bit more sense if she felt that he "would want" to compete for attention with bin Laden.

So what point was Hillary actually trying to make? Does she believe that since Saddam Hussein was a megalomaniac that we were justified going to war? Does she believe that because he might have done something to steal the limelight from bin Laden that we were justified in invading Iraq?

Hillary's answer on this question was incomprehensible from a number of angles. One would have assumed that by this point in the campaign that she would have a better story for explaining a vote that is widely viewed by the Democratic base as incomprehensible and indefensible. She confused the Iraq issue significantly for herself and she will be explaining that answer until Super Tuesday. Meanwhile, for the base of the Democratic Party she's reminded all of us why she's not fit to be president.

Obama Takes Aim at Hillary

Obama's message is getting sharper:

"When I am the nominee, the Republicans won't be able to make this election about the past," he told an overflow crowd of more than 10,000 at the University of Denver in a speech filled with sharp jabs at his rival.

"That's what the Republicans are going to want to do," he said. "They are going to want us to look backwards, but they won't be able to do that with me. Because you will have already chosen the future."

Once again, he makes the choice crystal clear in the minds of voters: the past or the future. Then, he makes a strong case that electing Hillary will just unite the fragmented and demoralized Republicans:

He spoke of how Democrats could win in November and build on their majority in Congress: "not by nominating a candidate who will unite the other party against us, but by choosing one who can unite this country around a movement for change."

Then, he reminds voters that Hillary had a shot at fixing healthcare and she failed:

A mother with a sick child and no insurance "can't afford to wait another four years -- or another 15 years -- to get healthcare because we've put forward a nominee who can't bring Democrats and Republicans together to get it done," he said.

Finally, the coup de grâce comes by reminding voters that Hillary and McCain agreed on giving President Bush authority to invade Iraq:

The best way to win a debate with Arizona Sen. John McCain, he said, is not to have Clinton's record of agreement with the Republican front-runner on critical foreign policy issues.

"Talking tough and tallying up your years in Washington is no substitute for judgment, and courage, and clear plans. It's not enough to say you'll be ready from Day One," he said, referring to a line in Clinton's stump speech. "You have to be right from Day One."

He makes a powerful case. Let's hope there's enough time before Super Tuesday for it to sink in.

Obama Closing the Gap?

The money is pouring in to Obama's coffers as reported by the HuffPost:

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama raised $32 million in the single month of January, a whopping figure that has permitted the campaign to boost staff and extend advertising to states beyond the sweeping Feb. 5 contests, aides said Thursday.

Obama is also attacking the entire SuperTuesday field while Hillary is just going after half of it:

Obama is now advertising in 20 of the 22 states in play for next week's Super Tuesday and plans to begin advertising in seven more states that hold primaries or caucuses later in February. Rival Hillary Rodham Clinton is advertising in 12 Super Tuesday states, including her own home state of New York.

In crucial California, Rasmussen has the race very close:

Clinton: 43%
Obama: 40%
Edwards: 9%
Other: 4%
Not Sure: 4%
Margin of Error: 4%

Hopefully, those Edwards voters will soon get a clue that he has dropped out. With the number of Edwards voters likely to shrink, 4% undecided and a 4% margin of error the race is effectively a toss-up.

A Gallup national poll also shows the race tightening:

Hillary Clinton is leading Barack Obama by just 6 percentage points nationally in a new three-day Gallup tracking poll of the Democratic nomination race, 42%-36%.

"Obama's position has been strengthening on a day-by-day basis. As recently as Jan. 18-20, Clinton led Obama by 20 points," Gallup editor in chief Frank Newport reported.

One thing I'm not sure about is how these pollsters deal with absentee balloting. In California, a large number of voters (including myself) have already cast our ballots. Obama looks to be surging but obviously he can't change the minds of voters who have already cast their ballot for Hillary.

From the way things are trending I have a feeling that Obama would win if the campaign wasn't so frontloaded with all these states voting on SuperTuesday. As the public gets more familiar with Obama, his stock continues to rise. The opposite is happening with Hillary.

And where, oh where, is Bill? Can someone send out the St. Bernards?

Hillary's Absurd Florida "Victory" Celebration

Hillary Rodham Clinton has run a campaign that has to be deeply embarrassing to anyone who calls themselves a true progressive. First, she used Karl Rovian tactics against Barack Obama by warning how al Qaeda had "tested" new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in his first days in office. Then, she used tactics reminiscent of Lee Atwater by injecting the issue of race into the campaign. Her husband, the disgraced and diminished former president, attempted to belittle Barack Obama by calling him a "kid" and using the term "fairy tale". Then, when asked about Barack Obama's win in South Carolina he said that Jesse Jackson had won South Carolina as well making the comparison for no other apparent reason other than the fact that Jackson and Obama are both black.

And now, desperate to regain the momentum that has been lost in South Carolina, Hillary made a complete fool of herself in Florida. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post points out the absurdity of Clinton's staged "victory" celebration there last night:

Cheering supporters? Check. Election returns on the projection screen? Check. Andrea Mitchell and Candy Crowley doing stand-ups? Check and check. In fact, the only piece missing from Hillary Clinton's Florida victory party here Tuesday night was a victory.

As everyone and their brother knows, the Democratic Party stripped Florida of its delegates because they moved their primary ahead of Super Tuesday. Last night's vote there on the Democratic side was utterly meaningless. Here's the delegate count from the Florida contest:

Obama: 0
Clinton: 0
Edwards: 0

That's right. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Yet you couldn't tell that from watching Hillary's faux celebration.

Hillary Clinton broke her word to the Democratic Party by campaigning in Florida (dressed up as "fundraising" events) and last night's visit there was a direct contradiction of the party's attempt to punish Florida for moving up their debate. This is just another example demonstrating that Hillary will do anything and say anything to get elected. She'll even get in front of a crowd and pretend that winning zero delegates is a huge victory.

"Thank you, thank you for this tremendous victory tonight," Clinton shouted.

Who do you think you're kidding Hillary? Do you think we're that stupid?

The Never-Ending Madness in Iraq

It's awesome to see how well our troops defend themselves when they come under fire over there. Their professionalism, bravery and conduct in the field is truly impressive.



When I see videos like this I'm amazed that anyone in Iraq is crazy enough to take a shot at our troops.

Right now, there's a major operation going on in Mosul to root out the bad guys there. Here's what one of the troops said:

"So right now, it is a capital for terrorists right now. So I think there will be a final battle very soon," a soldier told Strassman.

It seems like I've heard that sort of rhetoric before. And yet, the war just keeps grinding on. Five troops were killed just the other day. And now Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army is making noises about canceling their cease-fire:

Influential members of Muqtada al-Sadr's movement have urged the anti-U.S. Shiite cleric not to extend a cease-fire when it expires next month, officials said Monday, a move that could jeopardize recent security gains.

This comes on the heels of a report by the Iraqi Red Crescent organization that more than 60 people were killed and 280 wounded in last week's explosion of a house in Mosul.

President Bush says the surge is working, but the American people don't buy it. We don't see our troops coming home. We don't see where and how all this ends. All we see is our troops getting picked off one by one by one by one for years on end. At some point, reasonable people of all political stripes have to come together and put an end to this. Our troops deserve better.

Hillary Tries to Muzzle Bill

The NY Times has the story:

Democrats inside and outside the Clinton campaign on Sunday debated and in some cases bemoaned the degree to which former President Bill Clinton’s criticism of Senator Barack Obama last week had inflicted lasting damage on his wife’s presidential candidacy.

“I think his harsh style hurt Senator Clinton — it polarized the campaign and polarized the electorate, and it also made it harder for Senator Clinton’s positive message to break through,” said Celinda Lake, a Democratic strategist and pollster who is not affiliated with any of the candidates.

In other words, Hillary needs to put a muzzle on her husband. As I've said before, Bill Clinton's role as the central spokesman for the campaign is overshadowing Hillary and raising real questions about who will be in control of the White House if she is elected:

Despite Mrs. Clinton’s months-long efforts to build a base of support among women, Clinton advisers said they were concerned that her husband’s recent prominence may have dampened her appeal as a strong female leader. Some advisers said they feared as much after Mr. Obama won 54 percent of the vote from women in South Carolina, including 22 percent of white women and 78 percent of black women, according to polls.

Nothing could be more damaging to a presidential candidate than questions about whether that person will really be calling the shots if they are elected. Since the Clinton campaign now realizes this and desperately wants to return the focus to Hillary I will do everything I can (in my own little way) to keep the focus on Bill.

After Obama crushed Hillary in South Carolina, Bill Clinton again stepped into the spotlight and attempted to disparage Obama's win by comparing it to Jesse Jackson's victories in the state:

"Jesse Jackson won South Carolina in '84 and '88," he said. "Jackson ran a good campaign. And Obama ran a good campaign here."

The subtext of Clinton's message there is that Obama is just another black candidate like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton who can only appeal to blacks. This comment may have been the catalyst that caused Ted Kennedy to blow his top and come out in favor of Obama.

On ABC's This Week, Obama fired back:

“Jesse Jackson ran historic races in 1984 and 1988, and there’s no doubt that that set a precedent for African-Americans running for the highest office in the land,” Mr. Obama said. “I think people want change. I think they want to get beyond some of the racial politics that, you know, has been so dominant in the past.”

And on the stump, Obama sought to turn the Clinton's attempts to inject race into the campaign back against them:

"I did not travel around this state over the last year and see a white South Carolina or a black South Carolina," he said. "I saw crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children alike.

The Clintons have mistakenly played right into Obama's hands on this issue. They've given him a golden opportunity to emphasize the inclusive and anti-racial foundation of his entire campaign.

Can't you just see the steam coming out of Bill's ears just about now?

The Kennedys Rally Behind Obama

This one has to hurt:

Senator Edward M. Kennedy will endorse Barack Obama for president tomorrow, breaking his year-long neutrality to send a powerful signal of where the legendary Massachusetts Democrat sees the party going -- and who he thinks is best to lead it.

Kennedy confidantes told the Globe today that the Bay State's senior senator will appear with Obama and Kennedy's niece, Caroline Kennedy, at a morning rally at American University in Washington tomorrow to announce his support.

The Clintons have been very close to the Kennedys over the years and reportedly expended considerable efforts to derail this endorsement. Ted Kennedy is said to be disillusioned with the tone of the Clinton's attacks on Obama and particularly with Bill Clinton. Endorsements don't usually count for much but these are the Kennedys and it will keep Obama at the top of the news cycle for another 24 hours.

Hillary's Coronation Derailed Again

Iowa was a nasty surprise for Queen Hillary who has labored diligently to foster an aura of inevitability around her campaign. In New Hampshire and Nevada she managed to restore some of that aura even though Obama tied her in delegates in New Hampshire and picked up one more than she did in Nevada.

Tonight in South Carolina, that aura has been punctured once again, this time possibly for good. Billary played what it thought was a golden trump card in the issue of race in South Carolina and it backfired badly on them. Billary knew that by attacking Obama bitterly and unfairly they would invoke a backlash among black voters and opinion leaders against them. They reasoned that the images of angry black leaders on television denouncing them would trigger a defensive response from South Carolinian whites that would blunt Obama's advantage with black voters.

What they forgot, is that even in a racially polarized state like South Carolina, white voters are unlikely to vote as a bloc for reasons of race especially when the black candidate is someone like Barack Obama who has run an inclusive campaign targeting voters of all races. The Clinton strategy backfired, and in the process they may have helped Barack Obama to lock down a large advantage among black voters that will come in very useful in the Super Tuesday states of California, New York, New Jersey, Missouri, Georgia and Alabama.

The other takeaway from this evening is the puncturing of Bill Clinton's image as a huge asset to Hillary's campaign. South Carolina was his state and his job was to just keep it close. The Clintons have been trying to lower expectations in the hope that they could portray a second-place finish with 10% of Obama as a "better than expected" result that maintained the momentum of New Hampshire and Nevada.

Well, that didn't work and now everyone should be questioning whether Bill Clinton is hurting the campaign more than he is helping. Is his constant presence in the media as the Clinton campaign's attack dog overshadowing Hillary and raising uncertainty in the minds of voters as to who is really going to be calling the shots in a Hillary Clinton presidency? The Clinton campaign would be wise to lower Bill's profile in the coming days and try and focus attention back on Hillary and her supposed strength in the area of experience.

The Masters of Spin

Just two months ago, the polls in South Carolina showed Hillary Clinton cruising to an easy victory:

Clinton: 41%
Obama: 27%
Edwards: 13%

Now, the polls show Obama with a decisive lead:

Obama: 38.4%
Clinton: 26.6%
Edwards: 19.6%

So...how do you spin to your advantage what's likely to be a big defeat when it looked like an easy victory just a few months ago? Well, you get Bill Clinton to utter some complete nonsense:

On Wednesday, Bill Clinton told voters that "people tell me Hillary doesn't have a chance of winning here," and that Obama's lead in a heavily black electorate is "understandable because people are proud when someone who they identify with emerges for the first time."

That's funny. Bill wasn't saying that Hillary didn't have a chance in South Carolina a couple of months ago.

But of course, all of this is just the Clinton's clever attempt to spin what looks like a certain defeat. They spent millions in South Carolina and Bill Clinton has been camped out there for weeks. They never wrote the state off and Hillary was campaigning there for the last several days.

But they are the masters at this. They took a 2% margin of victory in New Hampshire and turned it into a "stunning upset". Imagine that, who would have thought that Hillary Clinton winning New Hampshire would be a stunning upset 6 months ago?

And remember when Bill turned an 8% point loss to Paul Tsongas in the 1992 New Hampshire primary into his absurd "comeback kid"? Only the Clintons can pull this sort of thing off and the media is likely to buy whatever narrative they come up with in South Carolina to make it seem like a victory.

Hillary's Rezko Attack on Obama Blows up in her Face

There is justice in this world:

"Today" show host Matt Lauer asked presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton on Friday if she has a connection to indicted developer Tony Rezko after flashing an undated photo of the two posing with President Bill Clinton.

"You were attacking Senator Obama, in particular, his work connected to what was a so-called a slumlord in Chicago, a guy named Tony Rezko," Lauer said. "You can't see what I'm going put up on the screen ... but it is a picture of you and your husband Bill Clinton posing with that same man."

And what was Hillary's completely lame explanation for her glaring hypocrisy:

"I've probably taken hundreds of thousands of pictures," Clinton said. "I don't know the man, I wouldn't know him if he walked in the door, I don't have a 17-year-relationship with him."

Can't remember again eh? Sort of like how she just couldn't recall anything about her work for Jim McDougal and the S&L Madison Guaranty. Drudge is all over this; let's hope he can dig something up.

My guess is that Rezko probably contributed to Bill Clinton at some point. Let's face it; not everyone can easily have their picture taken with the president and first lady. You have to do something in order to get that privilege.

Update: Left-Coaster says Rezko never contributed to the Clintons:

Tony Rezko has never contributed a dime to Hillary or Bill Clinton. They have no relationship with Tony Rezko.

I'm not sure how he makes the leap to the conclusion that they have "no relationship". We just need to find out when, where and why this photo was taken. Surely somebody out there knows...

Could Hillary Get the Bronze in South Carolina?

It appears that Billary's exploitation of the racial divide may be backfiring in South Carolina according to a SurveyUSA poll. John Edwards looks to be gaining:

Obama: 45%
Clinton: 29%
Edwards: 22%

Hillary's advantage among just white voters is shrinking:

Clinton: 37%
Edwards: 34%
Obama: 24%

Other polls have Hillary with a stronger advantage over Edwards but this one gives us hope (so we will choose to ignore the other ones).

Edwards could be seeing a late surge due to his good performance in the debate. His populist message could gain more traction as the economy continues to deteriorate especially in a state like South Carolina. The question now is what would a third-place finish mean for Hillary's campaign? Could it have the effect of puncturing the inevitability aura that was shattered in Iowa but rebuilt in New Hampshire and Nevada? Could Democratic voters be starting to give John Edwards a serious look and liking what they see?

Some observers like Dick Morris have been saying that Edwards should vacate the race because he is splitting the anti-Hillary vote. I'm not so sure about that. I haven't had the sense that there was a particularly strong anti-Hillary contingent within the Democratic Party. I hope that is starting to change given the dirty campaign tactics she and her husband have been employing but it hasn't shown up in the polling data.

There's no guarantee that if Edwards dropped out of the race his supporters would automatically gravitate to Obama. My guess is they would probably split evenly among the two. However, if Edwards stays in the race he may begin to chip away more at Hillary's base of support than Obama's. On an ideological spectrum I would place Hillary and Edwards closer to each other than either is to Obama. Certainly on health care that's the case.

So maybe Obama supporters should be cheering for Edwards to stay in rather than get out. When it comes down to deal-making time I firmly believe that he would be much more likely to tilt towards Obama than Hillary. Edwards is constantly talking about the need to take on the vested interests in Washington to bring about real change. He knows Hillary will never do that.

Act Like a Former President

Bill Clinton's actions in this campaign are a disgrace to the office. Pat Leahy has had enough and he is taking Clinton on:

In Washington, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), who endorsed Obama last week, castigated the former president for what he called his "glib cheap shots" at Obama, saying both sides should settle down but placing the blame predominantly on Clinton.

"That's beneath the dignity of a former president," Leahy told reporters, adding: "He is not helping anyone, and certainly not helping the Democratic Party."

Talk-show host Ed Shultz hits him a little harder:



In their blood lust for power, the Clintons are threatening to destroy the very foundation of the Democratic Party coalition. What chance does Hillary stand in the general election in purple states like Missouri, Florida and Virginia if African-American voters don't turn out in their usual numbers? Is it really worth it to her to get the nomination if she has to destroy the Democratic Party in the process?

I think there is a backlash building within the Democratic Party against Billary's tactics. I'm just surprised there hasn't been more outrage.

Billary's Strategy to Incite a White Backlash Against Obama

Dick Morris lays it out:

If Hillary loses South Carolina and the defeat serves to demonstrate Obama’s ability to attract a bloc vote among black Democrats, the message will go out loud and clear to white voters that this is a racial fight. It’s one thing for polls to show, as they now do, that Obama beats Hillary among African-Americans by better than 4-to-1 and Hillary carries whites by almost 2-to-1. But most people don’t read the fine print on the polls. But if blacks deliver South Carolina to Obama, everybody will know that they are bloc-voting. That will trigger a massive white backlash against Obama and will drive white voters to Hillary Clinton.

I honestly think this is the Billary strategy. The Clintons know that seeing angry black leaders on TV denouncing them for their attacks on Obama will throw a fright into white voters and create a backlash in their favor. That's why they have run a subtle but clearly orchestrated effort to incite black opinion makers without appearing to be openly racist. Comments like "kid" and "fairy tale" by Bill Clinton have achieved the desired effect without exposing the Clintons directly to charges of racism.

These people are smart and they will do anything to get elected. That much should be obvious to everyone at this point.

Clinton Raises Image of a "Frustrated" Obama

Am I the only one who thinks this comment is a little strange?

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON: I think what we saw last night was that he's very frustrated. And I believe that the events -- Senator Obama is very frustrated -- the events of the last 10 or so days, particularly the outcomes in New Hampshire and Nevada, have apparently convinced him to adopt a different strategy.

It reminded me of this comment Hillary made about Karl Rove:

"But I find it interesting he's so obsessed with me."

And the comment she made to Chris Matthews:

"I never know what to do with men who are obsessed with me."

In her own words, Hillary thinks her political opponents are "frustrated" and "obsessed" with her. An interesting selection of words I must admit and it demonstrates just what we have to look forward to if we put Hillary in the White House.

But hey, what's good for the goose is good for the gander right? If only Obama had enough gumption to fire back with this:

"I really think Hillary is just frustrated with me at this point in the race. She thought she would be on her way to the coronation by now and she is just very, very frustrated that's not the case. It also really seems that she is obsessed with me lately given how much she's talking about me. You know (chuckle) I never know what to do with women who are obsessed with me."

Now how do you think our media would react to that?

Coming Back Home

After almost a year writing for Wizbang Blue I have decided to come back to the Infinite Truth. While I enjoyed writing for Wizbang, I have recently had a serious disagreement with one of the author's decisions to give a platform to an individual promoting salacious rumors about Barack Obama. This level of discourse is fine for some but its beneath my own standards and I feel I can no longer be associated with Wizbang Blue for that reason.