Rubin Blames Obama for Power's Remarks
The Clinton campaign thinks there are more points to score against Barack Obama with the resignation of top policy adviser Samantha Power earlier today.
In an (ongoing) Clinton campaign conference call, Jamie Rubin, the assistant secretary of state for public affairs and then chief spokesman for the State Department under Bill Clinton, described Power as the "most influential of his advisers" with "unlimited access" to the candidate. Rubin described her as a "Svengali, guru, whatever you want to call it" and added that if the Obama foreign policy team's members don't realize their remarks reflect on the candidate and his thinking, it's "amateur hour."
Rubin also said that he felt sorry for Power, because she is an academic, not used to the scrutiny of a presidential campaign. He put the blame for her remarks on Obama.
"I feel sorry for her, that she has been put in a position that he can't run a foreign policy team the way it should be run," said Rubin, adding, "I feel sorry for her, and it is the man at the top who has not organized himself."
- Poll
- Obama (D)
- McCain(R)
- Spread
- RCP Average
- 46.0
- 42.0
- Obama +4.0
- Candidate
- Favorable
- Unfavorable
- Spread
- Obama
- 55.7
- 33.0
- +22.7
- McCain
- 52.7
- 34.1
- +18.6
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STILL WAITING FOR HILLARY'S APOLOGIES FOR REFERRING TO OBAMA CAMPAIGN AS "KARL ROVE" AND "KEN STARR" LIKE --- BECAUSE OBAMA CALLED FOR HILLARY TO RELEASE HER - 2006 - INCOME TAX RETURNS. - HILLARY IS A DECEITFUL, GUTTER-POLITICIAN. - HILLARY IS HIDING FOREIGN INCOME FROM OIL-PRICE-GOUGING COUNTRIES FROM THE VOTING PUBLIC. LET'S SEE HER TAX RETURNS.
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So who is the better manager of their campaign? Hillary started with a 20 point lead in the polls and $100M raised before Obama started raising money, and Obama has an unsurmountable lead in delegates and popular votes at this time. It is clear that Obama will be a better manager of the country.
The candidates campaign statements along these topics really are no more than empty fodder on both sides meant to distract and don't really get to the heart of the real issues. Pointless and at least for me go in one ear and out the other.
Those that believe Mr. Obama's campaign belief of Mrs. Clinton releasing her tax returns may somehow cause embarrassment to her campaign, also help perpetuate the risk of the possible consequences when the public takes interest in these allegations and could find there's no basis to it once she has.. Putting such importance in something where the likelihood that she's committed no wrongdoing could have a backlash effect, since I don't believe it a rational assessment she'd be running for the office she seeks and have such an easily exploitable burdensome target to attack her though. If she is found of some wrongdoing, then let the chips fall where they may, but it puts Mr. Obama's campaign in a light of old politics if none is found, and a backlash of opinion that goes with it considering the theme of his campaign.
Since I'm not judging her on how much money she makes but her policies, I'm content in waiting for her to file her returns at the last minute like I probably will.
Obama has to understand that Democratic voters love scoundrels. They loved Bill Clinton despite his scandalous behavior and lying under oath and extra-marital affairs with countless women. Obama cannot win if he tries to maintain the high ground in this campaign. That may appeal very well to Republican and Independent voters --- but not with Democratic voters. They want ‘down & dirty, gutter’ politics. They want lying and gross mischaracterizations. They want DIRTY TRICKS. Obama is going to have to take off the white gloves and revert to Chicago-style ward politics if he wants to win this nomination. Anything less the Democratic voters will not support. Decent politicians finish last in Democratic politics.
Oh Bama, Oh
Seems to me the only President removed from office in current history with evidence brought forth against them for your so called "DIRTY TRICKS" was a Republican. His name was Richard M Nixon. I don't hold that against the Republican party though, I examine them on what they do now.
It's my understanding that Senator Clinton demanded that the advisor resign despite the fact she thought her comments were off the record and then apologized for making the remarks. Seems to me Senator Clinton is simply adding to her reputation for being nasty and making it difficult for people like me to vote for her if Senator Obama loses the nomination. Do we want another Bush-Cheney in the Whitehouse?
It takes a ruthless person to be in the White House, you people know that. Or are you so naive that it doesn't dawn on you that it's raw power that commands respect. Obama is a pansy. Hillary has the biggest balls of any Democratic candidate since LBJ.
So Hillary has the biggest balls.
NYObserverland, please share with us your own personal Hillary TESTICALmonial.
Zach says:
NYObserverland, please share with us your own personal Hillary TESTICALmonial end quote
very funny, best comedy on so far I've seen thanks.
HILLARY IS THE MOST DECEITFUL POLITICIAN SINCE NIXON. BILL IS NOT FAR BEHIND HER.
Big blunder on Obama's part. You give in to a rival's demands and fire a close adviser and personal confidant for a silly gaffe, and you look weak, like you give in to public pressure. You defend that adviser as a great mind who, in the thick of a heated campaign, said something dumb, and you look like a human being. He should have joked about it, something like, "You should hear what she's called me!" It's not easy to give Hillary Clinton the high ground, but Obama just did.
Byron,
Thanks so much for your kind words.
I was hoping someone in NYObserverland could attest to seeing Hillary's big balls up close and personal. Darn! Inquiring minds want to know.
I guess we can rule out Samantha Power. No doubt she's seen Hillary's as****e, instead of Hillary's big balls. Power's comment was pretty nasty and mean-spirited. I can only assume Ms. Power views Hillary as an as****e.
There's a difference between TESTICALmonial and TESTICLEmonial. I don't know why I misspelled the word.
There was probably a lot of confusion out there in NYObserverland.
Now the cyberspace board will be lighting up. BTW, Gloria Steinem is the smartest woman in America. That true statement should get things going. As I recall, there were around 500 posts last week in the Gloria Steinem thread.
Blunders can be big and small. From my point of view this blunder crosses the line, so there weren't many options for Obama. Samantha Power was apparently a major player in the campaign but she's replaceable. Obama loses here and there's no doubt about that. He just has to cut his losses and move on.
Hmmm, He feels sorry for Sen Obama's campaign?
Well that's rather amusing, I fell sorry for him not even realizing he's soon out of a job. I know it may be hard, but he should do the math. The "Super" delegates IF it goes to that is not going to give his girl the nod.
Perhaps he can give tours of the white house with Hillbilly, and point out the many places her husband had sex.....I mean did not have sex with THAT WOMAN. Who knows they may even find her tax returns on one of the rounds.
Hillary is a monster. Well maybe not a monster; just a Democrat I won't vote for. There I said it. So sue me.
I read a person's post this morning and it was an excellent post. For whatever reasons, technical or otherwise, it's not here now. If my memory serves me, which it sometimes doesn't, the post was in this thread.
I read it rather quickly and was going to make a comment later, and now I don't have the text. The phone call, in the middle of the morning, to Obama was mentioned.
Daylight Saving Time starts tonight in America. Don't you feel sorry for Obama tonight. The turning of the clocks will probably confuse Obama and throw him for another loop.
Hillary should run another TV ad stating Obama's unpreparedness to answer the phone during standard time or daylight time.
Hillary is not a monster. If one must classify a politician as a monster, I think George W. Bush meets the criteria.
Regardless, do you realize how many unemployed folks are looking for jobs on MONSTER.COM. You can add one more person to the list looking for a campaign advisory job on MONSTER.COM: Samantha Power.
Another example of the dishonest that surrounds Clinton and her campaign. The day before the release of Ms. Power's comments to the BBC, General Kean (Clinton adviser) said virtually the same thing about Hillary and that he didn't believe she would really take troops out of IRAQ as quickly as she was stating on the campaign trail. Not that is worth anything to the press or the Clintons, what Samantha Power (and earlier in the week Susan Rice) said to the press was honest truth. No one can say now what the conditions will be in 1/09; neither candidate has been fully briefed; and both have said circumstances could change the plan they promote now. What idiot doesn't understand that? Check Ms. Rice's post on Huffington with the full transcript for an intelligent, honest view.
George Bush would be a better president than Hillary, or even Obama. I'm concerned about who Obama would choose as advisors.
It'll be Bill Clinton redux.
I think they all stink. They are a pile of dung, and none can abide by the odor thereof.
True that the high road doesn't usually win elections, but his talent will see him into the presidency. No outstanding orator has lost a presidential election to date. And by the way, Hillary is really looking desperate and bipolar, (and may I even dare to say, unlovable? Looks like she'll stop at nothing to claw her way in a losing battle towards the White House - even pimping her daughter along the way! This Dem will not vote if she wins the nomination. She has the GAUL to undermine WE Dems by saying McCain would be a better president than Obama, and that Obama calling for her tax records make him Ken Starr. She is showing how desperate she really is. Luckily, most who vote for her are uneducated blue collar workers and Latinos who don't even know who Starr is.
Rubin is married to the Chief CNN correspondent Christian Amapour (i can't be bothered 2 look up the correct spelling of her name)
He has no credibility. But he sure is cute.
Hillary has based a good part of her campaign on her experience and her hardheaded judgment. But have you seen this ad showing her authorizing the Iraq War? It’s pretty powerful stuff:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hwLaCb07lAs
Hillary should run another TV ad stating Obama's unpreparedness to answer the phone during standard time or daylight time. >>>
BORING>>>>>>>>>>>
No Campaign is as dysfunctional and divisive as Hillary Clinton's.
Tomorrow's NYT Front Page Article:
Sniping by Aides Hurts Clinton's Image as Manager
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/us/politics/10clinton.html?hp
[The divisions in her campaign over strategy and communications — and the dislike many of her advisers had for one another — poured out into public as Mrs. Clinton struggled in February to hold off Mr. Obama in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
But even as Mrs. Clinton revived her fortunes last week with victories in Ohio, Rhode Island and Texas, the questions lingered about how she managed her campaign, with the internal sniping and second-guessing undermining her well-cultivated image as a steady-at-the-wheel chief executive surrounded by a phalanx of loyal and efficient aides.
“She hasn’t managed anything as complex as this before; that’s the problem with senators,” said James A. Thurber, a professor of government at American University who is an expert on presidential management. “She wasn’t as decisive as she should have been. And it’s a legitimate question to ask: Under great pressure from two different factions, can she make some hard decisions and move ahead? It seems to just fester. She doesn’t seem to know how to stop it or want to stop it.”]
Is anybody really fooled by or listening to these Dem Obama supporters that hate the Clintons? At what point did that happen, that the Dems started hating the Clintons with the same fervor as the Republicans? Maybe I just wasn't paying attention to it, but I don't remember that in the 2004 elections, so I have to wonder, what really is behind it now? I'm sure the answers in this blog will be the usual hate mongering and conspiracy theories, but those that stood by the Clintons in years past, are they part of this group and why? They didn't hold the things mentioned in all the blogs I see now attacking the Clintons of their past 4 years ago, so what changed in the last 4 years? I can understand picking Mr. Obama over Mrs. Clinton since they're both Dems, but the hate based votes are the ones I'm questioning? So keeping the past out of it, what is all the hate about now?
Of course Republicans use this tactic regularly so it's not surprising what you hear from them, rather expected. Though dysfunctional as they believe she is and even with months of media bias against her she was able to come back (never seen a man or woman come back while running a campaign against their opponent and the media) and win the states she said she would.
Hillary IS a racist, corrupt, lying and divisive monster. Obama should not have fired this brilliant adviser.
Jamie is married to Christiane Amanpour??? Now there's a monster!!