An apology for Obama -- again

I wonder how many of these the Clinton campaign can fit in before the nomination....I say 7

All these apologies after the damage is done, let's hope the people respond by voting for Obama and against the negative campaigns others are running.

Let just get the smear out there to the voters and then we will apologize later.

-----The Clinton Campaign

How can anyone in their right mind even consider voting for this candidate? We had Bill for eight years. What the heck do we need Hillary for?

"I've just been personally attacked again. I don't mind taking hits on my record on issues, but when somebody starts throwing mud at least we can hope it's accurate and not right out of the Republican playbook."

That's what Hillary Clinton said November 16. Since then we've seen her campaign call Obama a muslim numerous times, call him a drug dealer, attack his kindergarten school work, call him inexperience despite the fact that he has more years holding elected office than she does, try to disillusion college-aged voters, and more. All of these attacks were lies...well except Kindergate. That was just dumb. And they are all out of the Republican playbook, just like Clinton said herself.

Why does he need to apologize? He said exactly what Obama himself has been saying: That the time he spent in Indonesia and the diversity of his background is a plus. That background includes Muslims.

This is getting ridiculous. People have to walk on eggshells with this guy, lest the press twists their intent. Pretty soon we'll have to ask permission to mention name for fear of blaspheming his holiness.

YAWN...

Another day another fluffy Obama post by Christi Parsons. Watch this space for further journalistic cotton candy.

In the words of the Republican saint Ronald Reagan, "There you go again." The Clintonists are very good at their meat tenderizer technigue of using slight doses of venom to breakdown their victim. Bob Kerrey is a loose cannon and just the kind of fast talking nice guy with a good back slap that has a knife blade in it. They figure this particular stab is worth maybe 100 votes.

We are supposed to believe Hillary wasn't the architect of the "slip of the tongue" by Kerrey? Just another planned attack by the Clinton Smear Machine which has used numerous venues to "remind" us of
Obama's family background. Create the smear and then "apologize" saying they're sorry the statement was "misinterpreted." Right out of the Clinton personal destruction playbook.
Do the Clintons have any shame? Obviously no. And for war veteran Kerrey to stoop this low says all you need to know about him.

Note how the Clintonites bring up Obama's family time and again. It's time for Obama to remind people of the Clintons' family, her brother and the pardon scandals and Bill's brother with the drug involvements. And Bill himself as a disbarred lawyer and impeached office holder. The Clintons need to be wary about throwing stones from their decidedly glass house. Here's a reminder: today is the 10th anniversary of Bill being impeached, one of only two presidents to have that distinction.

If Hillary's surrogates can bring up Obama's relatives, how about Obama's people doing the same to her. Consider this article from today's NY Post: "Hillary Rodham Clinton's youngest sibling is a deadbeat dad who owes tens of thousands of dollars in child support to his politically connected ex, The Post has learned.
In a disclosure that could prove embarrassing for his sister, Anthony Rodham has stiffed his former wife, Nicole Boxer, out of $75,000 in child support, as well as $55,000 in alimony, a source close to the case said."

I guarantee the media will not force Republicans to apologize when they say the same things and worse during the general election. For crying out loud, Obama needs thicker skin and needs to prepare for the onslaught of hatred and lies the Republicans will throw at him if he's the nominee.

I'm just plain tired of clinton--cant wait for the caucas results--if she defeats richardson-I'll be surprised

Actually Obama has said nothing about this other than he accepts Kerry's apology. If it happened the other way we can be sure we would have heard much whining.

Well now the national AFSCME organization owes Sen. Obama an apology for misrepresenting his position on health care and for sending out a mailer that quotes John Edwards even though they endorsed Hillary Clinton. (Clinton's name is no where mentioned). Why does a major labor organization need to smear a candidate who has over 20 years of experience working for their causes? Could it be AFSCME leadership is so cosy with the Clintons they've picked up bad habits?
See http://www.onemillionstrong.us/showDiary.do?diaryId=464

If foreign policy experience is mandatory how did we end up with Mr. Bush? In any event, foreign policy is more about having the curiosity to read widely and understand the history and culture of others around the world. For relatively current history regarding our involvement in armed conflict, I recommend the late David Halberstam's "The Best and The Brightest" (Viet Nam) and "The Coldest Winter" (Korea). In many ways Mr. Obama is uniquely qualified to take the fresh look necessary after the egregious errors of the present Administration which has made no obvious efforts to understand the nuances of foreign policy. For a long time foreign policy student, Mr. Biden would be a good choice and a great Sec/State.

In preparation for the general election, OBama supporters need to practice vocal outrage every time an opponent attempts a low blow. SCREAM every time somebody implies that he's a muslim, etc. This is better than just having a thick skin. It's making noise that other voters can hear. The best defense is...

Biggdawg,
Is Obama's supposed to be blamed for Hillary and her gutter-loving buddies? Did Obama ask for an apology?
Stay tuned because there are more contrived apologies coming up. I hope you don't have to make one yourself.

Another apology du jour to Obama.

If he gets the nomination, he better get used to these attacks without any subsequent "I'm sorry" from the Republicans.

Once the Swift-boat crowd starts paying for sixty-second spots on TV, no telling what kind of whoppers they'll be putting out.

As long as we're wasting time at work (some of us, anyway) and blogspace with this drivel, why not at least make it entertaining?

So in that vein: how's this for an apology?(from Independent Saturday [UK] magazine)

"Following the portrait of Tony and Cherie Blair published on 21 April in the Independent Saturday magazine, Ms Blair’s representatives have told us that she was friendly with but never had a relationship with Carole Caplin of the type suggested in the article. They want to make it clear, which we are happy to do, that Ms Blair 'has never shared a shower with Ms Caplin, was not introduced to spirit guides or primal wrestling by Ms Caplin (or anyone else), and did not have her diary masterminded by Ms Caplin.'”

The onslaught's that have been afforded to Obama shows how desperate the Clinton administration wants to smear his name. In my opinion, Obama is not "whining" as others may perceive. Rather, he wants he run and maintain a "clean" race....one in which the other candidates cannot seem to uphold.

Does anyone else think all these slams and subsequent apologies are just ways of keeping the story alive and kicking in the media?

First its an "Obama did drugs, could have dealt them" comment, then there are bunch more articles explaining the apology on the Clinton campaign while still being able to reiterate the story and keep people thinking it while looking like good people for denouncing the comment that their campaign likely engineered.

Cheap shots.

After reading how Obama skirts the issue while a state senator, just voting "present" really frightens me. You can't be that un-sure of yourself IF elected president !

An "apology" is just the latest tool to keep a damaging story alive.

Seems the "experience" Hillary has most is the "politics of personal destruction."

The "Hill-o-copter" seems to be having flying problems. And "there is no pilot error"? It's all the ground crew's fault. Not sure we want a commander in chief who constantly blames errors on others. Seems very inconsistent with her "control freak" personality that she has no prior knowledge of these smears.

Obama's Muslim heritage wouldn't stop me from voting for him. His drug use wouldn't stop me from voting for him unless he came out for harsher drug penalties.

But his vote for bankrupcy "reform" after having his accepted so much money from bankers makes it certain that I will never cast a vote for him in any postition, especially President.

Remember, vote for Senator Obama. Don't let Hillary get away with this stuff. Her ideas are old, we need a fresh vision with the will do do what needs to be done. What has Hillary ever done except ride the coat tails of the best President in the last 50 years?

Why should he apologize? Other than pressure from the media! He stated a fact which is interpreted as a smear. I say, kudos to Kerrey.

Biggdawg,

obama did not call for an apology.

kerry apologized on his own. guilt? pressure from [insert source here]?

Ok. What with the whole Mitt Romney Mormon fiasco, the Mike Huckabee thing, and now this. These politcoes are just hitting WAY too far below the belt, attacking someone's personal religious/spiritual convictions. This blurring of lines is taking so much focus off of what's really important. These "grown-ups" really do need to GROW UP.

I wonder if the Clintons aren't trying to not only smear Obama, then keep the story alive with their "apologies," but then to do the weaseliest move of all: pretending that Obama is "thin-skinned" because of all the apologies they keep offering him. Their slams against him have been fairly Bush-league, considering how much experience they have with dirty tricks. Are their constant apologies a way to paint Obama as not tough enough and get the focus off of Hilary whining that everyone was piling on her in the debates?

According to reports Bill had said it before that he wanted to divorce Hillary during the Jennifer Flower days. But Hillary did not want to leave him. I think this country would have been better off, if Bill was granted that divorce before he took office in 1992. We wouldn't have to go through this Hillary debacle now. Now Bill is forced to lie (oh! it is so difficult for him to lie. NOT) about how good Hillary is.

Obama has not once asked for any of these apologies. I don't think he truly cares. As was stated, he did all this disclosure himself!

Stop the "Obama needs thicker skin" garbage. The guy can certainly defend himself. The Clinton campaign is desperate.

Obama '08!

I dont understand all the hollering.....the man himself stated that he did drugs.... this is old hat...I dont see the need for an apology..I hope Obama has a thicker hide. anyone running for an elected job needs one... everyting is watched and double watched....

I do NOT plan on voting for either Hillary or Obama, HOWEVER ...

I find it very convenient when Obama decided to become a "Christian"---

Didn't this occur when he decided to run for higher office.

Perhaps that should be examined, instead of just glibly dismissing it as politics of destruction.

In the other camp---i.e. The Republicans --- are examining Romney's Mormon Faith. It would not be a stretch to do the same with Obama.

Let it be!

And so I call for universal censorship of all criticism of Barack Obama's synthetic iconic campaign image; of all factual, historical, and autobiographical contradictions; of all dissonant views of opponents; and of all contrary public opinion--spoken and written.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every comment shall be censored, every word and text shall be filtered, the rough remarks will be eliminated, and the crooked doings will be suppressed, and the iconic image of the Candidate shall be revealed, and all the world shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the censorship that I go back to the Internet with. With this censorship we will be able to draw out of the stories of contradiction a campaign image of hope. With this censorship we will be able to transform the partisanship of our nation into a bi-partisan symphony of cooperation. With this censorship we will be able to work together, to vote together, to campaign together, to go to Congress together, to stand up for censorship together, knowing that we will be censored one day.

This will be the day when all of the Party's members will be able to write with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of it, cleansed land of censorship, now this new writ. Land where my comments sit, land of the owner's fit, from every blogger's bit, let there be cen-sor-ship."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true.

So let censorship ring from the prodigious main stories of New Hampshire's Concord Monitor. Let censorship ring from the mighty pages of the New York Times. Let censorship ring from the heightening political commentary of Pennsylvania's Patriot-News!

Let censorship ring from edited stories of the Colorado Daily!

Let censorship ring from cut-down news reports of the San Francisco Chronicle!

But not only that; let censorship ring from the Atlanta Daily World!

Let censorship ring from the Memphis Daily News!

Let censorship ring from every newspaper and magazine of America. From every TV, radio, and Internet outlet, let there be cen-sor-ship.

And when this happens, when we allow censorship to be, when we let it be in every village and every hamlet, in every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of the Party's members, b**** men and white men, J*** and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and read the words of the old N**** spiritual, "Censorship at last! censorship at last! thank the G** A*******, we are censored at last!"

We're still waiting for Paulo to apologize for smearing Obama back in February 2007 here in the Swamp.

I'm glad to see that Sen. Kerrey acted like a man and did the right thing; too bad Paulo won't. But that's what we expect from a Republic Party shill.

Shaun Hoffmeyer, you're on to something with that censorship thing. I notice that Swamp has conveniently failed to post my response to Joseph Pierre, wherein I direct his attention to today's SunTimes quote in which Obama alludes to his drug use as something that might be used against him in response to a question from Katie Couric about marital infidelity, and I note the irony that Hillary's co-chair in New Hampshire had to resign for making essentially the same observation.

Clintonian politics: its time has passed.

Why not just vote for Joe Biden who happens to be the best candidate anyway. That way you avoid all this tom foolery.

Well maybe the way to respond is by pretending to criticize Obama while actually praising him! (And then apologizing again and again to keep it in the news.) Here goes:

Having known BO since 1971, I want to correct a few things about how he presents himself: 1. He was not the skinny kid! He seems to have thinned out in 9th grade, but was fairly chunky up until then. 2. He might not have been as good at basketball as he thought -- but who knows, since he sat on the bench, like most token black players at elite private schools where they don't want conservative alumni donors to be offended by black players. 3. The first kid he met in school was not new to the school, but his grandpa misunderstood what I said -- I was new to that building, Cooke Hall, not new to the school -- but he remembers everything else, dental headgear and all, better than I did. I do not recall any of the Superman and other superhero drawings he alleges to have done in Indonesia (and he didn't read any of his Kindergarten essays to us)! 4. He was not unpopular, but it's true that Asian American girls were not about to date the black kid. 5. His racial situation in Hawaii was more like Asian Americans in the Midwest -- rare, third-party, odd-man-out. The real racial lines in Honolulu in the 1970's were between Asians, Whites, Polynesians, and Mixed (mixed race people occupying the highest social rung). Probably he sat back and observed a lot and reflected on it. 6. His substance-trying was maybe more like Jose Canseco and Hawkeye on MASH, and less like George W. Bush and Bill Clinton -- For Obama, a macho-athlete or escape-from-ennui teenage boy thing, not a privileged-party-animal (Bush) or cool-hippie-culture (Clinton) thing. 7. Geez, he's a Harvard Law man, not a Harvard man for Xrissakes -- our class sent three Japanese gals (Yajima, Okada, Kaito), and two math nerds (Selinger and myself) to Harvard. Don't mistake the two! -- he was riding crowded subways in NYC at Columbia while we were learning we wanted to wear preppy clothes (who knew?). I did write to him in 1990 to say "You have become the real Harvard man in our class" meaning that he had already done more than we would, by 1990. 8. He may have thought he was a bit of a bad boy in high school, but a lot of people also thought he was our All-American and are not surprised to see him where he is now. I can't think of a 9 or 10. Besides 1-8, I can think of no other inaccuracy in the slightest -- His memoir, his insight, his recollections, his intelligence, his decency, his generosity, his optimism, his self-sacrifice, his concern for ordinary folks, his achievement, his abilities, his eloquence, his charm, his Christianity, his non-Muslimness and worldly advanced secular humanism and atheism in high school, his patriotism, our patriotism at Punahou where the school overlooks Pearl Harbor and the National Cemetery of the Pacific, his dedication to his family, his legislative genius, his effectiveness, his sympathy, his energy, his command, his understanding of the Constitution, his leadership: all of this is as authentic and genuine and properly represented as I can possibly vouch for.

And I apologize for my criticism.

Take that, Bob Kerrey and Whatever-your-first-name-is-Shaheen.

What a sleaze! Kerrey knew exactly what he was saying, and was no-doubt put up to it by Clinton's handlers. What little inclination I had to vote for Clinton, should she get the nomination, has been rapidly vanishing.

Hopefully people will tire of the Clinton style of politics and finally provide them both retirement from pulic office.