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by Jill Zuckman, updated at 9:37 pm with Shaheen apology
On the same day that Sen. Hillary Clinton discovered that she had lost her lead in New Hampshire, one of her chief supporters questioned whether Sen. Barack Obama could win a general election because of his past marijuana and cocaine use.
More than six hours after his words became public, Bill Shaheen, Clinton's New Hampshire co-chair, issued an apology: "I deeply regret the comments I made today and they were not authorized by the campaign in any way," he said in a statement sent out by the campaign.
Nevertheless, the questions raised by Shaheen substantially upped the ante in the ongoing back-and-forth between the two campaigns over which candidate is less electable in a general election.
Shaheen told The Washington Post that Republicans would jump on Obama's "drug use" and said it would lead to more questions. "It'll be, 'When was the last time? Did you ever give drugs to anyone? Did you sell them to anyone?'" Shaheen said. "There are so many openings for Republican dirty tricks. It's hard to overcome."
Obama's campaign manager descried the salvo as borne of desperation.
"Hillary Clinton said attacking other Democrats is the 'fun part' of this campaign, and now she's moved from Barack Obama's kindergarten years to his teenage years in an increasingly desperate effort to slow her slide in the polls," said David Plouffe.
"Sen. Clinton's campaign is recycling old news that Barack Obama has been candid about in a book he wrote years ago, and he's talked about the lessons he's learned from these mistakes with young people all across the country," Plouffe said. "He plans on winning this campaign by focusing on the issues that actually matter to the American people."
But a source close to the Clinton campaign said Clinton staffers knew nothing of his comments until they had been posted on the Internet. Shaheen, a garrulous and experienced politico, helped lead the New Hampshire campaigns for Sen. John Kerry in 2004 and Vice President Al Gore in 2000. He is married to the former governor, Jeanne Shaheen, who is now running for the Senate.
"Senator Clinton is out every day talking about the issues that matter to the American people. These comments were not authorized or condoned by the campaign in any way,'' said Clinton spokeswoman Kathleen Strand.
Both Obama and Sen. John Edwards have been hammering Clinton for months, suggesting that she is so polarizing that she can never win in swing states where independent voters are crucial. The Clinton campaign recently began responding in kind, criticizing Obama for shifting positions over the year and holding views that are too liberal for a general election audience.
Up until Wednesday, most of those criticisms have been relatively tepid. During a conference call with reporters Tuesday, four elected officials who are supporting Clinton strenuously avoided mentioning Obama by name as they lobbed indirect criticisms of his record.
On Wednesday, a CNN/WMUR poll showed that the Democratic race in New Hampshire is dead even at 31-30, with Clinton up one point over Obama.
Comments
While I once thought to vote for Hillary, I am having second thoughts based on the dirty tactics,mudslinging that her campaign people seemed to be intent on using. I think Hillary needs to rethink who she has representing her best interests. No, level-headed, ethical Democrat constituent is going to find her methods palatable, and ultimately decide that these methods may be a prelude to the kind of cut-throat President she may become because of the ill-advice of her campaign people. She needs to draw the line between malicious attacks and the person's ability to fulfill the role of President. Keep the dirt where it belongs, currently with the Republican party - Foley, Craig, Rove, Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Libby, DeLay, Black Water, Halliburton, etc. etc. God knows there is a lot of dirt out there in the current administration for her to address.
It would behoove Hillary to stop attacking her fellow Democrats and address the "dirt" of the Republican party and realize that she needs to become the remedy not another facsimile of the GOP.
Posted by: the truth | December 12, 2007 7:01 PM
Yawwwwwnnnnnnn. So what else is new? She may one day say that he snorted coke in the same crack house as Big Bill, who, of course, didn't inhale.
But then Big Bill did it before during the wild days of the 60's when everybody who was anybody "experimented." Now is it possible that Hillary, uh, experimented? Someone should ask her to come clean. Then maybe we can have a great big, wholesale, confessional with everybody coming out of the closet.
Posted by: GW | December 12, 2007 7:07 PM
What a pathetic clinton joke.
She sends a pawn out to fly this test balloon in public then tries to distance herself after it looks hypocritical and foolish based on her own husbands behavior.
Posted by: laughing liberal | December 12, 2007 7:12 PM
I am so gald OBAMA confessed in his 1st book that he just did'nt inhale and gave us hope in his second book. Maybe, if more people would read they would know this old news. Maybe Hillary should just withdraw and run with Obama as a VP while she is still viable, she's not a bad person she just had a lousy husband, who loved the action in the White House and wants to go back as the First Man!
Posted by: Jimmie L. | December 12, 2007 8:02 PM
One month ago Hillary declares she will only attack republicans.
Two weeks ago she attacked Obama for being ambitious quoting a kindergarten essay.
Last week his healthcare plan was too conservative two days later "his liberal views could haunt him".
Yesterday he was unelectable and today that he will be attacked a drug pusher.
Politics as usual anyone?
Posted by: yiannis | December 12, 2007 8:03 PM
Off Topic,
The Republican debate with Illinois' own Alan Keyes was a fun trip down memory lane.
I feel confident RNC Bruce and the kids will jump on on one of Illinois' own.
Good times!
Posted by: Doug Zook | December 12, 2007 8:05 PM
Hillary's desperation reveals her true colors. She is not a leader.
Posted by: jdr | December 12, 2007 8:24 PM
A member of the Clinton support team asserts that being honest is a problem.
Need I say more?!!
Posted by: E.J. Butler | December 12, 2007 8:28 PM
Hillary's got a tough job. Not only does the right hate her, so do a lot of democrats.
Obama and Edwards have been doing the work of the GOP in attacking Hillary, but once Hillary defends herself, she's called a dirty trickster.
Posted by: Bruce Y | December 12, 2007 9:09 PM
Yes, the Clinton Machine is desperate.
They see the blood in the water, and know that is their own. Yet, there is little they can do.
Hillary is just not that likable. She gets more unlikable the more people see her, especially when she is desperate.
As people realize she actually does the least well against republican candidates, the false impression she has created will fade.
According to CNN, Edwards is the most electable. It makes sense, as Obama and Hillary will experience gender and racial discrimination.
Posted by: Oscar | December 12, 2007 9:32 PM
I wouldn't say that bluntly calling Obama "irresponsible and naive" should be considered "relatively tepid" criticism. Edwards and Obama have consistently pointed out differences in policy; Only Clinton has made it personal. Clinton's lame defense that she is only defending herself from the "mudslinging" of other candidates is entirely unjustified, and in no way explains this latest round of BS from her. But of course, whenever an aide or volunteer makes such a statement or forwards an e-mail, or plants a question, she never knows anything about it. Sure.
Posted by: Amy | December 12, 2007 9:37 PM
Doug, take a chill pill. Your candidate, the Queen B, is going down in flames. Keyes has just become a gadfly.
Posted by: John D | December 12, 2007 10:53 PM
"SIT DOWN MY SON, UNTIL YOU CAN GRAB ALL THE PEBBLES FROM THE MAN, YOU ARE NOT READY"
SIR OBAMA, DR, OBAMA, MR. OBAMA, YOU NEED TO LEAVE HER ALONE!
BECAUSE TODAY CHERTOF SAID THAT DUE TO THE "organzational churn" in your walls that is the only reason he hasn't been able to "CONSOLIDATE YOUR OVERSIGHT."
SO IF YOU DON'T WIN, YOU WILL NEVER BE HEARD OF AGAIN!
ENEMY BLACK AFRICAN, AMERICAN, DECENT MANKIND WHO CAN FOIL MY CONSTITUTIONAL CONSOLIDATION OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE JIM WEST OF THE WILD WILD WEST.
WHO CAME BEFORE THE CHICKEN? NO HIS MOM! STOP BELIEVING THE HYPE! MR OBAMA.
BUT I LOVE YOU OPRAH, TRUST ME YOU ARE OPRAH, AND I LOVE LOVE YOU OPRAH!
Posted by: Roger Morris | December 12, 2007 11:18 PM
I have always supported Bill Clinton through thick and thin. I even defended him during his impeachment trial by writing letters to the editors in his defense which were published by the Dallas Morning News, the Washington Post, the New-York Times and the Wall Street Journal. But this is it. I will never vote for Hillary Clinton. If she runs against Mc Cain, I will vote Mc Cain who I supported in the past against Bush. However, I never thought possible for me not to support a Democrat in this general election, but today her campaign went too far. This is an issue of integrity. For me, they crossed the red line with no hope of redemption.
Posted by: Dossevi Trenou | December 12, 2007 11:27 PM
These tactics are so thoroughly orchestrated by hired political analysts, they're humorous. People in the "Hillary camp" made allegations and then apologized for it. That's like a judge telling a jury to ignore the previous testamony. That just makes them think about it more.
Maybe this is the part of the strategy where they build peoples' sympathy for Hillary. Maybe that little tear will affect them in the voting booth. LMAO
Posted by: Giraffe | December 13, 2007 4:42 AM
Off Topic,
The Republican debate with Illinois' own Alan Keyes was a fun trip down memory lane.
I feel confident RNC Bruce and the kids will jump on on one of Illinois' own.
Good times!
Posted by: Doug Zook | December 12, 2007 8:05 PM
How about Fred (I won't raise my hand) Thompson.
Hillary is making one bad move after another. I understand she's doubled her ad buy in Iowa with spots that project a warmer Hillary. Watch out for Edwards in Iowa.
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | December 13, 2007 7:25 AM
Logic, on occasion you show a desire to be a thinking individual. Do you not think raising one's hand at a debate is ridiculous? Somehow I do not think Lincoln and Douglas raised their hands to answer a question. If the issue is important enough to ask the candidates, then let them speak. Let them debate, let them discuss, let them spin. But don't ask them to raise their hands in a yes or no. We're electing the president of the U.S., not the president of the classroom.
Posted by: John D | December 13, 2007 9:05 AM
This is outrageous; Shaheen has, in a back door way, just accused Barack Obama of being a drug dealer. This is overt racism. The Clinton camp did the right thing by firing the two campaign workers in Iowa for sending the false e-mail about Obama being a Muslim plant, they should show Shaheen the door today.
Posted by: Dave, Evergreen CO | December 13, 2007 9:24 AM
Do you not think raising one's hand at a debate is ridiculous?
Ofcourse not! Should the question be torture he'd be raising both hands and a foot! Anyone who would refuse on the grounds that it is a serious issue that needs to be debated would be called a bloodlusty traitor to the American people who wants to eat innocent Americans for dinner.
Posted by: magic hangs | December 13, 2007 10:13 AM
"Logic, on occasion you show a desire to be a thinking individual."
We're electing the president of the U.S., not the president of the classroom.
Posted by: John D | December 13, 2007 9:05 AM
The apocalypse is near. Yes John I agree with you. I thought it was funny. I thought Fred came off pretty well yesterday.
Thanks for the backhanded compliment. p.s. I still think your a nut job.
Merry Christmahanakwanzaka
In his original article, "Fascism Anyone?", Laurence Britt compared the regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet and identified 14 characteristics common to those fascist regimes. This page is a collection of news articles dating from the start of the Bush presidency divided into topics relating to each of the 14 points of fascism. Further analysis of American Fascism done by the POAC can be read here.
http://www.oldamericancentury.org/14pts.htm
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | December 13, 2007 12:27 PM