Clinton Kicks Into Desperation Mode

[toasty]

As she promised to do, Hilary Clinton is ramping up her criticism of Barack Obama, who has recently overtaken her in Iowa. She's doing this, in part, by attacking an essay he wrote -- as a kindergartner:

That would seem to be the case with the renewed effort by Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign to dirty up Sen. Barack Obama by accusing him of wanting to be president ever since he was just out of the womb and not being honest about it. The Clinton campaign issued a press release Sunday that included this:

In third grade, Senator Obama wrote an essay titled 'I Want To Be a President.' His third grade teacher: Fermina Katarina Sinaga "asked her class to write an essay titled 'My dream: What I want to be in the future.' Senator Obama wrote 'I want to be a President,' she said." [The Los Angeles Times, 3/15/07]

In kindergarten, Senator Obama wrote an essay titled 'I Want to Become President.’ "Iis Darmawan, 63, Senator Obama's kindergarten teacher, remembers him as an exceptionally tall and curly haired child who quickly picked up the local language and had sharp math skills. He wrote an essay titled, 'I Want To Become President,' the teacher said." [AP, 1/25/07 ]

Yes, you can believe your eyes. The Clinton people are citing a kindergarten essay by Obama as evidence against him in a presidential campaign. Good thing he was born before widespread pre-natal ultrasounds. Who knows how they might've used that against him?

http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2007/12/the_clinton_pot_calls_the_obam.html

OK, so it's not like she's done for, and even though he's leading in Iowa, he's still got plenty of work ahead of him. This is pretty ticky-tack, though, and it makes it clear that she's not feeling as "inevitable" as she was about a month ago...

[Jenks]

Re: Clinton Kicks Into Desperation Mode

and if ^thats' all the dirt she's got on him...she's in big trouble.

[AntonyM]

Re: Clinton Kicks Into Desperation Mode

Remember Howard Dean
looked good at first too......

[Jenks]

Re: Clinton Kicks Into Desperation Mode

i don't see obama going the YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHOOOOOWWWW!!!!! AAAAARRRGGGHHHYYEEAHHHH!!! route.

[toasty]

Re: Clinton Kicks Into Desperation Mode

In an intriguing tangent to this story, Obama's diaries from his kindergarten years have been located. Take a look-see:

http://www.236.com/blog/w/jason_daley/the_dookiedook_diaries_2705.php

[thesightless]

Re: Clinton Kicks Into Desperation Mode

god i hope she gets a terminal disease right now. that cunt is sick.

[subterFUSE]

Re: Clinton Kicks Into Desperation Mode

I don't have a problem with a woman being president. But she needs to have been laid at least once in the past 25 years.

[Jenks]

Re: Clinton Kicks Into Desperation Mode

god i hope she gets a terminal disease right now. that cunt is sick.

jesus, sean.

[tiddles]

Re: Clinton Kicks Into Desperation Mode

http://hillaryclintonquestions.ytmnd.com/

[toasty]

Re: Clinton Kicks Into Desperation Mode

The hits continue as Hillary continues what is looking more and more like a downward spiral. I thought this was a bit incredulous:

DOVER, N.H. -- Billy Shaheen, the co-chairman of Hillary Clinton's campaign in New Hampshire, raised the issue of Sen. Barack Obama's past admissions of drug use in discussing the relative electability of the Democrats seeking the presidential nomination today.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2007/12/12/post_235.html

Notwithstanding this whole "Well, we don't care, but republicans and independents might" spin they are using, this is a pretty transparent direct attack from the Clinton camp on Obama for having used drugs earlier in life. Uh, lemme see -- your husband admitted to experimenting with pot, and he still got elected twice. Although he hasn't come right out and said it, I think most everyone recognizes that Bush has done a line or two in his day, most likely off a stripper's ass, and he was elected twice as well. Hell, Bush governed like he was actually high on the job, and he still got reelected.

Whether you're talking about sports, celebrities, politicians, whatever, Americans are willing to forgive a lot if you are just open about it. Obama has never hidden his past drug use, and I can't see this getting a lot of traction now or in the general election. Hell, I bet there are a lot of people out there that would prefer that their president have at least held a joint in their hand at one point or another, because most people have done that themselves at some point in their life, even if only to try it. Remember those holier-than-thou folks that never stepped out of line? Is that who you want representing you? Not me. They get my "Person I Would Most Like to See on the Receiving End of an Atomic Wedgie" vote well before "Person I Would Like to Be President."

[Jenks]

Re: Clinton Kicks Into Desperation Mode

Even Guilianni commended Obama for his honesty in his past drug use. i'll have to dig up the article or interview i heard, but a reporter asked Rudy about Obama coming clean about his drug use...and rudy said something along the lines of: (and i'm paraphrasing) "the day there is a candidate that hasn't made a mistake in his life, that's the guy you don't vote for."

[toasty]

Re: Clinton Kicks Into Desperation Mode

Well, notwithstanding that the person who made the comment was Hillary's NH campaign co-chair, the Cliton camp is going out of its way to distance itself from this comment:

The comments were immediately called "desperate" by Obama's campaign. Meanwhile, Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said "the comments were not authorized or condoned by the campaign in any way."

Shaheen himself subsequently offered an apology for his comment.

Shaheen issued the following statement Wednesday night: "I deeply regret the comments I made today and they were not authorized by the campaign in any way."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/12/13/clinton-official-says-obamas-past-drug-use-could-hurt-him/

After running a pretty solid campaign for almost the entire primary cycle, the last month and a half has been characterized by misstep after misstep by the Clinton campaign. Starting with a pretty bad debate performance at the end of October in Philly, it's been all downhill for her. I think Obama is making the right moves, but if I'm being totally objective about it, I think his rise is at least partially due to gifts from Clinton.