The Mistress of the "politics of personal destruction" can't seem to help herself!
With the Norman Hsu/Chinese funny money
fundraising scandal as a backdrop, I visited Little Rock, Arkansas in September to
retrace the steps of other Clinton scandals, particularly with an eye to Hillary's participation in them.
What I learned was that Hillary's fingerprints were all over the misdeeds that ran all the way to the White House. No wonder she hasn't wanted anyone to see many of her records in the Clinton Liebrary.
Hillary's "experience" with campaigning has also drawn a fair amount of attention in the past few weeks. Voter's across the country are reminded that this was the woman who said that any criticism of her or her husband Bill, or any attempt to hold them accountable to the same standard they daily demand of others was an example of "the politics of personal destruction."
And yet, when it comes to the slime ball politics of personal destruction, no one does it better than Hillary.
Anatomy of a Clinton Smear
Here's the modus operandi for the Clinton attacks. The candidate herself is not the one seen to be doing the sliming. A second or third tier campaign advisor does the deed and is prepared to fall on his or her sword and resign after making an apology that also restates the original smear.
Obama A Drug Dealer?
The best illustration of the Clinton "experience" in this brand of slime politics is raising questions about Obama's admitted drug use. In New Hampshire, Bill Shaheen, husband of the current Governor, himself a candidate for U.S. Senate and a National Co-Chair for Hillary's campaign raised questions with a subliminal racist undertone by
wondering whether Obama sold drugs. All the while insisting that his comment was not an attack, but that the
Republicans would be making it an issue if Obama was the nominee!
Oh those wrascally Wepublicans! They made him do it!
The comment made the earlier Hillary campaign questions about Obama's essay in Kindergarten (in INDONESIA, a largely Muslim nation...) seem mild by comparison. Hillary rushed to apologize to Obama personally and her campaign put out
this statement: "Senator Clinton personally apologized to Senator Obama this morning, and reiterated that
this was not anything that came from the campaign or that we condone," Clinton's New Hampshire spokeswoman Kathleen Strand said in a statement.
And yet, that same day, Hillary's Chief Strategist Mark Penn was on the MSNBC show Hardball and again referenced the charge by using the word "cocaine" twice. Here's a
short clip of that video.
And even now, Media Matters, the left wing media attack machine which Hillary Clinton
claims to have started, is keeping the story alive with a
Friday post on what is now an eight day old story.
If this wasn't such a nasty, racist smear we might almost admire the artful way in which the deed was done and the story given new life so that more and more voters will be wondering: "Did Obama deal drugs? Was he a Coke Head?"
What's next? Remember the
Bob Novak November column that said Hillary's campaign is sitting on "scandalous" information but wouldn't release it? Will someone in Hillary's camp now leak it that Obama is currently still using drugs? Who knows.
Former Senator Bob Kerrey Endorses Hillary, Admires B. HUSSEIN Obama's Muslim Heritage
Earlier this month, not
one, but
two workers on Hillary's Iowa campaign were fired after sending out emails suggesting that Obama might be a Muslim and wondering if he was some sort of "Manchurian candidate" for Muslims.
Next, we get the
campaign statement:
"There is no place in our campaign, or any campaign, for this kind of politics," Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle said in a statement Wednesday. "A volunteer county coordinator made the mistake of forwarding an outrageous and offensive chain e-mail. This was
wholly unauthorized and we were totally unaware of it."
Just this past week, former Senator Bob Kerrey (a member of the 9/11 Commission) endorsed Hillary Clinton, but went out of his way to praise Obama's Muslim heritage and repeatedly used Obama's middle name which is Hussein (same as in Saddam Hussein).
"His name is Barack Hussein Obama," said Kerrey. I know that middle name is seen as a weakness by Republicans, but I don't think it is.
Again with the Republicans. See a pattern here?
Hard to deny that such tactics are not fully authorized by the campaign when the candidate is standing next to you as you dish the dirt!
As with previous slimes, the
the apology is the next step. Then,
Kerrey went on televison and not only repeated what he said but also added that Obama attended a Muslim madrassa in Indonesia and repeated the Iowa line about an
“Islamic Manchurian candidate” .
When it Comes to Slime, Edwards Gets a Dose Too!In this same week, Elizabeth Edwards, wife of candidate John Edwards and herself terminally ill,
said: "Republicans should scare us in a lot of ways." Perhaps she ought to worry a bit more about what the Clinton slime machine has in store for her and her husband if John Edwards starts to advance in the polls.
The Clinton slime machine effort regarding Edwards was cartoonish. Using the National Enquirer which is
owned in part by Clinton backer Robert Altman, who worked in the first Clinton Administration and is hoping to be Treasury Secretary in a Hillary Administration.
The
Enquirer story on Edwards was the usual sort of trailer trash gossip that might appeal to many Dem voters.
No apology this time. Just wait your turn John Edwards. The "experienced" Clintonistas will get to you when the time comes.
