Posted on 02/26/2008 8:47:04 AM PST by fweingart
(2006 photo of Sen. Barack Obama in traditional Somali garb is at the center of a new political controversy.)
The Democratic White House race detoured into name-calling and accusations of "fear-mongering" Monday as Hillary Clinton scrambled to save her teetering campaign from annihilation.
The increasingly bitter duel for the nomination in advance of tonight's final debate went nuclear over a picture of Barack Obama dressed in traditional African garments making the rounds on the Internet.
Obama's team accused a "shameful" Camp Clinton of circulating the photo of Obama dressed as a Somali elder, taken during a visit to Africa in 2006. Obama has been dogged by false rumors that he is Muslim.
The photo flap was the flash point in a bitter day of campaigning that also included:
Clinton blasting Obama as a reckless foreign policy lightweight." He wavers from seeming to believe that mediation and meetings without preconditions can solve some of the world's most intractable problems to advocating rash, unilateral military action," Clinton charged. The two campaigns trading blows over the North American Free Trade Agreement. The policy has wiped out manufacturing jobs in Ohio, which votes along with Texas on March 4. Clinton is hanging her White House hopes on winning both states. Complaints from Clinton's camp that the press is too tough on her. "Every time the Obama campaign [has] attacked Sen. Clinton in the worst kind of personal ways ... the press has largely applauded him," said her top spokesman, Howard Wolfson. A new CNN poll showing Clinton's once-commanding lead has evaporated. Obama now bests her in the Lone Star State, 50% to 46%. Bill Clinton has admitted his wife's campaign is toast if she loses either Texas or Ohio. Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, Monday accused Camp Clinton of stooping to a new low in an increasingly desperate attempt to keep her campaign upright by circulating the photo.
"On the very day that Sen. Clinton is giving a speech about restoring respect for America in the world, her campaign has engaged in the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we've seen from either party in this election," Plouffe said.
"It's exactly the kind of divisive politics that turns away Americans of all parties and diminishes respect for America in the world," he added.
"I know nothing about it," Clinton told an ABC affiliate in Texas. "This is in the public domain. But let's just stop and ask yourself: ‘Why are you — why is anybody concerned about this?'"
Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams said, "If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed."
Williams noted Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited.
Asked if anyone in the campaign circulated the photo, Wolfson said, "No, not to my knowledge.
"Obviously, the campaign didn't sanction it and I don't know anything about it," he insisted.
The photo first appeared on the Drudge Report political Web site with a story about an e-mail purportedly from a campaign staffer saying, "Wouldn't we be seeing this [photo] on the cover of every magazine if it were [Clinton]?"
Clinton and Obama will square off today for the final time in Cleveland at 9 p.m. on MSNBC. It's her last face-to-face chance to stagger the steamrolling Obama.
Wonder what he'll wear in the oval orifice?
We'll surely lose the War on Terror with this bozo. Same goes for the other DemocRAT bozo and her bozo husband.
I'm a Helper.
It's what I do.
“We’ll surely lose the War on Terror with this bozo. Same goes for the other DemocRAT bozo and her bozo husband.”
The war on terror will be won by Obama’s side, which ain’t the US.
Damn sure won't be an American Flag lapel pin.
Will he remove the American Flags from The Oval Office too?
For Hillary to bring it up as some kind of anti-Moslem slur is quite telling. Now she knows how effective the multiculture curriculum has been. Priceless.
I wonder if the teachers of this curriculum around Ohio and Texas are shocked at Hillary's bigotry?
Pleeeze. His name is Barry. His last name is being changed from Obama to Alibama.
Shameful? Let's see, if he hadn't been wearing the garb and photographed in it, the photo couldn't be circulated, so who's to blame for this mess. The only shameful one I see here(outside of the usual Clinton embarassment)is Obama, trying to pretend a legitimate photo simply isn't true. It is a factual photo, and well within the slimball tactics utilized by most politicians.
Does my heart good to see the dems torn apart, especially after all the BS about how conservatism is dead and the republican party is divided!
Need an old fashion duel, with paper guns of course.
Is the photo fake or something?
Ref post #10.
I agree with you all the way.
Further, this is why he is not going to be able to squirm out of this Rezko scandal that is growing legs more and more every day.
By the way, Hillary, how is Danny Williams doing? I wish Danny well. Do you still have Danny and his mother hiding in Australia as reported several years ago? Why don’t you and Bill bring him out of hiding to prove you and Bill aren’t racists?
Why is Obama all hot and bothered about this photo? Just a shot in the dark here but maybe he thinks it’s to overboard for voters to handle. I mean it’s a far cry from his three piece suits and ties image during his hope and change tours....
Truthfully....it looks like he’s wrapped up in toilet paper. (No disrespect to any African village.)
Do you believe it is alright to eat pork?
“Do you believe it is alright to eat pork?”
No need to ask. Feed him ham and see what happens.
I hope they bloody each other up good. With Nadder now in the race, the Dems have to deal with their fanatical environmental base shifting their votes to the Greens. The Reagan democrats are in play because of a liberal McCain. That leaves either Hillary or Obama very short come the general election! GOP will retain White House.
If they keep quoting these guys over there it’s only going to get worth.
You can’t throw a rock without hitting someone named Mohammed.
for people living anywhere other than the Castro Street District I meant to write ‘worse’ not worth.
That gentleman's name, according to Drudge, is Mohammed Hassan...Who, and what, is this Mohammed Hassan?
There is a Mohammed Hassan who has written anti-U.S. analysis in regard to the Somalia conflict and who is also a member of the communist party...Is this the same Hassan, or a diiferent one? Does anyone know?
Obama and what he stands for....anti-Americanism....isn't worth even the leftist voters in this country taking a chance.
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