ABC: Obama flip flops on Drudge photo

[ruggerson]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/03/obama-f...

Obama Flips on Whether Clinton Leaked that Photo

March 11, 2008

Obama: "I take Senator Clinton at her word that she knew nothing about the photo. So I think that's something that we can set aside."

- Cleveland debate, February 26, 2008

Obama: "When in the midst of a campaign you decide to throw the kitchen sink at your opponent because you're behind, and you start, your campaign starts leaking photos of me when I'm traveling overseas wearing native clothes of those folks, to make people afraid, then you run an ad talking about who's going to answer the phone at three in the morning, an ad straight out of the Republican playbook, that's not real change. That's not real change. That's the same old thing."

-- Jackson, Mississippi, March 10, 2008

[Birthmark]

1. You know, the new politics of "change"

...looks an awful lot like the politics that I've been seeing since the 1980s.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

meet the new boss same as the old boss...Obama pulled the same shit in IL

[Birthmark]

39. That doesn't surprise me.

It doesn't make him a bad person or even a bad candidate. Pretty typical, imo.

[jackson_dem]

73. The problem is he claims to be atypical and a saint

[Birthmark]

87. Oh, that's just a selling point.

[krkaufman]

81. Or maybe Obama's just coming around with the rest of America ...

... as Hillary Clinton makes a fool of herself, so very publicly.

[WillyT]

2. LOL !!! - He's Flip-Flopped On Taking Hillary At Her Word ???

I'd say that's very good and sound judgment.

[Skidmore]

36. Yes, indeed. Very good judgment.

You give Hillary an inch and she'll take a mile and lie all the way.

[Coexist]

77. a play on words!

[krkaufman]

80. Exactly!! She's flip-flopping on the reality of her campaign's VP talk ...

... she's flip-flopping on earlier agreements on FL & MI delegates,
... she obfuscates and qualifies her comments on Obama's Christianity,


... so Obama's learned that Clinton's word isn't to be taken seriously, and he understands that her protestations of innocence mean nothing.

[XemaSab]

85. *snap*

[Tarc]

3. Meet the new boss

Same as the old boss.

[ruggerson]

8. bbbbbut

it's the "new politics."

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

35. Wasn't Your God Supposed To Be Above Lies?

[ruggerson]

37. talk to Jake Tapper/ABC

btw, would you like to provide us with proof the photo came from the Clinton camp?

[elixir]

44. Churning up the ol' chum bucket. Here...Rezko, "present", flipflop on war...that should hold you.

[quantass]

4. Uuugh, maybe he found new evidence to support that the Photos came from her days later.

This post is pointless.

[jackson_dem]

74. If he had such evidence it would have "leaked" to the press a long time ago...

[snappyturtle]

75. Ditto. n/t

[bluestateguy]

5. Gee big scandal

I have yet to see Hillary make any efforts to find that leaker in her campaign. She may not have known about it, but I don't sense that she was bothered by it being leaked. She should conduct a top to bottom review of her whole campaign, a full investigation, to find the leaker.

[WDIM]

6. Thats not a "flip flop" (nice use of neo-con terminology)

He says he takes "Senator Clinton at her word that SHE knew nothing about the photo."

Then the second quote "your CAMPAIGN starts leaking photos of me"

Candidates do not know everything that is going on in their massive campaigns.

There is nothing "flip flop" about it. But it shows how pathetic our system is when Democrats start using Neo-Con jargon to bring down other democrats. Rove is very proud of you!

[ccpup]

11. flip flop didn't come from Hillary

it came from ABC. But nice way to smear Hillary with your Rove Brush while missing the fact that she didn't write the headline.

edited to correct AP to ABC

[WDIM]

16. No the original poster used "flip flop"

The article just says "flips"
I was talking to the original poster using right wing jargon.

[ccpup]

32. gotcha

I still struggle using my English to Right Wing Jargon dictionary.

[berni_mccoy]

18. "As far as [you] know"

[ruggerson]

15. Talk to ABC

and explain how "that's something we can set aside" becomes that's something we'll use in Jackson, Mississippi even though we have no proof it ever happened.

[ccpup]

7. "of those folks"

If Hillary (or anyone on DU) had said "native clothes of those folks", she (and they) would be attacked mercilessly as racist.

Of course the charge would be b.s., but the Obama Supporters would be Up In Arms over it! Repeatedly!

[jefferson_dem]

9. Where's the flip-flop?

On February 26, Obama said he believed that Hillary knew nothing about the photo.

On March 10, Obama suggested that her "campaign" leaked the photo.

Especially given how poorly Hillary has managed her campaign this season, it's perfectly understandable that she would not know what her henchmen were up to.

[ruggerson]

20. "that's something we can set aside"

for two weeks. Until we pick it up again.

Btw, where's the proof the Clinton campaign leaked it? The only person who has claimed they did is Drudge, who never provided any proof at all.

Noone else has ever corroborated it. Ever.

So Obama now takes Drudge at his word?

[Arkansas Granny]

29. The fact that none of Drudge's story has been proved has come up before

and has never been answered. The motives of the RW shill who accused Hillary's campaign have never been questioned. The fact that the picture had already been distributed in a supermarket tabloid was discounted. All of a sudden Drudge is considered a credible source of information about a Democratic candidate. It defies all explanation.

[ruggerson]

31. They can't answer it. There's no proof. It's just an unsubstantiated bit of slander

which the "new politics" candidate is now using in his stump speech. Two weeks after he said on national television he wanted to "set it aside."

[rodeodance]

46. BO believe that slimeball Drudge!!--BO is now part of the RW slime machine.

[Swamp Rat]

53. "stop spreading dangerous concocted rumor you just made up please."

You drew first blood.

[rodeodance]

57. Its BO making the Statements!!---Drudge has NEVER produced the email!!

[underpants]

10. Tapper is an inside DC MSM whore

Never take anything he says seriously.

[Abacus]

12. He never said that her campaign wasn't involved,

just that he trusted that she did not know anything about it. As I said in another post, the statements are not mutually exclusive.

[rodeodance]

41. "I take Sen. Clinton at her word that she knows nothing about the photo," he said.

Clinton denied any knowledge of the photo coming from one of her staff.

"So far as I know, it did not," she said. "That's not the kind of behavior that I condone or expect from the people working in my campaign."

Obama, a senator from Illinois, said he believes her.

"I take Sen. Clinton at her word that she knows nothing about the photo," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/26/dems.debate /

[debatepro]

65. Good point

That "she knew nothing about the photo." and someone from her campaign leaked the photo to drudge are not a controdiction.

[rodeodance]

83. "So I think that's something that we can set aside." said BO. But he LIED

[berni_mccoy]

13. "CLINTON VAGUE ABOUT CONTROVERSIAL OBAMA PHOTO"

http://wcbstv.com/campaign08/barack.obama.hillary.2.662...

CLINTON CAMP HAS NEVER DENIED USING THE PHOTO, even when directly asked.

Clinton, who has worn native dress herself, like during a trip to Jordan in 1999, responded through a campaign manager Maggie Williams.

"If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing Somali dress is divisive, they should be ashamed," Williams said.

Team Clinton never actually admitted they had anything to do with the photo but …

"No, no … it's unlikely that it came up by accident," political expert David Birdsell said.

And it could end up backfiring on Hillary.

[BeyondGeography]

14. Meet the new bullshit from ruggerson, same as the old bullshit

You are such a bore.

[berni_mccoy]

17. DING. DING. DING. We have a winner.

But the same applies to most of the Hillary posters here.

[ruggerson]

22. Obama playbook rule #1: attack the messenger whenever there is no other defense

I know you're frustrated. You have my sympathy. Truly.

[BeyondGeography]

26. You lead this board in substance-free irrelevancies

I know it sucks to be you. You have my sympathy. Truly.

[ruggerson]

28. I bow down to you in that regard

the crown prince of ad hom.

[krawhitham]

71. no defense? why does he need a defense?

For a photo of him wearing cloths of the people he was visiting. All politicians do it

[boston bean]

19. Well, before he blames her for this one, which is all over the RW blogosphere......

[rodeodance]

43. seems now BO=RW

[mckeown1128]

21. Hillary flip flops on MI... likes states where her opponets name isn't on the ballot

NHPR's Laura Knoy: "So, if you value the DNC calendar, why not just pull out of Michigan? Why not just say, Hey Michigan, I'm off the ballot?"

Hillary Clinton: "Well, you know, It's clear, this election they're having is not going to count for anything"

http://www.nhpr.org/node/13858


After elections where many stayed home because they were told that they weren't going to recieve any delegates...


Clinton told Smith that she had promised not to campaign in either state, and had kept her word – but that she had never said she would not ask for the results of those contests to be made official, a request her campaign made public on the eve of Florida’s January vote.


http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/02/22/clinton... /

[Windy]

30. States where the supers support her. If the state's delegates don't count the supers don't count

That is why she is so eager to have primaries now in MI and Florida!

Its about the supers. She may not win Michigan. I live her. Not a lot of Hillary love in this state. However, Granholm, Levin, Stabenow, Dingle et all are HRC supporters.

Its not about the people. Its about the supers.

[Zueda]

23. I read this as he believes Clinton herself knew nothing of this...

but someone in her campaign did. Which is what I happen to believe.

[ruggerson]

25. "that's something we can set aside"

until we use it two weeks later at a campaign rally?

[boobooday]

24. Flip Flop?

I think it is evidence that he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt until a pattern emerged.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

33. Not Sure Why He's Saying Stupid Stuff Like That, When There's No Reason To Believe She Had Anything

to do with it. Amazingly enough, his supporters here are defending it of course, even though he's using the same deceitful and dirty tactics she's accused of using.

Pretty sad to see him doing that, since he's supposed to be above using lies and all, but we obviously see that isn't true.

[rodeodance]

40. BO dis-hononed himself yesterday for the World to see: see this comment from him.

Clinton denied any knowledge of the photo coming from one of her staff.

"So far as I know, it did not," she said. "That's not the kind of behavior that I condone or expect from the people working in my campaign."

Obama, a senator from Illinois, said he believes her.

"I take Sen. Clinton at her word that she knows nothing about the photo," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/26/dems.debate /

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

48. I'm Actually Really Disappointed In Him For That. He's Supposed To Be Better Than That. He Isn't.

I hope she hits him back on his lies.

[rodeodance]

62. So, do I. He has proven with this incident (many more)--that he will play Racial politics!

[LoZoccolo]

34. Yeah nothing could have happened in twelve days to make him change his mind.

Especially since Hillary still won't deny it.

[rodeodance]

42. Clinton denied any knowledge of the photo coming from one of her staff.

Clinton denied any knowledge of the photo coming from one of her staff.

"So far as I know, it did not," she said. "That's not the kind of behavior that I condone or expect from the people working in my campaign."

Obama, a senator from Illinois, said he believes her.

"I take Sen. Clinton at her word that she knows nothing about the photo," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/26/dems.debate /

[rodeodance]

38. REC

[BigDDem]

45. Is there any proof that this came from Clinton's staff?

[Occam Bandage]

47. Flip-flop? I don't see any flip-flop there.

Sen. Clinton didn't know about the photo. Sen. Clinton's campaign did. Where's the disconnect?

[ruggerson]

50. "that's something we can set aside"

until we drag it out two weeks later at a campaign rally?

And, where's the proof of what Obama claims? Where's the proof it came from the Clinton camp? The only person who has claimed that is Drudge, who never provided any proof at all. It's never been corroborated by anyone ever.

So Obama is now using uncorroborated Matt Drudge=floated rumors in his campaign speeches?

[Occam Bandage]

51. You'll note that her campaign never denied any involvement with the leak.

(And you're angry Obama didn't "set it aside?" He offered to. Clinton continued to take the low road. He's firing back.)

[ruggerson]

52. where's the proof?

If a man running for president states something as fact, shouldn't there be proof other than taking Matt Drudge at his word?

And why the flip? Why is it something we'll "set aside" one week and then turn around and use it the next?

[Occam Bandage]

55. Silly.

When a campaign faces a high-profile rumor, they deny it if it's untrue, and talk around it if it's true. (If it's true and they outright deny it, Drudge releases the email and they look even worse.) Seriously, this whole story has been damaging to Clinton's campaign. You recognize that it has been damaging, because you're starting threads on it. So, if the story's false, isn't she an idiot for never denying it, despite multiple statements on the affair?

And the reason for "the flip" is obvious: he offered to set it aside. Clinton continued to play gutter politics. He's calling her on it.

[ruggerson]

56. you're giving me opinion

not fact or evidence. That's because there are no facts or evidence to reference. Personally, I think this has been far more damaging to Obama than Clinton, which is why I'm kind of puzzled he brought it up again.

[Occam Bandage]

67. "Personally, I think this has been far more damaging to Obama than Clinton"

Ahaha. Which is why Clinton supporters get frothy each time someone mentions it, right?

[joeybee12]

49. Oh, but, but, but, but....that's DIFFERENT...

...he can lie about this and lie about when he'll end the war, but that Kool-Aid is so powerful it doesn't matter to the True Believers.

[Perky]

54. There is a difference between attacking the campaign and attacking HRC in this instance

He can legitmately say He take Hillary at her word that she knew nothing about it but knocking her campaign for leaking it.

[rodeodance]

60. Same effect and BO knows it as do you. BO would not have brought it up if he

thought it had no negative effects on Clinton.

Get a grip

[elixir]

58. k

[ProSense]

59. "I take Senator Clinton at her word that she knew nothing about the photo." She's clueless, but that

doesn't mean her campaign didn't do it. Is she investigating?

[Barack_America]

61. Foolish. Those are totally consistent statements.

Looks like ABC is throwing logic aside in their quest for dirt.

Statement one: Obama is referring specifically to Hillary and what she knows. He doesn't believe that she was personally involved.

Statement two: Obama references Hillary's CAMPAIGN and what Drudge claims they did. Could Hillary's campaign have sent this photo without her knowledge? Absolutely.

[rodeodance]

63. Silly comment: BO has proved he will play the RACE card yesterday. He brought

up an issue that he knew would cause trouble.

your distinction sucks and you know it as he knew it.

He Dishonored himself yesterday and is in the sewer.

[Infinite Hope]

64. "When your CAMPAIGN starts leaking photos..." These quotes mesh just fine. n/t

[blogslut]

66. Well, it's not real change

Now, is it? It's more of the same old crap. And people are tired of it. It doesn't solve anything. It doesn't get anything done. It's divisive. It's cheap. It leaves also-rans lost in the limbo of history, forever saddled with ridiculous nicknames and slogans.

[NastyRiffraff]

68. I'd like to see the context of the 3/11 statement

Was he asked about it? Did he bring it up himself? I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt and think it was the former. If he brought it up himself, that's a very different story, and would show Obama as someone trying to dredge up an unproven Drudge story.

Either, way, the fact that this is even still being discussed (A Drudge story!!) is puzzling in itself. First, the photo wasn't "leaked." It had already been published by a tabloid and widely distributed. Second, Drudge, as usual, offered no proof that the Clinton campaign disseminated it in any way. Are we taking Drudge's word now?

[Straight Shooter]

69. The crux of the issue is that he waited two weeks before bringing this up again.

And he does it on the eve of an important election. In other words, it's a sucker punch.

Obama is within his rights to do it, but let's please get rid of the notion that he takes the ethical high road.

[krawhitham]

70. Maybe his team has gathered more intel

All I'm saying is maybe at the time he believed her, but now he has more info on the matter


Do HRC supporters really suggest that you can not change your mind after gathering more information

You know like voting for a WAR, do you really think she would vote that same way today

[Catherine Vincent]

72. So that's where the Obamanuts here get that "kitchen sink" talking point from.

Parrots!

[smiley_glad_hands]

76. Well Hill flip flops on being a democrat. eom

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

78. A lot of people have a hard time understanding satire.

But by know the satire in the first comment should be obvious to anybody who hasn't got his or her head shoved firmly up her ass.

[Not the Only One]

79. He probably has learned more about this since then

He probably has learned more about this since then that suggests he was giving Hillary too much credit in February.

[rodeodance]

82. Lame---. also you can bet it would be in press

[AX10]

84. Which makes Obama like any other...

politician. As a matter of fact, he is worse because he pretends to be better than all others even though he is just a political type like all the others.

[amborin]

86. Obama flip flops on Nafta, the Iraq war, Iraqui withdrawl, just about everything

except where he doesn't vote

or votes present

[Emillereid]

88. From February 26 to March 10 he probably realized that Hillary's dirty tactics

made it impossible not to believe the truth of her campaign's involvement.

[Dinger]

89. Can't Say Anything About This, So I'll Just Give A Simple K & R (nt)