Billy, Billy You Can Lose My Number
Ok, so Bill Shaheen, husband of former NH governor Jeanne Shaheen, apologized last night for telling The Washington Post that Barack Obama's past drug use should be a bigger issue in the campaign.
Today, Kathleen Strand, NH spokeswoman for Clinton, said the New York senator apologized directly to Obama this morning.
"Sen. Clinton personally apologized to Sen. Obama this morning, and reiterated that this was not anything that came from the campaign or that we condone," she told NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli.
But Obama's NH team isn't done using the gaffe to their favor. Martha Fuller Clark, Obama's state co-chair, said this morning that the episode is diverting attention from the critical matters of interest to voters.
"We're calling upon the Clinton campaign to return to discussing the real issues that are important to the voters of New Hampshire," she said. "That's what we want the campaign to do. We want them to have a positive campaign here in New Hampshire, not negative attacks."
But Ned Helms, the other Obama state co-chair, suggested Bill Shaheen's comments were no accident -- that they represent a pattern of smears executed by the Clinton camp.
"We heard that a week or so ago out in Iowa with the first person who was sending out emails," said Helms, former chairman of the state Democratic Party. "Then we heard it again last week in Iowa. And I think that's the same explanation we heard this week. I suppose you could say, well the first time, that's just what happened, and it's too bad. And then the second time that happened. But when you see a pattern of people making statements, and then there's the follow up statement that, 'Oh that wasn't authorized,' it doesn't take a genius to see that there's a thread going on here."
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. The Clinton's campaign made the comment deliberately and apology alone won't do.
It is a pattern and i expect them to do more of it. A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote wasted.
I give Hillary a lot of credit for calling Obama directly to apologize to him. If the situation had been reversed, Obama would have just blamed it on some anonymous staffer, like he usually does.
I'm glad that you do Corrine. I'm sure that's just what Hillary hoped you would do.
I think the point in the last paragraph of the article is the point of the article: When it happens over and over again, it's by design. This whole staffer plunges the dagger into the gut of your opponent whom you're playing nice with is one of the oldest tricks in the book.
In Her immediate response she can
a. choose to apologize publically if it looks like a gaffe (as in this case) or
b. step back and say 'hmmm, what about that... Y'now Barack really has some explaining to do' if it strikes a chord.
This is pure artifice and stupid on her part cause this is JUST what you'd expect.
I am almost hoping for a crushing Clinton nvictory, all the way to the white House. I want to see spineless oportunist like Mr. Helms or Mrs. Clark have to work their way back into the Democratic stablishment. Good lord,, we a re about to change a group of unexperienced, unprinciple, oportunistic aparachicks for another. Oh well. I see a race for dog catcher looming in theh future of Mr. Helms.