Puzzled
Barack Obama vigorously defended two mailers his campaign dropped in Ohio that led rival Hillary Clinton to say today he should be ashamed of himself.
Noting that the mailers -- one on NAFTA and the other on health care -- had been out for weeks, Obama suggested during a press availability in Columbus that Clinton's fiery remarks smacked of political gamesmanship.
"I am puzzled by the sudden change in tone unless these were just brought to her attention it makes me think that there's something tactical about her getting so exercised this morning," he told reporters.
He added: "And unlike some of the attacks that have been leveled about me that have been debunked by news organizations, these are accurate. Sen. Clinton as part of the Clinton administration supported NAFTTA. In her book she called it one of the administration's successes. And we point that out in a state that has been devastated by trade and has been deeply concerned about the position of candidates on trade."
When questioned why the NAFTA mailer inaccurately indicates that Clinton said the agreement was a "boon" to the economy, a comment that was later corrected by a local paper, Obama said: "Well that's fair enough. It is true that the mailer went out before the newspaper made the correction, right? That's my understanding, and I will need to check with staff on that. The characterization that she supports NAFTA I think is indisputable."
Obama was also pressed on his healthcare mailer, which when it appeared weeks earlier had been compared to the Harry and Louise ads that scuttled Clinton's attempt to pass universal healthcare in 1993. He said nothing was "factually inaccurate" about the mailer.
"I have seen the mailer, and I completely dispute that characterization," Obama said. "There are many people who support Sen. Clinton who support healthcare mandates, who didn't like the characterization of it, but there wasn't anything inaccurate in what was said."
(NBC/NJ's ASWINI ANBURAJAN)
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