Posted on 02/25/2008 7:06:09 PM PST by Rio
(CNSNews.com) - An Ohio man says former President Clinton elbowed him in the face after a Sunday campaign rally in Canton, Ohio.
The man told Cybercast News Service that he has not ruled out taking legal action against the former president.
Robert Holeman, who supports the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), said he shouted Obama's name during the rally and then spoke to the former president as he was leaving the event. As shown on a videotape broadcast on MSNBC Monday morning, Clinton repeatedly wagged his finger in Holeman's face.
At one point, Holeman said in an interview with Cybercast News Service, Clinton hit him in the face with his elbow while he was reaching into the crowd and that the Secret Service had to move the former president's elbow from his face.
When asked whether Clinton had actually touched him with his elbow, Holeman told Cybercast News Service: "Yes, he did.
"In fact," said Holeman, "the Secret Service actually took his elbow out of my face is what happened. While he was shaking hands his elbow started to go up and down in my face, that's when the Secret Serviceman realized, 'Wait a minute. I need to move him away from him like that.' So, the Secret Service was all around me. They never moved me. They literally had to move the president." Listen to Audio
Holeman told Cybercast News Service Monday he had shouted "Obama" a few times during the rally at Timken High School in Canton, before he got a chance to get close enough to the ex-president to deliver a message.
"When I finally got up to him," said Holeman, "I stopped him, to shake his hand, and I said, 'Mr. President, it's really unbecoming of you to be name-calling and bickering. You're about to tear the whole Democratic Party apart.'" Listen to Audio
Holeman said Clinton reacted angrily.
"I was telling him things, then all of the sudden he just went ballistic on me - 'Where were you in Iowa? You weren't there when Obama said these things about Hillary. Hillary took all these things. They tore Hillary apart here and here and here, there,'" Holeman said.
Holeman said he responded calmly to the former president.
"Sir, it's how you're acting," Holeman said he told Clinton. "You're the ex-president of the United States. She's the elder stateswomen of the United States. The example(s) that you are supposed to be setting are supposed to be leadership qualities. You're doing what the Republican Party would do to tear us apart. You're doing that within our own party, and he just went on."
It was then that Holeman said the former president elbowed him in the face.
"Somewhere along in the conversation," Holeman said, "he reached through the crowd and like gestured - like bumped me in my face with his elbow, as he was reaching for somebody, and that seemed to get my attention. But not in the way [it did when] the Secret Service man took his elbow out of my face - that got more of my attention."
Holeman interpreted it as a deliberate gesture by Clinton.
"(That got me) to think," said Holeman. "Why would he put his elbow in my face like that?' Cause I thought it was just him going for somebody else, but when the man actually took his elbow out of my face, I kind of figured it was his gesture to say, just sort of move on, get out of my way, or whatever."
Holeman, meanwhile, told Cybercast News Service that he has not ruled out legal action.
"If they make me out to be some type of bad guy, oh yeah - shoot, don't get crazy - yeah, I'm gonna sue them. Should take it all the way to everywhere I got to go," Holeman said.
Holeman's account to Cybercast News Service differs somewhat from his account as reported by MSNBC. "I think he even hit me in the face with his hand," MSNBC quoted him as saying. "He did give me a little pop. It was okay, because I understand his tenacity for his wife.""
Requests for comment to the Clinton campaign received no response prior to press time, but MSNBC has reported that "a spokesperson for President Clinton who was near the president said there was no physical contact."
Offices of the U.S. Secret Service, meanwhile, were closed because of the President's Day holiday.
What is it with Clintoon and bent appendages in people's faces?
All right, I'd say they're grasping for straws now, going overboard as usual. Perhaps its just the law of balance (they were so overboard in covering their @sses for the last 18 years) but still, the story here is...
the media!
It's absolutely wicked.
“Sir, it’s the way you’re acting. You’re the ex-President of the United States. You’re supposed to be displaying leadership qualities —”
“I’ll show YOU some leadership qualities!” *BONK!*
Oh!?
I just realized....
It’s *BONK* for guys,
and
*BOINK* for girls!!
“He understands the tenacity Clinton has for his wife”.....
Yeah, right....
Is this the same guy that taunted Clinton and then couldn’t remember whether or not Clinton hit him?
Put some ice on it.
I have an amazing automatic reaction to a finger wagged in my face, my right arm flies out of control and flattens the nose behind the finger. I can’t break the habit, so I just stay away from white trash finger waggers.
Put some Windex on it!
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