Barack Attack on Hillary Obama's Way of Showing He's Tough Enough to be President

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

NewsBusters' mission is that of exposing and combating liberal bias, and that's what I spend the great majority of my time here doing. But I hope our readers -- and my editors -- will indulge me when I offer a bit of personal analysis here.

The outbreak of nastiness between the Obama and Hillary camps -- initiated by comments made by Obama supporter David Geffen and quoted by Maureen Dowd in her column today -- is stunning. For the Obama camp to come out this early -- and this hard -- against Hillary has taken the political world by storm.

For those who didn't catch it, David Geffen -- certified member of the liberal Hollywood elite, billionaire producer and co-founder of DreamWorks, and former avid and generous Clinton supporter and donor turned major Barack backer -- told Dowd:

• "I don’t think that another incredibly polarizing figure, no matter how smart she is and no matter how ambitious she is — and God knows, is there anybody more ambitious than Hillary Clinton? — can bring the country together."
• “I don’t think anybody believes that in the last six years, all of a sudden Bill Clinton has become a different person, [in terms of his personal proclivities] . . . I think [Republicans] believe she’s the easiest to defeat.”
• Most damning was this: "Everybody in politics lies, but they [Bill and Hillary] do it with such ease, it’s troubling.”

Hillary's campaign called on Obama to repudiate Geffen and return the money he's raised on Barack's behalf. But far from backing down, Obama's campaign unleashed this: ""We aren’t going to get in the middle of a disagreement between the Clintons and someone who was once one of their biggest supporters. It is ironic that the Clintons had no problem with David Geffen when was raising them $18 million and sleeping at their invitation in the Lincoln bedroom."

Ouch. For good measure, Obama himself took this shot at Hillary today: " "It is also ironic that Senator Clinton lavished praise on Monday and is fully willing to accept today the support of South Carolina State Sen. Robert Ford, who said if Barack Obama were to win the nomination, he would drag down the rest of the Democratic Party because ’he's black.’"

Double ouch.

So just what is going on here? Part of it is just the typical tactic of a challenger, Obama, trying to dent the aura of invincibility of front-runner Hillary. Nothing unusual there. But I would say there's something more interesting at work. Obama has staked out a strong anti-war position. He flaunts the fact that he opposed the war from the beginning in 2002 when Hillary and most other Dems were voting for it. And he wants us to get out now. Not bad politics for a guy running in Dem primaries. However, even though many Americans are disillusioned with the the situation in Iraq, they still recognize that the war against terror is the most important issue confronting our country. They are not going to vote for a president who they don't think has the toughness to take on America's most fearsome enemies.

That puts Obama in a tough spot. It's fine right now, politically speaking, to be a dove when it comes to Iraq. But if Americans become convinced that Obama is not merely against the war in Iraq, but is inherently soft, he will never be the next president. What's a Barack to do? He has to find some way of proving his toughness. So why not take on what is widely acknowledged to be the toughest political operation around -- the Clinton campaign machine?

I can already hear the cries on the left: "he's equating Hillary with Osama Bin Laden!" No, I'm not at all. I'm simply saying that Obama feels the need to pick a fight to establish his macho bona fides. Taking on Hillary and her establishment serves the dual purpose of taking the sheen off the front-runner, while demonstrating that Barack Obama has the gumption required of a Commander-in-Chief. And I think that explains, in important part, why Obama has gotten so tough, so early.

Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net

[Txsleuth]

Oh...I am sorry.

I thought you were pointing me to your post #23, because you didn't like something I said.

SEE..I told you I have thin skin......lol

[Txsleuth]

I am watching the rerun of this afternoon's Dem forum...and just heard George Stephy ask Bill Richardson if he thinks that Obama needs to tell Geffen to back off re: Hillary.

Richardson said YES!!! LOL

Sheesh...Methinks Richardson just put in his application for VP with Hilly!!

[paulat]

Smooch, sweetie...we are old friends!!

[jimbo123]

[frankjr]

Who?

[Txsleuth]

We are good friends...glad all is cool.

[Miss Didi]

I didn't start the Ears thing, it was MoDo. This is why Rush did the photo. Read the caption underneath...Obama told her to go easy on his ears, he was sensitive and all. And she said that she wanted to toughen him up.

[advertising guy]

my screen name is what I do and of course the media wants a dem.....a left of Stalin dem too. Lost on Hillary is her mouth. She said she would swipe the oil company profits for HER descretional use. Think Hollywood didn't hear that too ? A lobbyist with hooks for Hollywood did. Larry the Lawyer did. Scary stuff even for Hollywood. Also Hollywood has not REAL CLUE what Hillary thinks of Joooooooooos or Israel in the bigger picture.......more scary stuff.............and Obama is, well........clean.

[CFC__VRWC]

My take - Obama pretty much showed how unready for prime time he is last week with his hysterical attack on Australian PM John Howard, and with his comment about how the lives of the troops in Iraq are "wasted." The Edwards blogger story is over, so there's no cover to be had there.

So, what better way to distract people from your moronic statements than to pick a nasty little catfight with Hillary, and letting the public just sit back and watch the fur fly?

[paulat]

I didn't start the Ears thing, it was MoDo. This is why Rush did the photo. Read the caption underneath...Obama told her to go easy on his ears, he was sensitive and all. And she said that she wanted to toughen him up.

Why do you not think I am up on this!! I heard the clip on Rush from MoDo!!!

I am just saying it's wrong.

If people in the public eye started talking about my butt...no, wait...that's in good shape...but I have always wanted a nose job....

The "Ear" thing is just wrong...I don't care if Rush does it...he is wrong on occasion....

[CFC__VRWC]

I caught that, and give Matthews credit -- he did go after Wolfson hard.

Matthews has already made it clear he's in the tank for Obama, based on past comments he's made about Hillary. So of course he's going to pound on Hillary's spokespeople.

[CFC__VRWC]

Sheesh...Methinks Richardson just put in his application for VP with Hilly!!

I think the word is definitely now out among the democrats that fence-sitting is a luxury they will not have. It's time to choose sides and join up.

This whole episode, though, can be seen as nothing but a huge defeat and embarrassment for Hillary. She must have felt that she had the Hollywood crowd locked up tighter than a bank vault, and then this total neophyte Obama comes along, picks the lock and carts out the loot right under her nose. That's gotta hurt.

Heh heh heh.

[Txsleuth]

I know....and, a while back, even George Soros gave money to OBAMA and a big hoo-ha in New York...

YIKES...not only is Obama getting their money..and getting his "name" in with them...but, THEY are doing the hit job on her...ala Geffen.

If ANY GOP operative or candidate had said what Geffen did about how she and Bill are such liars....there would have been screams on all of the news stations...

But, even Sissy Chrissy seemed tentative tonight..not really wanting to cover this story....LOL

We are going to need a LOT of popcorn before the primary elections...LOL

[Suzy Quzy]

Wolfson is one mean SOB.

[Northern Alliance]

Nice analysis, Mark.

[Free Vulcan]

Dammit, what's a girl gonna do!? Obama's too big to commit Arkancide! Guess it's the smear machine. Dammit, Obama's got his own machine too! Dammit!

The Orwellian counterrhetoric that's going to fly back and forth the next year and a half is going to be fun to watch.

It does almost look like Obama picked a fight by playing on Hillary's kneejerk tendency to try and squash all critics in order to make himself look like a scrapper. Not a bad move really.

[The Wizard]

he is being bread as her "queen"

[infidel29]

Ferengie(sp?) Star Trek Deep Space Nine.