Unbelievable..Obama Muslim Photo.. Hillary-Why is anybody concerned about this?"

[Michael Z]

Obama should deal with this the way he's dealt with most of these things... shrug it off, say "So what?", and get on with it.

Yes that's exactly what Obama should do.

The question is what should Hillary's supporters, other former candidates, and democratic uncommitted leaders do? 

Specifically I'm talking about folks like Charlie Rangel, Bill Richardson, John Edwards, Joe Biden, Al Gore and others.  If they stand by in silence, they condone her tactics. If she wins the nomination, she splits the party.  They need to speak out about the tone of this campaign

I actually wonder if this may cause more superdelegates to quietly go Obama's way. Bearing in mind that she had already lost shedloads of endorsements over her negative tactics in NV and SC (most noteably Ted Kennedy, who was seen as a shoo-in for endorsing Hillary beforehand). You'd think she would have learned her lesson, but...

I think Edwards and Gore will keep shtum. Edwards because he's vying for a spot in either a Clinton- or Obama cabinet (and the same probably applies to Biden and Richardson), and Gore because he patently doesn't want to be dragged into the race in any shape or form.

[Ogre Mage]

Matt Drudge trying to stir up sh**t.

I agree.  This looks similar to an unsubstantiated story last year based on anonymous sources that Hillary was spreading rumors that Obama attended a Muslim-Madrassa school as a child.  This looks like the same M.O. -- another unsubstantiated story based on some supposed circulated Clinton campaign e-mail that has yet to surface.  What do the stories have in common?  They smear Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton simultaneously and pit their camps against one another.  And who benefits?  The Republicans.  Now why would Drudge want that to happen?  Since when did Drudge become this impeccable source of journalistic integrity?

I don't get how some are jumping to the conclusion that Maggie Williams statement is an admission of guilt.  In fact, when asked if the Clinton campaign has circulated the photo, Howard Wolfson said:

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http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5irIOs_yU1RYYk9fhK4_Bw9RGGGBw


Andrew Romano had this to say about the controversy:

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[8 out of 11 is not deserved]

Matt Drudge trying to stir up sh**t.

I agree.  Drudge has pulled this before last year when he leaked an unsubstantiated story that Hillary was spreading rumors that Obama attended a Muslim-Madrassa school as a child.  This looks like the same M.O. -- another unsubstantiated story based on some supposed circulated Clinton campaign e-mail that has yet to surface.  What do the stories have in common?  They smear Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton simultaneously and pit their camps against one another.  And who benefits?  The Republicans.  Now why would Drudge want that to happen?  Since when did Drudge become this impeccable source of journalistic integrity?

I don't get how some are jumping to the conclusion that Maggie Williams statement is an admission of guilt.  In fact, when asked if the Clinton campaign has circulated the photo, Howard Wolfson said:

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http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5irIOs_yU1RYYk9fhK4_Bw9RGGGBw


Andrew Romano, a blogger that I respect, had this to say about the controversy:

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No sale on this argument that it's Drudge.  Had Maggie or Hillary flatly denied
that it was their campaign and said they found this type of tactic disgusting then you could make this argument.  Absent that...it's a dog that doesn't hunt.

[Ogre Mage]

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How would you describe Wolfson's statement?  Let's see some actual proof of the unsubstantiated claims by Drudge, hardly a quality news source, before we jump to conclusions.

[8 out of 11 is not deserved]

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How would you describe Wolfson's statement?  Let's see some actual proof of the unsubstantiated claims by Drudge, hardly a quality news source, before we jump to conclusions.

How is Abcnews?  Note Hillary herself had the opportunity to flatly deny it but she didn't.  Hillary and Bill know the newscycle and are always RAPID to respond.  Absent a flat denial, it smells really bad.  Ignore it if you want

"ABC News' Teddy Davis and Jacqueline Klingebiel Report: During a Monday interview with ABC's Dallas affiliate, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., did not flatly deny the DrudgeReport's charge that her campaign forwarded a photo of rival Barack Obama in traditional African dress.

She then turned the tables on her Democratic rival and accused him of using the controversy surrounding the alleged leaking of the photo to distract the public's attention from deficiencies in his platform and experience.

"I know nothing about it," Clinton told ABC affiliate WFAA. "This is in the public domain. But let's just stop and ask yourself: 'Why are you -- why is anybody concerned about this?'"

[Jake]

Hilarious.

I just hope Obama's campaign is this incompetent in the general. Will set McCain up nicely.

[exopolitician]

Hilarious.

I just hope Obama's campaign is this incompetent in the general. Will set McCain up nicely.

Your candidate has about as much on his plate to worry about as Obama does. Plus McCain might just do himself in with the comments hes been giving out lately.

[Ogre Mage]

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How would you describe Wolfson's statement?  Let's see some actual proof of the unsubstantiated claims by Drudge, hardly a quality news source, before we jump to conclusions.

How is Abcnews?  Note Hillary herself had the opportunity to flatly deny it but she didn't.  Hillary and Bill know the newscycle and are always RAPID to respond.  Absent a flat denial, it smells really bad.  Ignore it if you want

"ABC News' Teddy Davis and Jacqueline Klingebiel Report: During a Monday interview with ABC's Dallas affiliate, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., did not flatly deny the DrudgeReport's charge that her campaign forwarded a photo of rival Barack Obama in traditional African dress.

She then turned the tables on her Democratic rival and accused him of using the controversy surrounding the alleged leaking of the photo to distract the public's attention from deficiencies in his platform and experience.

"I know nothing about it," Clinton told ABC affiliate WFAA. "This is in the public domain. But let's just stop and ask yourself: 'Why are you -- why is anybody concerned about this?'"

I would say this does not qualify as proof or evidence.  I repeat: I'm reluctant believe Drudge's account of the picture's provenance until I actually see the "circulated" email; it's totally possible that some anti-Democrat operative is attempting to tarnish both Clinton and Obama, bank-shot-style.

[Speed of Sound]

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How would you describe Wolfson's statement?  Let's see some actual proof of the unsubstantiated claims by Drudge, hardly a quality news source, before we jump to conclusions.

How is Abcnews?  Note Hillary herself had the opportunity to flatly deny it but she didn't.  Hillary and Bill know the newscycle and are always RAPID to respond.  Absent a flat denial, it smells really bad.  Ignore it if you want

"ABC News' Teddy Davis and Jacqueline Klingebiel Report: During a Monday interview with ABC's Dallas affiliate, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., did not flatly deny the DrudgeReport's charge that her campaign forwarded a photo of rival Barack Obama in traditional African dress.

She then turned the tables on her Democratic rival and accused him of using the controversy surrounding the alleged leaking of the photo to distract the public's attention from deficiencies in his platform and experience.

"I know nothing about it," Clinton told ABC affiliate WFAA. "This is in the public domain. But let's just stop and ask yourself: 'Why are you -- why is anybody concerned about this?'"

I would say this does not qualify as proof or evidence.  I repeat: I'm reluctant believe Drudge's account of the picture's provenance until I actually see the "circulated" email; it's totally possible that some anti-Democrat operative is attempting to tarnish both Clinton and Obama, bank-shot-style.

Damn Nader!!!!!!!!!   

[8 out of 11 is not deserved]

I re-thought this whole matter.  I figured out where it came from.

I've found some reports of ELVIS in the neighborhood. 

[Democratic Hawk]

only further reinforces the notion that Obama is a foreign candidate. 

Aye but the fact of the matter being that Obama is NOT a foreign candidate. If Clinton can use it for her own shabby ends, I'm putting nowt past you guys but how will the GOP react once the American electorate wise up on their deceitful smear tactics and discover they just don't work any more?

That time will come. Politics is like a soap opera, the bad guys always get their come uppance

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

only further reinforces the notion that Obama is a foreign candidate.

Aye but the fact of the matter being that Obama is NOT a foreign candidate. If Clinton can use it for her own shabby ends, I'm putting nowt past you guys but how will the GOP react once the American electorate wise up on their deceitful smear tactics and discover they just don't work any more?

That time will come. Politics is like a soap opera, the bad guys always get their come uppance

Dave

Yes, but to me, Obama is the bad guy.  And dressing up like a terrorist, not pledging allegiance, and allowing himself to be called unpatriotic is not helping him in the slightest.  You cannot just say you are the post-racial candidate, the voters determine that.

Obama has coasted through the primaries because liberals don't care about this kind of stuff.  To people in rural America, you better believe it matters.  They want someone as President who is one of them - and that is not Obama.  It is not only because of his race, but the entire way he is conducting himself.  For him to think he could walk onto stage and charm the electorate into voting him into office shows arrogance and a lack of judgment.

Obama has to reassure Americans of his patriotism.  If he does not, then he loses.

More than just liberals helping Obama on his way and you know it

Dave

[Stranger in a strange land]

It conveys a number of things about Obama.  First of all it's funny because of how comfortable he seems in it, and only further reinforces the notion that Obama is a foreign candidate.  Also notice how someone is helping him into it - it conveys inexperience and youthfulness.

If he's comfortable in it, then why does someone have to help him into it? He's either a malicious Muslim Manchurian candidate bent on destroying righteous Christian America or an incompetent, inexperienced kid. He can't be both: one requires him to be smart and cunning and the other requires him to be stupid and ingenous.

He's just wearing the traditional clothing of the country he's visiting. This is not unusual, in fact, here's a picture of Laura Bush wearing a headscarf with MUSLIM women when she visited PAKISTAN:



She looks very comfortable in it. More comfortable, I would say, than Obama in the turban and robes. So clearly, as you can see Laura Bush intends to impose Sharia Law on the United States.

[patrick1]

I'm surprised they didn't go the whole way and photoshop a nice I.S.I. banner in the background and a machete in his hand.

[opebo]

To people in rural America, you better believe it matters.  They want someone as President who is one of them - and that is not Obama.

Oh come on, surely you realize that rural voters don't matter in the general election, Blubb.  Suburban voters will decide it, and Obama does fairly well with them.

[Michael Z]

only further reinforces the notion that Obama is a foreign candidate.

Aye but the fact of the matter being that Obama is NOT a foreign candidate. If Clinton can use it for her own shabby ends, I'm putting nowt past you guys but how will the GOP react once the American electorate wise up on their deceitful smear tactics and discover they just don't work any more?

That time will come. Politics is like a soap opera, the bad guys always get their come uppance

Dave

Yes, but to me, Obama is the bad guy.  And dressing up like a terrorist, not pledging allegiance, and allowing himself to be called unpatriotic is not helping him in the slightest.

Doesn't matter, because the sort of people who think Obama "dresses like a terrorist" in that picture or believe the spin about him "not pleding allegiance" would never in a million years vote for a Democrat anyway.

[NHPolitico]

Doesn't matter, because the sort of people who think Obama "dresses like a terrorist" in that picture or believe the spin about him "not pleding allegiance" would never in a million years vote for a Democrat anyway.

Stupid/intolerant people vote for Democrats and Republicans both every cycle.  I know Democrat voters personally who are that stupid/intolerant.  Not every Democrat voter is an enlightened McGovernite.

[angus]

as a political hack, it offends me that all of these little obama supporters think that obama shouldnt be attacked in any way shape or form.

I guess I'm more baffled than offended.  Why should showing a guy in traditional somalian attire make me any more or any less likely to vote for him.  There are folks showing Obama in a black Stevie Ray Vaughan hat, and now we have him in a Somalian hat, and even if he were shown in a festive Easter Bonnet, I don't see how that amounts to an "attack."  The picture was cute.  It was endearing.  It says that Obama likes to play dress up once in a while.  But I'm just not getting that it somehow amounts to negative campaigning.  If the Clinton folks think that mailing out pictures of Obama in Somalian garb is campaiging, then they're wasting their money.  Better yet, let them waste their money.

[Mr. Morden]

link:

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/02/26/the-quot-native-clothing-quot-two-step.aspx

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[Democratic Hawk]

link:

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/02/26/the-quot-native-clothing-quot-two-step.aspx

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Heavens . Since when was Obama a native Kenyan?

Dave

[opebo]

...The picture was cute.  It was endearing...

The funniest part is that underneath the white wrapping he's clearly wearing khaki pants and a t-shirt like every white middle-class suburban man in the good old USA.

[TheresNoMoney]

Obama was born and raised in America (Hawaii specifically).

I don't know what Tubbs-Jones means when she says thats's his country's clothing.

[angus]

link:

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/02/26/the-quot-native-clothing-quot-two-step.aspx

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Heavens . Since when was Obama a native Kenyan?

Dave

well, the fact that she thinks that the Democrat party would let a candidate get this far who presumably isn't qualified to be president merely implies that Stephanie is a moron.  Or she doesn't understand the meaning of the word native (comes from Nacere, "to be born" in Latin.  I think Nacere may also be related to the word Nation.)  Or perhaps she thinks that Hawaiians wear those things.  But really, it doesn't amount to a very clever attack on Obama.  (1)  It's really kinda cute.  Like the Stevie Ray Vaughan hat.  (2)  It wastes the Clinton campaign's money.  (3)  It kinda complements Obama, since it shows that he's willing to try new things.  (4)  It ain't like he's going J. Edgar Hoover on us.  Now, show us some pics of Obama wearing his wife's CFM shoes and lipstick.  (5)  Even if he were going J. Edgar Hoover on us, I can't see that it would affect my vote, since I don't have a problem with cross-dressers.  (6)  There are about a million ways to spin such a picture, and most of them are positive.  The Obama people could exploit that picture that the Clinton people put out there, if they were smart.  It would cost them very little, and it would be a net gain.  Then again, as far as I'm concerned no spin is necessary. 

Obama looks just as good in white as he does in black, apparently.  So it's really a flattering shot, and there's nothing for Obama or his supporters to get upset about, in my opinion.

and yeah, opebo is right.  He'd look better if he had the sense to show us a little leg.  That's what he should have done.  As it is, he appears more to be playing dress-up rather than donning some climate-appropriate or culturally appropriate attire in order to show the proper deference to some foreign people or their leader.  Had he been in his birthday suit underneath the white shawl, it could have been spun by Obama's people to even greater positive effect.  It may even have been sexy that way, like the Stevie Ray hat and black blazer is.

[NHPolitico]

link:

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/02/26/the-quot-native-clothing-quot-two-step.aspx

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Heavens . Since when was Obama a native Kenyan?

Dave

He should wear a bone through his nose and a loin cloth tonight at the debate and ask Hillary if that's how she pictures him.

[angus]

Is he giving her the finger in that picture in your signature?