Obama to play Iraq card against Clinton

[ariesgem]

Barack Obama will on Tuesday step up his challenge to Hillary Clinton, the Democratic party's presidential frontrunner, by staging 18 simultaneous rallies across the US to mark the fifth anniversary of his opposition to the Iraq war.

Mr Obama's renewed emphasis on Iraq, which will kick off a four-day "judgment and experience" tour of the state of Iowa, is designed to highlight Mrs Clinton's refusal to apologise for her 2002 vote in favour of the war. It is also intended to counter Mrs Clinton's contention that Mr Obama lacks the experience necessary to govern the US.

Mr Obama's four-day Iowa tour comes on the heels of new polling data that show him moving into a narrow lead for the first time over Mrs Clinton among voters who are likely to participate in the Iowa caucus in January - the first and most important exercise in selecting the eventual nominee. However, Mrs Clinton still leads Mr Obama among registered Democrats in the state.

Although the senator from Illinois continues to trail Mrs Clinton significantly in national polls, the Obama campaign argues that they are irrelevant. At this stage in the 2004 Democratic presidential race, John Kerry, the eventual nominee, was running fifth in the national polls.

"The national opinion poll numbers really don't matter - what matters is what is happening in Iowa and to some extent in New Hampshire ," says Bill Galston a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, who has worked on many Democratic presidential campaigns.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21087331/

[mrreowwr_kittty]

1. As he should. It's her weakest point. n/t

[Lerkfish]

3. absolutely, I would in his shoes.

[Silence Dogood]

11. Ha! Obama playing a Mel Gibson

what a roar!

dangerous if it backfires, though.

[JDPriestly]

2. Good for him! War is not the answer!

[thereismore]

4. The empress has no clothes campaign. Everybody knows it but nobody

is hammering her on it. He could alienate his VP chances though. The choices, the choices!

[AtomicKitten]

5. It's on.

Gobama.

[Lucinda]

6. I'm way in the minority here, i'm sure...but I dont think its a good idea

Guess we'll see how it plays out.

I think a lot of people who were willing to trust what the Admin was saying pre-war, will not hold it against her. Reagardless of the "when did she actually know what" details.

Plus, his voting to fund can easily be twisted around.

There is a lot of solid stuff to hit her with...i'm just not sure this an issue that will work.

[Ethelk2044]

18. that is just it alot of people knew we were being sold a bill of goods. Why

didn't she?

[Lucinda]

25. Its not a question I can answer. Wish I could.

I guess people will either take her at her word when she says that she would not have made the choices she did, had she known, or they wont. Time will tell.

[sandnsea]

21. Then why won't she say he lied

He did. He lied. If Hillary got bad pre-war intelligence because Bush influenced it - why won't her and Bill say so. Why did Bill give Bush a pass on the yellowcake before we even got to the bottom of the story.

People are deluding themselves, intentionally, on the intelligence and I cannot figure out why. Hillary means that much to you? To let Bush get away with war lies?? I don't understand it.

[Lucinda]

26. I'm not quite sure how you managed to spin my comment

on Obamas tactical choices to an attack on me and what you assume my opinion of Hillary is...but congrats. Thats some mighty fine spinning.

Your comments are an entirely different subject. And I don't entirely disagree with you. I'd also like to know why she isnt specific in her comments regarding what she was told. Maybe some day we'll find out.

[sandnsea]

29. Talk about spin

He isn't supposed to say anything about Iraq because somebody out there might have to face the reality that we were lied into a war. And that would be a bad thing to you?? It's all the same thing. Somebody ought to be asking Edwards why he isn't willing to acknowledge being lied to as well, especially since he admits it was the Clinton people whose opinion he trusted most. On the Dem side, it was the Clinton people who could have confronted some of the faulty intelligence. They didn't and it's legitimate to remind Democrats of those who paved the way for the vote, the invasion, and this long bloody war. She knows how to talk all sides of an issue, like she is on Iran; but she hasn't led on ending this war and that in itself disqualifies her from the Presidency.

[Lucinda]

30. I never said he shouldn't say it

I said I didn't think it was a good idea tactically. And I stand by it.

[DURHAM D]

23. I agree with you.

At least 80-90% of our citizens believed the stories in the run up to the war. About 50 -60% of that group has figured out they were lied to.

But, they are not looking back - they are worried about the future and looking to make a more thoughtful choice. Having someone who was not in national office constantly remind you that he was "right all along" won't gain him any ground - it sounds like he is bragging.

[Lucinda]

27. We had dinner with a Republican friend tonight

he was a die-hard Bushie early on - and he gets it. I'm betting there are a lot of them out there. By pointing a finger at Hillalry, he could easily make poeple feel like it is attack against themselves. It just seems misguided to me on a lot of levels.

[sallyseven]

7. I am tired of Obama using the Iraq war

vote of Hillary's. He is too sanctimonious for my taste. He has not said anything of substance in the forums. I don't know what he stands for that is different. I am not fond at all of him.

[zulchzulu]

9. Hah!

It is embarrassing for her to talk about ending a war she was for from the beginning. I can see why some people would be upset.

[HeraldSquare212]

10. His standing for not making patently stupid votes is enough for me

[Silence Dogood]

12. It's the religion thing with me.

plus, he's a homo hater. fffffttt!

[AtomicKitten]

13. "he's a homo hater"

"I opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. It should be repealed and I will vote for its repeal on the Senate floor. I will also oppose any proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban gays and lesbians from marrying."

* Barack Obama

http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/lesbianactivism/p/BarackObama.htm

[rinsd]

16. "he's a homo hater" WTF? That is a bunch of BS.

Enjoy your short stay.

:puke:

[jefferson_dem]

20. Bullshit.

Not a hater...and you know it.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

14. All the more reason he should keep doing it

Substance doesn't get votes in this country in case you hadn't noticed (tho Obama has pleny of that). Simple, repetitive catch phrases repeated over and over do. The GOP got that a long time ago and it's time a Dem figured it out. It is not the candidate's job to educate the voters, it's to get them to the polls to vote for you.

She was WRONG on the war then, and she's WRONG on the war now. Keep saying it Obama. Over and over.

[AtomicKitten]

22. exactly!

She was WRONG on the war then, and she's WRONG on the war now. Keep saying it Obama. Over and over.

[zulchzulu]

8. Bring it...

Let's see her chuckle at that idea.

[illinoisprogressive]

15. She's hoping to do damage control on her IWR and Iran vote tomorrow by

releasing her pitiful numbers. though it will be lower or about the same as Barack;s, she knows the media is obsessed with her and will jump at any little bone she throws them. She's hoping to overshadow him by doing this.
But, how can the press ignore the rallies and the fact that Hillary voted for war again.

[FlaxieB]

17. Hillary Clinton will not apologize for her Iraq vote: Her Achilles heel.

To all you Hillary's supporters: This will ultimately be her downfall. Her unwillingness to accept blame. This shows her lack of experience and inability to be honest with the american people. When she loses the nomination and looks back at her numerous mistakes, then she will realize it, a little too late.

[sandnsea]

19. race card, iraq card,

Interesting choice of words. Criticizing Hillary's war hawkishness is now a "card" - except when the Clintonites want to play the "sexist" card which they do all the time.

I'd like to see him rip right into her. Even if he doesn't take her out now, he can say "I told you so" 8 years from now.

[ecstatic]

32. Lol... the "card" reference stuck out to me too nt

[Cameron27]

24. Smart move,

I've been waiting for him to use this. He dismantled Edwards' argument with one sentence in the first debate, and I think he can do some damage to Clinton.

[BenDavid]

28. This is not 04 and people this time

know already to whom they would like to see as President. Sorry Obama folks. Save your money and come back in 16...

[Cha]

31. But, nancy pelosi's daughter, christine,

said Americans didn't want us out of Iraq. What's the story here? Are there two Americas? I'm in the one where we never should have gone in the first place and now that everything is FUBARED..it's time to get the hell outta Iraq.

[Naturyl]

33. Then Obama should commit to having us out by 2013

How is he going to use Iraq against Hillary when he can't promise he won't stay there just as long? Wake me up when Kucinich starts talking.