Edwards says Obama using stolen ideas

[Adelante]

Former Sen. John Edwards’s (D-N.C.) campaign widened its sights Tuesday to include Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and his foreign policy speech commemorating the five-year anniversary of his first speech against the Iraq war.

Echoing criticisms lodged by surrogates of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) earlier in the year, Edwards’s campaign charged that Obama was complicit in prolonging the war by voting in favor of several war funding bills since coming to the Senate.

-snip

Obama noted Edwards’s dismay with the timing and language of the healthcare plans during last month’s Democratic debate in New Hampshire.

“I think John deserves credit for his proposal,” Obama said. “I know that he feels that he put out his plan first. You know, Harry Truman put something out 60 years ago for universal healthcare. I wrote about it in a book that I wrote last year, a plan very similar to John’s. The issue is not going to be who has these particular plans. It has to do with who can inspire and mobilize the American people to get it done and open up the process.”

-snip

The Obama campaign took issue with both criticisms Edwards’s campaign lobbed Tuesday.

“Edwards joined many, including Ronald Reagan, who have said that we should seek a world with no nuclear weapons, but he did not lay out any policy for how he would get there,” Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in an e-mail. “Obama has specific policies to move in the direction of the goal. That includes securing all loose nuclear materials around the world in his first term in office, seeking dramatic reductions in U.S.-Russian stockpiles, the goal of a global ban on fissile-material protection, and the goal of a global ban on intermediate range missiles.”

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/edwards-says-obama-using-stolen-ideas-2007-10-03.html

[Colobo]

1. Good- Obama has a very good response team.

[tekisui]

9. If only he had a better out-in-front team.

[David Dunham]

2. Edwards-Obama 08 fight is like Dean-Gephardt 04. Hillary will win!!

[Dawgs]

3. Boy, you Hillary supporters sure are getting arrogant.

You do realize that we are still a long way from the first vote?

[Colobo]

4. Let them get cocky, and in the meantime let's work hard for Obama.

[silverweb]

12. Ditto that!

GObama!

[emilyg]

25. You meant confident.

[William769]

5. Rezko taught Obama well.

[calteacherguy]

6. Calteacherguy says Edwards is irrelevant and whiny. nt

[Cameron27]

7. He's going to get more and more aggressive

with both Obama & Clinton.

I love this:

"You know, Harry Truman put something out 60 years ago for universal healthcare. I wrote about it in a book that I wrote last year, a plan very similar to John’s. The issue is not going to be who has these particular plans. It has to do with who can inspire and mobilize the American people to get it done and open up the process."

[Adelante]

10. I'm not sorry to see it

This battle needs to be had and it's overdue.

[Cameron27]

16. If it's gloves off on all sides, then I agree.

[GreenArrow]

24. Personally, I'll look forward to seeing Obama slap

the stink right off "Snake" Edwards. He's a ripe target.

[BlueStater]

26. By what? Using his tired Iraq war card?

That might have worked in 2002 but he's a senator now and is in a position to do things. I was severly disapointed in him when he no-showed the voting for the Kyl-Lieberman resolution. He claims to be an anti-war candidate and yet is too afraid to take a stand when it comes to saber-rattling at Iran?

[GreenArrow]

31. getting in was one issue. Getting out is another.

It's fine for Edwards to stand on the sidelines now since he doesn't have a vote. When he was a Senator, and he was faced with the challenge, he chose wrong. He has a history of choosing wrong and then changing his mind when the polls say it is safe to do so. I'd go after that, for starters. An insincere flip flopper, he is. He's been on too many sides of too many issues, and his credibility is next to nil.

I have no problem with Obama's abstention. He explained it adequately, and he's on record if he later tries to backtrack.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

38. GreenArrow, You make a great point.....

...I don't trust Edwards because of how he handled his "apology" for his IWR vote. He acted as if he was above the rest because he said he was "sorry". ....Well sorry doesn't cut it, it would never cut it because it meant so much.

Edwards is a weasle because while he's on the campaign trail wearing his halo, we all know the little stinker didn't just vote yes to Joe Lieberman's IWR, he co-sponsored it.

[GreenArrow]

40. Yep, that "apology" is a badge of honor with him.

There is no remorse, no penance paid; just smug self-congratulation.

And imagine: Edwards is now on the sidelines lobbing stinkboms in Obama's direction because Obama hasn't helped clean up the mess that Edwards helped to make to Edwards' satisfaction. John Edwards, please, just go home.

[killbotfactory]

8. Yep, before Edwards no one had advocated universal health care

fighting poverty, or nuclear non-proliferation.

:sarcasm:

[GreenArrow]

23. and don't forget,

he's singlehandedly going to rebuild New Orleans!

[karynnj]

29. Not only that there were many

Edwards comments from 2004, where Edwards spoke of how Kerry's near universal health care plan that would cover all but I think 3% - was too expensive - Edwards' plan in 2004 did not come close.

Obama has worked with Lugar on new non-proliferation legislation - Lugar as half of Nunn-Lugar has been involved in this for decades. Given that in the first debate, Kerry and Bush both said that the biggest thread was all the non-secured nuclear material and proliferation. (Bush may have just been copying Kerry's answer - Lugar used it in a Senate speech when he was lobbying for more money than Bush had allocated referencing that part of the debate.) So if this is something people as diverse as Nunn, Kerry, Lugar and Bush have all defined as one of the biggest threats facing us - I think that this is not a unique idea. (Did Edwards propose any legislation on this?)

[democratsin08]

11. obama seems guilty here

did he lift ideas from edwards?

[karynnj]

32. All of these are generic ideas

On Non-proliferation, Obama has worked on legislation with Lugar - per one SFRC hearing. Did Edwards? This was the issue Kerry selected in 2004 in the first debate as the biggest threat - and Bush agreed. Kerry listed the same types of things -sensible - yes, original - No - I doubt he said anything Nunn or Lugar hadn't said before.

Universal Health care has been proposed by many - I have no idea who was first - but 1992 was not the first time. As to Edwards, in late February 2004 his main comments were attacks on Kerry's health care plan that cover almost everybody (his 2008 proposal - given at Faneuil Hall before Edwards was universal) as too expensive and that Kerry could not pay for it.

The fact is that all the plans have pieces that different people proposed before. Good ideas will be picked up and re-used, because that only makes sense. Obama included Kerry's idea of a pool to cover catastrophic costs. Is that stealing? I would assume that, if anything, Kerry made the case to him or his health advisers to add it.

[illinoisprogressive]

13. Killbot, Obama already did sucessful healthcare in Illinois. please.

[killbotfactory]

14. I was being sarcastic

he wasn't even the first candidate to propose these things during the last race.

[Tellurian]

21. How successfull is it when most working families can't afford it..

supposedly children are covered but a family of 4 making $23,000 a year, still can't afford the program.

[ecstatic]

15. Right. and Edwards' anti-war stance is stolen too nt

[Connie_Corleone]

17. Whining about who came out with what first will not get you a win in Iowa.

[NCarolinawoman]

18. Wes Clark has always said, "If you feel your ideas are good,

it doesn't matter who gets the credit. It's all about getting the good ideas out there".


Of course, this is a primary.
:hide:

[Adelante]

19. Yep

Nobody in politics has original ideas.

[Cameron27]

20. I know, Wes Clark acts like an adult on these things.

:patriot:

[Auntie Bush]

30. Wes clark is still the ONLY adult out there! He was just on MSNBC

and I was on the phone...Damn. I hope I didn't miss too many pearls of wisdom.

[Cameron27]

34. He was great,

he called out Rush big time, stood up for the left wingers and trashed the conservative RW, lol yep Abrams asked about that. Great!

[GreenArrow]

22. unless you're a self-promoting huckster

And it might be added that Dennis Kucinich had a plan out before Edwards, and a much better plan at that, true universal health care, unlike the mandatory-that-you-buy-it half-baked slop Johnny E. is serving up.

[Apollo11]

36. Edwards is getting worried

He knows that Obama is a real threat in Iowa (according to recent polls).

If Obama beats Edwards in Iowa, it will be all over for Edwards.

As was already pointed out - Obama opposed the Iraq War way before Edwards.

So this "I was first" routine won't solve Edwards' problems.

[Carrieyazel]

27. One thing I've noticed is that Hillary seems to be taking ideas from every single candidate!!!

[papau]

28. A contrast to Bush who listens to no one - a good idea needs all the backers we can get n/t

n/t

[Catchawave]

33. Edwards does lead on the issues

Obama's just catching up to him :D

[FrenchieCat]

35. Yeah......sure.......Edwards Leading all the way.......

from behind!

In fact John has led from the rear on each side of every issue depending on the times.

[Alamom]

37. k&r

[Mass]

39. Because every single idea that Edwards puts on the table is original?

:rofl: