Hillary's team crosses the line: Clinton campaign's circulation of right-wing materials

[powergirl]

This is a problem I have with the Clinton campaign. They continually resort to these right wing jerks to bolster their position. I have received emails from Clinton supporters with links to Fox News, Newsmax, American Spectator, all of those a-holes. I ignore ANYTHING, even articles opposed to Clinton, that are from these sources because they are poo. Why don't the Clinton supporters do the same?



"Having watched many nasty political campaigns, however, including some far worse than this one, I tend to discount the constant hysteria over "dirty tactics" that is now background noise in almost every election. But Hillary Clinton's campaign crossed a symbolic boundary this week when its operatives sent around clips from the notoriously Clinton-hating extreme-right press to denigrate Barack Obama and his advisors. It was slightly eerie to watch those items arrive in the mailbox along with photos of Sen. Clinton at an editorial meeting of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review -- where she was seated next to that newspaper's owner, a certain Richard Mellon Scaife."


(cut)

" may well have felt that in the presence of the man who had more or less accused her of conniving in the death of Vince Foster, she clearly held the moral high ground. If so, however, her campaign plunged from that plateau by dispatching a pair of articles from the American Spectator and World Net Daily in an attack on Merrill "Tony" McPeak, the retired Air Force general and chief of staff who now serves as one of Obama's principal military advisors. Both stories sought to create the impression that McPeak is not only anti-Israel but anti-Semitic -- and thus taints Obama -- because of crude comments he made during a 2003 interview with the Portland Oregonian. The obstacle to a more balanced Mideast policy, he said, resides in "New York City and Miami." In those cities, he said, "we have a large vote -- vote, here in favor of Israel. And no politician wants to run against it." He went on to apportion a share of blame to the religious right as well."

(cut)

"Perhaps the Clinton campaign felt justified in slamming McPeak because of his own recent assault on Bill Clinton, whom he accused of "McCarthyism" over an innocent comment praising the patriotism of Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Indeed, McPeak was required to apologize for an ugly sexist statement about Sen. Clinton, and he sometimes sounds like a loose cannon who should be locked up in the policy shop. Whatever McPeak's offenses, however, the Clinton campaign went too far in responding. When it starts circulating material from the same ultra-right rags that have routinely accused the Clintons of felonies and treason, its behavior reeks of cynicism. Shall we all start reading World Net Daily for news and guidance? If so, we could learn the "real story behind the Clinton body count," how Hillary plans to "snatch wages" from uninsured workers, the latest developments in "Hollywood mogul" Peter Paul's fraud lawsuit against Bill Clinton, and hot new charges by both former impeachment counsel David Schippers and former White House employee Kathleen Willey that the Clintons burglarized their homes. That latter story appeared in World Net Daily a few weeks ago under the permanent slug "All the Ex-President's Scandals."

"As for the American Spectator, once the secret headquarters of the Arkansas Project and still edited by the imaginative R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr., there is no shortage of educational material in that publication either. Without even entering the archives, where stories can be found recounting Bill Clinton's collusion in the cocaine-importing industry with the CIA, it is possible to learn about the "vast record of Hillary's joint misdeeds with her spouse," beginning with their highly profitable Whitewater investment. That column, which appeared last October, said both Clintons are "so corrupt it is frightening"; said that Hillary is "unfit for elective office," let alone the presidency; and concluded passionately: "If Obama and Company are too frightened to say those things, and to make them stick, then they are cowards, pure and simple.
"

"Of course "Obama and company" have said much that is unkind and untrue about the Clintons before and since, but it is all too easy to imagine the outrage of the Clinton spokespersons if the Illinois senator had started mailing around old clips from the American Spectator. This incident offers Hillary Clinton an opportunity to consider how she wants this campaign to end. If she beats the odds and wins, this kind of behavior will taint her victory. And if she loses, as seems more likely now, is this how she wants her historic campaign to be remembered?"



http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2008/03/28/clinton_scaife/


:wtf:

[wowimthere]

1. I think she can't help herself... she is really an R in D clothing

[Catherina]

2. Joe Conason and Slaon are dead to me now n/t

:sarcasm:

[papau]

3. Joe ignores a year of RW antiHillary crap put out by Obama syupporters - and wakes up

for the Miami/NY as code words for Jew being used by the Obama General that says Obama will be a great leader - and says the General should not be reminded of his words because to do so is RW - missing the point that what is being shown is how far right the selling himself as on the left but planning minimal left programs (per statement to Kudlow-CNBC) Obama really is..

Get real, Joe.

[Mezzo]

4. Harry and Louise anyone? BO has been playing rightard all along. nt

[anonymous171]

5. Can you PLEASE send me a link to what you are talking about.

[jkshaw]

6. Ditto, anonymous!

[joshcryer]

8. Are you stupid? You don't remember the Harry and Louise ad?

Seriously?

[anonymous171]

9. Obama's Harry and Louise ad?

[powergirl]

7. Do you have an example of Obama using

newsmax, American Spectator, Fox News, etc. ??