If you are going to blame someone....blame Obama.

[BooScout]

The man has been planning this run for the Presidency since he gave his Keynote Speech at the last Democratic Convention. If he is so concerned about how this photograph being circulated would be perceived then why in the world did he dress up in the clothes in the first place and allow his photo to be taken? What does that say about his judgment? Is he that clueless that what you do today can come back to bite you in the ass a couple of years from now? Personally I think the photo is fine, I've seen politicians dressed up in costumes for years.....most of them look incredibly foolish.

This photo has been in circulation for a while. Where Drudge got the photo remains unproven. He's known to be a consummate dipshit towards any Democrat and he would love to split the party even more than it already is.

So Obama had his photo taken, he had to know it could and probably would be used against him at some point in the future and now that it has (for the 2nd time this primary season) you're finally cluing in to be outraged? My god, grow a bit of thicker skin. Especially after all the extremely unflattering pictures I have seen you all post of Hillary on this website and all across the internet.

tsk. tsk. tsk.
:eyes:

[HeraldSquare212]

1. So, first the line is, Obama won't be able to respond to attacks,

and now that he's shown he can, you're dumping on him for being thin-skinned?

[CyberPieHole]

2. The Obama CULT does not want any photos that raise the specter of ISLAM...

it appears as if they may be a tad bit Islam~o~phobic.

:kick: and rec

[jeffrey_X]

9. lol

this is freeper logic at best.

[CyberPieHole]

32. You should know...

:hi:

[cali]

25. um, wrong. as always. I like that picture a lot.

it's someone trying to use it against him that I don't like. Anyway, none of this matters. Hillary is done. Finished. TX is tied and he'll win big there. He's closing in on her in OH. Looks like she'll win RI, but she's going to get creamed in VT. Time for hilly to go home.

[Lyric]

57. lol!

You say that so often, cali. I swear, every other post that comes from you contains some variation of "It's over, it's done". It's like you think that if you endlessly repeat something often enough, it will suddenly morph into fact rather than fantasy.

I assure you, it's not "done" until one of the two candidates drops out of the race. No amount of monotonous myna-bird repetition is going to change that reality. It's so amusing how often we used to hear from Obama supporters that it was "insulting and infuriating" when people claimed that Clinton was the inevitable nominee. Those same people seem to have no problem with those sort of statements at all when they're being made about Obama! Funny how the outrage about "inevitability" seems to have just fizzled away...

Edit for typo

[rox63]

3. Hillary has been planning her presidential run since she announced her Senate campaign in 2000

And everyone knew it at the time.

[VolcanoJen]

16. She should have ran for the US Senate from her home state of Illinois...

... in retrospect.

No Senator Obama, no President Obama. :-)

[papau]

4. A 2/7 GOP media photo that went to 3 million is now a problem for Obama?

A 2/7 GOP media photo that went to 3 million is now a problem for Obama?

Here is a link to a conservative blog that contains a photo of the page from the February 4th 2008 National Enquirer smear story about Barack Obama that contained the picture of him in traditional African garb:

http://sweetness-light.com/archive/obama-wore-muslim-ge ...

The story was titled:

"Obama's Shocking Al Qaeda Link"

Here are the circulation figures that the National Enquirer releases about their rag:

"Place a classified ad in the National Enquirer. This weekly tabloid has excellent circulation at 2,760,000. Ad is placed in the classified area of the magazine under the appropriate category. Certain restrictions apply, and ads must meet the approval requirements of the National Enquirer. Circulation: 2,760,000."

http://www.nationwideadvertising.com/naten.html

Do you think an internal Clinton staff email discussing the photo just broke this news to American voters?

[BooScout]

15. Hell .........most of the people voting for Obama ......

.....read the National Enquirer anyway so they probably already knew this.:rofl:

[Firespirit]

24. No, the Enquirer readership is very right-wing

During the 90s, the magazine polled its readers about Clinton and found that they overwhelmingly supported the prosecution of Clinton for his affair.

[Liberal Gramma]

54. Polls show the opposite

Obama appeals to the higher-educated voters among us, according to the polls. Clinton appeals to the blue-collar rural voters.

[anigbrowl]

26. FACT CHECK: the story did not appear in the National Enquirer.

At the conservative blog in question, it's clearly stated that the picture appeared in the Examiner, not the Enquirer.
http://sweetness-light.com/archive/obama-wore-muslim-gear-during-kenya-trip

Per http://www.magazine.org/Circulation/circulation_trends_and_magazine_handbook/1362.cfm ,circulation of the Examiner is about 440,000.

Now, one tabloid rag is much the same as another. But since you are quoting a conservative blog to make your point, it's reasonable to assume that you read the page you linked to. So why are you (and others) promoting this '3 million' circulation figure?

[yourguide]

31. THANK YOU!

[ellacott]

5. The point is what were the motives of the person ciculating this photo?

That's the important question and what's at issue.

[BuyingThyme]

21. Now you're just stating facts.

How passé.

[BlackVelvet04]

42. No, it's just what you use to justify your

outrage.

[ellacott]

46. What outrage?

What are you talking about?

Again, what were the motives for circulating that photo? That's the important question that needs to be answered.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. Actually, I don't think he was planning on running until early last year.

Furthermore, why should I blame him for dressing up in the outfit? I don't see any problem with the outfit itself.

If you think the photo is fine, why would you consider it a problem if Hillary had circulated the photos?

[BooScout]

37. Actually I don't........

After the smears & lies the Obama Campaign has made against both the Clintons....both overtly and subtly....I got no problem with nothing anyone throws at him, his campaign, and most of all some of his hateful supporters that post here.

[Renew Deal]

7. Wrong again.

He was planning to run for president since kindergarten. :evilgrin:

[BuyingThyme]

8. Yes, all people should pander to the likes of Hillary Clinton and the KKK.

Never do the right thing if you think racist motherfuckers might use it against you in the future.

Holy fucking shit.

[ProSense]

10. "Where Drudge got the photo remains unproven." I have a strong hunch:

Both are true and know, but Hillary is exploiting the terrorist aspect.

Hillary Clinton woos man who nearly ruined her husband

Earlier this month, Ms Clinton's staff leaked campaign fundraising data to the website just as her rival for the nomination, Barack Obama, was to deliver a policy speech on Iraq - and a crucial 20 minutes before the official release of the information. The story on Ms Clinton's fundraising prowess dominated the news cycle.

Mark Penn is in bed with Drudge.

Obama's campaign would not connect Hillary to the latest attack story without validation.

It has happened before and Axelrod denounced the attempts to link Hillary's campaign to an attack:

The article further reported that Obama strategist David Axelrod said he did not "believe ... for a second" the allegation that Clinton's camp was behind the story.

This latest incident is different in that it comes on the heels of Hillary's campaign and her surrogates promoting Obama's ties to "former members of a radical domestic terrorist group."

Hillary is manipulative and calculating. She is going after anyone ignorant of the facts. Did I say desperate.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

11. I'll take his judgment over hers any day of the week.

Over 3000 American troops are dead because of her "judgment".

[guruoo]

45. Want to try that again?

"Of the total of 69 votes we compiled -- some significant, some not -- it turns out that
the two differed on only one."

Compare And Contrast: Hillary And Obama's Votes On Iraq:
http://web.archive.org/web/20070826174924/http://www.electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/mar/29/comparison_of_hillary_and_obama_votes_on_iraq

WP Fact Checker:
2004

July 26. In an interview with the New York Times, prior to his speech at the Democratic Party convention, Obama declines to criticize presidential nominee John Kerry for his 2002 vote to authorize the Iraq war. Says he was "not privy to Senate intelligence reports." He then continued: "What would I have done? I don't know. What I know is that from my vantage point the case was not made."

July 27. Obama tells Chicago Tribune that U.S. forces should remain in Iraq to stabilize the war-torn country. Says "there is not much difference between my position and George Bush's position at this stage," but is critical of Bush for bungling the occupation. Remains opposed to the original decision to invade. In keynote speech to Democratic convention, Obama avoids criticism of the war, saying "there are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported the war in Iraq."

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/01/clinton_vs_obama_on_iraq.html

[mrreowwr_kittty]

47. Because I have the reading comprehension that you so obviously lack

I don't see anything about those quotes that contradicts Obama's 2002 stance.

[guruoo]

48. Oh yeah, that must be it. n/t

[Faygo Kid]

12. "He's known to be a consummate dipshit "? Thanks for the thoughtful post.

If you want to continue to pretend that you don't get the point of the Hillary campaign circulating this particular picture, be my guest.

tsk. tsk. tsk.

[cottonseed]

13. I hope Hillary and Obama can discuss this tomorrow night.

I think it should be part of their discussion about "behavior" and "tactics". Whisper and innuendo might hurt a campaign, discussing these sorts of things like adults is the only way this should be handled.

[IndianaGreen]

14. Just like Hillary blamed that 12-year old girl for getting herself raped

Yep, I detect a pattern here of blaming the victim.

[emilyg]

52. Let's hope there will be a public defender in your future.

[IndianaGreen]

53. The ABA has a code of ethics that Hillary violated

and I won't go now into her billing habits while she was at Rose Law.

[Occam Bandage]

17. The problem isn't the photograph; it's HRC's pathetically cynical attempt to use it to hurt him.

Which has, you'll note, backfired big-time.

[washingdem]

19. Dead on.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

40. Hi bandage. Since you're one of the relative good guys, please

consider what evidence you have for the statement "The problem isn't the photograph; it's HRC's pathetically cynical attempt to use it to hurt him"

I don't know of any evidence Hillary, or even any rogue staffer, has tried to disseminate the photo in a way one would reasonably call "using it to hurt him."

The Drudge piece is a hit on Hillary and Obama both. It is not Clinton's bidding... she has no interest whatsoever in the photo being presented as "circulated" by her campaign.

If Drudge was referring to a meaningful effort to broadcast the picture we would have heard about it from many sources simultaneously.

It is a "Drudge Exclusive" and obviously did NOT come to Drudge from the Clinton campaign (again, if this was Drudge carrying water for Clinton the piece wouldn't be a smear of Clinton, which it is.)

Seriously... the photo helps Clinton, but the Drudge presentation of it does not. It is bizarre to view the Drudge piece as sanctioned by, or favorable to, Clinton.

Some Clinton staffer sent the picture (already well known on the internet) to someone with a complaint that in his or her view, a comparable picture of someone else would be splashed all over the place in the way ghastly, shrill or old-looking pctures of Clinton sometimes are. (Like on the Drudge Report.)

And somebody along the line (almost surely a republican sympathizer, since it's a double-hit story) forwarded it to Drudge.

One piece of evidence that there's no organized Clinton effort to diseminate the picture is that it's been out there since August 2006, and I have never seen it on DU!

The only person in the world we can say with certainty is pushing the picture is Matt Drudge.

[Occam Bandage]

43. The Drudge piece certainly does not help Clinton, no. But I'm not suggesting that Clinton

wrote the Drudge piece. Here's my take on it:

1. The campaign has, in the past, said, 'Oh no what if the Republicans bashed Obama on his drug use.'

2. The campaign has, in the past, said, 'Oh no what if the Republicans bashed Obama on his Muslim past.' These were done by lower-level staffers, who were dropped when the smear backfired.

3. Clinton has recently gone extraordinarily negative.

4. A small cadre of Clinton staffers (from the go-ultra-negative wing) considered going back to Obama's "Muslim" past. They kicked it around, hoping to float it to get a sense of how it might get 'out there' without getting their fingerprints on it.

5. A particularly stupid staffer sent it to Drudge, thinking, "Hey, Drudge loves slime, maybe he'll float this," not thinking that a backlash would occur--after all, many people in her campaign are convinced that her plagiarism-and-cowardice attacks helped her, and some even believe that the SC shitfest was well played.

6. Drudge reads it, laughs aloud, and posts it.

Given the number of times this primary that staffers have embarrassed their campaign, this seems more likely to me than conspiracy theories of moles and double-hits.

I don't blame Sen. Clinton personally; I doubt she's entirely in control of her campaign at this point, given its occasionally-schizophrenic nature. Rather, I think it's the work of some very cynical yet very deluded staffers.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

51. Highly doubtful the email in question was sent to Drudge

We are talking about something forwarded to him, not addressed to him. (For one thing, if it was sent to him by a Clinton staffer then he's burning a source, and Drudge, master of anonymous sourced scum, wouldn't want to do that. He is all about anonymous sources.)

For all the Drudge piece actually says, the email in question could have even been from one Clinton staffer to another Clinton staffer. (Like, "Can you believe this... if this photo was of Hillary it would be on the Drudge Report for a week!") I am not saying that's the case, just that it is as consistent with available information as anything else.

The verb "circulate" rather than broadcast or spread is a cautious one. (The Supreme Court "circulates" draft decisions between nine offices, and they never leave the building.)

In fact, an exchange between two staffers entirely within the campaign would still meet Drudge's description.

Not saying that's the case, just noting that we have no evidence and that the Drudge story uses words artfully to imply a smear campaign while not actually saying it.

The Iowa Muslim email case was funny in the same way. It was implied that a staffer was spreading the muslim email, which didn't really fit the facts. Political people forward material to each other without vouching for it. (The muslim email has been posted on DU many times by Obama supporters, and thus disseminated far more than any Clinton staffer has even been alleged to have done.)

I never saw any suggestion that the people the staffer forwarded the muslim email to were expected to believe it, or disseminate it. They were fairly sophisticated political people. And the staffer got burned by one of the recipients who she thought was a friend in the Dodd campaign, but who went to the media saying the Clinton campaign was spreading the muslim email.

But if you have no expectation anyone you tell about the muslim email will think Obama is actually a muslim, what's the smear? I forwarded the Roger Stone C.U.N.T. story to my girlfriend the moment I saw it, but I wasn't encouraging her to vote against Hillary!

This stuff is all stupid... there are ways to spread a story, and they don't involve emailing your friends. They involve anonymous mass mailings and third parties and 527s and such.

The Republicans have been running an anti-Obama campaign in the comments sections of all smallish newspaper websites for months. It is plain to see (and interesting to watch) and doesn't involve emailing Matt Drudge.

What's really comical is that DU takes up these "smear" stories as a hiatus between actual coordinated smears on DU!

I don't know whether any DUers are campaign staffers who sometimes blow off steam ranting on DU (which would be their right)... and no campaign would want to be associated with the shit that gets said here.

[Firespirit]

18. I doubt he expected a Democratic primary opponent to play the cultural bigotry card.

At least, when he had it taken. But by now he must expect anything.

Of course the GOP will put subtle crap out there, rather than saying overtly "He is on the terrorists' side." Instead they'll circulate "Muslim-looking" photos, chuckle-wink-wink-nudge-nudge at his middle name, same for his family, all the while playing to American cultural bigotry to associate him with Islamic extremism without coming out and saying it. That's how they act and I'm sure he expected it.

I don't think he originally expected it from a Democrat.

[MethuenProgressive]

23. You just don't get it, do you?

The pic was in 3 million papers weeks ago. Drudge played you.

[anigbrowl]

28. Untrue.

Why do you keep repeating this inaccurate claim?

[Firespirit]

29. Yeah, and?

The Enquirer readership is extremely right-wing. See my post above. Drudge is as well, but he's still read by more political people, and has far, far more media influence, than a supermarket tabloid.

[Occam Bandage]

30. The pic was in an Examiner hit piece about Obama's "al-Qaeda ties." Was HRC referencing that?

It was never in the Enquirer.

[mopinko]

44. his experience showed him, no doubt,

the depths to which people will sink. trust me, after 8 years in springfield, illinois, there are no surprises.

[MethuenProgressive]

20. How will he ever get past the GOP if he's easily beaten by Matt Drudge?

He's showing signs he's unelectable after all.

[Occam Bandage]

33. Beaten? Oh no, dear. Clinton's clumsy race-baiting only helps him.

[MethuenProgressive]

39. I pity you victims of Obama's Swiftboating the Clintons on race.

Not really, but it's probably nicer to say that than laugh at you.

[Occam Bandage]

41. How dare he make her campaign circulate race-baiting emails!

[jmg257]

22. Hm..let your goal of being president decide if you do whats right - No WONDER Clinton supporters

have no problem with this notion! Win at ALL costs...sounds JUST like Bill & Hillary!


(Don't forget - it was just her JOB to rip apart a 12yr old rape victim.)

Keep your eye on 2012 - she aint' done yet.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

27. re: "Where Drudge got the photograph is unproven"

We know where he got the photo.

It was copied from the online magazine http://www.geeskaafrika.com/ethiopia_31aug06.htm

The original appearance and the Drudge version are both 204 x 345 pixels

(Drudge compressed the jpg some from 56k to 11k because his site is high traffic.)

If he received it in an email, it was a link to the original online magazine photo. (The national examiner use of the photo has type stuck over it)

This photo has been kicking around places like Free Republic since the start of Obama's campaign and Matt Drudge didn't need to get it from anyone.

What he wanted was an excuse to USE it, and blaming it on Hillary is his "justification" for using a photo he has had for over a year.

Standard Republican shit... double hit on Hillary and Obama, stir up bad feelings among Dems, etc.

[Occam Bandage]

34. So if Hillary is blameless in the affair, why did her campaign not deny Drudge's allegations

in their statement this morning?

[NorthernSpy]

35. "Blame" him?

"Blame Obama"? For what -- visiting East Africa, the land of his half his ancestors? For failing to keep a "Presidential" distance from his own relatives and their culture?


We expect xenophobic attacks from the right. But not from Democrats. And especially not from the very same people who have spent the last several weeks insisting that every other word in the English language clangs with inexcusable sexism when applied to Hillary Clinton.


:eyes:

[jgraz]

36. I know it's all his fault. The way he keeps winning and winning and winning

and winning.

What a fucking asshole! Can't he let Hillary have even ONE STATE???

[1776Forever]

38. It is NOT the photo - DUH - It's the low tatics tearing the Dem Party up!! Shame on Hillary!!!!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/25/obama-photo-causes-stir_n_88272.html

The Huffington Post is quoting an AP article that says that Drudge received the photo from a Clinton Campaign staffer!!!!!

SHAME SHAME SHAME!!!!!!!!!
:argh:

[gasperc]

49. Obama is not fragile, the photo notwithstanding

who's freaking out, not me. Obama will able answer any STUPID questions about this "photo", I'm glad it was released. Hit him with everything you got. Obama is not and better not be made of glass. These stupid "attacks" will make him and us, the Democratic party stronger and better.

[Barack_America]

50. Don't blame the rapist, blame the victim?

Obama has done nothing wrong here.

Why shouldn't Obama be able to dress in ceremonial attire (just like everybody else) when he travels on behalf of the government? Because he's black? Because of his middle name?

It's not surprising to me that Republicans would run with this. I expect it of them. And they didn't need this photo to exploit his name or race.

What is surprising (and disappointing) to me are the reports that the Clinton campaign sent this story to Drudge, lamenting that it hadn't been covered enough. Such tactics are unacceptable from a Democratic campaign. I have been waiting for the Clinton campaign to vehemently deny their involvement or at least promise to get to the bottom of this. I would certainly take their word over Drudge's.

FYI, I'm still waiting.

[apocalypsehow]

55. Something looks "incredibly foolish" alright, but it's not a politician "dressed up in a costume."

:eyes: indeed.

[RetroLounge]

56. Oh, come on...

I'm not an Obama supporter, but the picture is meaningless.

It's a pretty good picture of a statesman in a foreign country.

RL

[TheDonkey]

58. SHAME ON YOUUUU BARACK OBAMA--- new Hillary meme

Stop saying these traditional outfits are foolish or embarrassing. He shouldn't feel ashamed of the outfit but people shouldn't also try leaking the photo in order to get a rise out of ignorant people.