Tuesday, December 04, 2007

HILLARY CLINTON, BARACK OBAMA

Hillary Makes Obama Pay For Voting 'Present'

It's "Slam Obama's Character" week at the Hillary Clinton campaign, and I hate to say it, but she's finding her targets and slugging away.

The latest angle:

Clinton accused Obama of essentially ducking votes in the Illinois state senate.

"For legislators who don't want to take a stand, there's a third way to vote. Not yes, not no, but present, which is kind of like voting maybe," she said.

Seven of the times Obama voted "present" were on measures concerning a woman's right to abortion, and two were on measures to protect families from gun violence, including one about firing guns on or near school grounds, she said.

"A president can't vote 'present,'" Clinton said. "A president can't pick which challenges he or she will face. My opponent's campaign says that voting 'present' was a strategy to provide political cover. The Chicago Tribune said the 'present' votes were the equivalent of taking a pass. Well, instead of looking for political cover, and taking a pass, we need a president who will take a stand."

Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor responded by saying Obama has a "100 percent pro-choice rating," and a record of leadership in death penalty reform, racial profiling legislation and ethics reform.

"The truth is, Barack Obama doesn't need lectures in political courage from someone who followed George Bush to war in Iraq, gave him the benefit of the doubt on Iran, supported NAFTA and opposed ethanol until she decided to run for president," Vietor said.

When I heard that Hillary Clinton was going to try to go after Obama's character, it sounded like a Scrappleface headline. But she's finding a way to paint him not as unethical, but as gutless, and that charge seems a bit more likely to stick...

12/04 10:43 AMShare