Sunday, January 13, 2008

HILLARY CLINTON

Hillary's 'Unfair' Mantra

Late last week I joked that somebody ought to suggest to Tim Russert that Senator Hillary Clinton is the cause of his beloved Buffalo Bills' anemic performance for the past seven years or so. Judging from the questioning today on Meet the Press, somebody did.

Here's his opening question:

MR. RUSSERT: When we arrived in South Carolina yesterday this was The State newspaper, and the headlines agree to this. And let me share it with you and our viewers: "Clinton Camp Hits Obama, Attacks `painful' for black voters. Many in state offended by criticism of Obama," and "remarks about" Martin Luther "King." Bob Herbert, in The New York Times, columnist, weighed in this way: "I could also sense how hard the Clinton camp was working to undermine Senator Obama's main theme, that a campaign based on hope and healing could unify rather than further polarize the country. So there was the former president chastising the press for the way it was covering the Obama campaign and saying of Mr. Obama's effort, `The whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen.' And there was Mrs. Clinton telling the country we don't need `false hopes,' and taking cheap shots at, of all people, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We've already seen Clinton surrogates trying to implant the false idea that Mr. Obama might be a Muslim, and perhaps a drug dealer to boot."

What is this all about?

Hillary defended herself well, although she did deploy "the cackle" at one point and I noticed a recurring theme to her answers:

So I think it's important to set the record straight. Clearly, we know from media reports that the Obama campaign is deliberately distorting this...

And let me address the point that Bill was making. Because, again, I think it's been unfairly and inaccurately characterized...

The story of his campaign is really the story of that speech and his opposition to Iraq. I think it is fair to ask questions about, "Well, what did you do after the speech was over?"

So I think it's important that we get the contrasts and the comparisons out. I think that's fair game...

And I think it is such an unfair and unwarranted attempt to, you know, misinterpret and mischaracterize what I've said...

You know, this is, you know, an unfortunate story line that the Obama campaign has pushed very successfully. They've been putting out talking points, they've been making this, they've been telling people in a very selective way what the facts are...

MR. RUSSERT: In Newsweek, you gave an interview to Jon Meacham, and you talked about the personal narrative that candidates develop. You seem to compare Barack Obama to, you say, demagogues like Huey Long.

SEN. CLINTON: Oh, that is so untrue and unfair.

At one point, she seemed to suggest that Russert had an unfair advantage in the interview because he had notes in front of him:

RUSSERT: Senator Levin said, "Allow Congress to vote only after exhausting all options with the United States." You did not participate in that vote. You voted against Carl Levin, who was saying give diplomacy a chance and yet you said no. You voted to authorize war. The resolution you voted for, Robert Byrd said was a blank check for George Bush. Ted Kennedy says it was a vote for war. James Carville and Paul Begala said anyone who says that vote wasn't a vote for war is bunk.

SEN. CLINTON: Well, Tim, if I had a lot of paper in front of me, I could quote people who say something very differently, so I know you're very good at this and I respect it, but let's look at the context here.

Hillary defenders will see this as a natural response to a questioner and a rival who are not playing fair. Hillary critics will see this as playing the victim card once more, a vaguely whiny mantra that criticism of her is not fair, but her criticism of Obama is fair.

01/13 10:05 PMShare