Day late and dollar short, but still some election to go link CHICAGO — Democratic Sen. Barack Obama today blamed his primary defeats in Ohio and Texas on rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's criticism and news coverage that he argued benefited her at his expense. The presidential candidate said he planned to do more in the days ahead to raise doubts about his opponent's claims to foreign policy and other Washington experience. In a television ad that her campaign credits with helping her win, she portrayed herself as most prepared to handle an international crisis. "What exactly is this foreign policy experience?" Obama asked mockingly. "Was she negotiating treaties? Was she handling crises? The answer is no." Clinton, who was asked in TV interviews today about her national security qualifications, ticked off a series events in which she played a role, including peace talks in Northern Ireland, the Kosovo refugee crisis and standing up for women's rights in China. She also cited her work on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Obama's campaign immediately delivered on his pledge to criticize Clinton. Aides distributed a memo and held a conference call to question why she won't release her tax returns. The Clinton campaign responded with a statement e-mailed to reporters while they were on the Obama call that said the Clintons' returns since they left the White House will be made public around April 15. Obama reflected on the losses that broke a 12-contest winning streak in a talk with reporters aboard his campaign plane as he returned to his hometown of Chicago from San Antonio. "There's no doubt that Senator Clinton went very negative over the last week," Obama said. He said the Clinton campaign's multiple attacks "had some impact" on the election results "particularly in the context where many of you in the press corps had been persuaded that you had been too hard on her and too soft on me." "Complaining about the refs apparently worked a little bit this week," he said, equating members of the news media with referees in a sporting event. "So hopefully in addition to my call to Lorne Michaels, hopefully now people feel like everything's evened out and we can start actually covering the campaign properly," he said. Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the reference to Michaels, producer of the television comedy show "Saturday Night Live," was a joke. The show has recently featured skits in which actors portraying reporters lob softball questions at an Obama impersonator and hardball ones at a Clinton character. Clinton herself appeared on the show last weekend. Obama was on the show last November. Obama also complained about what he said was "the notion that somehow all the states I win somehow are not bellwether states but the states that Senator Clinton wins, those are the critical ones." He said it was "a strange way of keeping score and I don't think it makes much sense." As to tactics ahead, Obama said that Clinton "made a series of arguments on why she should be a superior candidate. I think it's important to examine that argument." "We're happy to join the debate, if that's the debate they want to have," Obama said, noting Clinton's efforts to portray him as lacking her level of experience. "In the coming weeks, we will join her in that argument." Obama also brushed off a question about a joint ticket with Clinton. "We are just focused on winning this nomination," he said. "I think it is premature to start talking about a joint ticket." Obama had nothing on his public schedule today and Thursday. Friday, he flies to Wyoming to campaign and was also expected to go to Mississippi over the weekend — sites of the next two Democratic contests.[/i] hope it doesn't backfire
Not even one mention of any thanx to black folx for their votes in all those Obama quotes.....shame shame shame on him......this fool needs to come clean!
Outstanding!! Time to tear 'em down and get dirty Ready for the SCORCHED EARTH POLICY?? ready, set, go!!! *smug Republican grin*
Obama is quite ignorant (or pretend to be ignorant) about foreign policies. As a First Lady, Clinton got to meet many foreign dignities and built ties in the process. These ties will prove to be very useful if she is elected as the President.
Again I ask What national foreign policy crisis has Hillary faced and how did she deal with it? That is a legitimate question
That's not foreign policy experience. That's not being the "go to guy" when the red phone rings. That's what she's claiming....not merely that she met some folks 8 years ago.
its not even negative, she's putting it out there, also, the complaining about the media, again she put it out there, in the ohio debate.
Well, because of these ties, she will have the foreign phone numbers to call which Obama doesn't have. (In reality though, Obama will have the numbers if he is the President but you can't talk the same way if you don't have previous ties with those people.) She will also be more familiar with who's who in foreign countries. This allows her to do a better job of getting things done.
Does that show strength or that she gets pushed around by a husband who habitually has cheated on her?
there's an assload of assumption in all of that...including: 1. they're the same leaders who were there 8 years ago; 2. she had rapport with them to begin with by the way...where was this argument when her arkansas-governing husband was running in 92?
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eyDkzmZJ3qE"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eyDkzmZJ3qE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>
Did Monica Lewinsky's ex-boyfriend's wife ever get to meet any of them Yoruba tribe dignitaries back in the day when she was Worst Lady.......She could probably ring those folks up right now and get em to lay the smackdown on the Obama supporters real proper-like!
Most likely they are not. But those people should still know about people who are currently in power. You also can't ignore her Senate experience since then. As a US Senator, she also visited foreign countries. Of course she couldn't build rapport with everyone but I am sure the rapport she had must be much better than Obama's brief career in the Senate. I don't understand why you think this is relevant.
My wife spent a month in London. I think you're wrong on the idea that her rapport would necessarily be better....just because you know/met someone doesn't mean you built rapport. And none of this is foreign POLICY experience. Why is it relevant?? Seriously???
