In Focus: How Low Can Hill Go?
So Obama's decked out in Somali regalia and the Clinton campaign thinks it can profit by it? Not an Islamic or Christian prayer, Hillary. Michael Weiss rounds up blogger reaction to today's headlining Drudge photo.
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“Nothing in his life became him like the leaving it,” says Malcolm of the executed Thane of Cawdor in Macbeth. It’s a safe assumption that Hillary Clinton’s presidential aspiration will not terminate with like grace and dignity.
The Drudge Report today carried a large photograph of Barack Obama decked out in the garb of a Somali Elder, taken during his visit to Wajir, a rural area in northeastern Kenya, two years ago. And guess who’s been circulating the pic of a turbaned black man running for president?
“Wouldn’t we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were HRC?,” said one Clinton staffer, reveling in what he thinks is “gotcha” campaign schadenfreude.
As if it were not enough that the Clintonistas have tried to stir a scandal with an innocuous image of Obama doing what politicians do when they travel abroad and going native in clothes and custom, they’re now berating Obama’s camp for being appalled at their behavior!
Mike Allen at The Politico reports:
The Clinton campaign issued an official response to the growing tempest - but the statement from campaign manager Maggie Williams did not respond to the central question of whether staffers circulated the photo.
“Enough,” [Clinton campaign manager Maggie] Williams said in the statement. “If Barack Obama’s campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed. Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely.
Next the Clinton camp will accuse Obama of fathering a black child in wedlock.
Marc Ambinder is unsure that Team Clinton is to blame: “We’re at the stage of the campaign where both campaigns lose perspective and are willing to believe the absolute worst about each other on the basis of an assertion. And that Manichean perspective then cause said campaign to imputing the absolute worst motivations to their opponents.”
“Dating and campaigning have something in common,” says Ed Morrissey. “The reek of desperation does not act as an aphrodisiac on potential suitors.”
Peter Wehner at The Corner groans: “Twenty-four hours from now I suspect we’ll see virtually the entire Democratic establishment, and many others, condemning this tactic. It’ll advance the storyline that the Clinton campaign is spinning out of control - lurching from melancholy valedictory comments one day to faux outrage the next - and in its dying days.”
At TNR’s The Plank, Jason Zengerle is none too fond of Drudge either: “[W]hile I don’t think Hillary should drop out before Texas and Ohio, her withdrawal would mean that if the GOP wanted to smear Obama, they’d have to do it without hiding behind her.”
Michael Weiss is the New York Editor of Pajamas Media.
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16 Comments
Morton Doodslag:I shouldn’t be amazed any longer to see the same media which has lead us far astray for so longo about Islam toss this photo off too like all the rest. Recently Farrakhan has given his blessings to Obama, the Arab and Muslim world with nearly one voice want to see him as the next President of America. He grew up going to a madrassa, and his mother clearly was attracted to Muslims and Islam. His father who abandoned him, but whom Obama nearly worships in his ‘autobiography’, was a Muslim, and yet there’s very little curiosity among the media whenever the topic of his possible Muslimness or his affinity for Islam or the influence of Islam comes up.
Nearly seven years after 9/11, our politicians, our “intellectual” elites, and our media (with the rarest exceptions) are afraid and unwilling to bore into the looming menace of our times.
Here we see a photo of the probable Democratic candidate for President of the United States of America tapping into his culture and religion of origin, a religion whose leaders across the globe have declared open warfare against the West. Yet there is a near stampede on both the left and right to avoid the topic. All attempts are depicted as “racist”, or bigoted or absurd.
I doubt that Obama is a practicing Muslim, but there can be no doubt that Islam has deeply influenced his life. As Muslims, both within and without our nation, are actively and often openly plotting our annihilation, the responses to this photo and the story behind it appear completely irrational. It is as if we’ve become more afraid of being labeled ‘monster’ than we are of genuine Islamic monsters coming to kill us.
The West has lost its mind.
Feb 25, 2008 - 10:15 am Belladonna:The Somalis are fervent Muslims and this elder would have assumed that Obama, son of a Muslim father, was himself Muslim. Had he known Obama had become a kafir by his conversion to Chrisianity,he would never have honored him with this gift of tribal dress.
Did Obama simply mislead his host in the matter of his faith? Are his African Muslim relatives aware of it? Obama’s Chicago church will accept Muslims as members.
Feb 25, 2008 - 11:35 am David Thomson:This picture proves absolutely nothing, one way or another, regarding Barack “Barry” Obama’s alleged Islamic connections. Also, since when has it been a bad thing to be a Muslim per se? Virtually every politician has their picture taken in indigenous garb.
There are plenty of legitimate gripes to make about Senator Obama. He and his admiring followers are weird enough as it is. Slanderous exaggerations are certainly not required. The odds are that he is going to lose the general election by a landslide.
Feb 25, 2008 - 11:50 am KYJurisDoctor:I always thought the Clintons were beyond contempt for many of their shenanigans, but this latest act probably “takes the cake”.
She can kiss that Veep slot goodbye!
http://osi-speaks.blogspot.com/2008/02/you-knew-john-mccain-was-winning.html#links
Feb 25, 2008 - 12:52 pm marina:What Hillary did in RI already sank her for lots of people. She was only criticizing Obama but all the people who voted for him too. Even if she gets the nomination there won’t be a chance that the Obama majority would vote for her. They will mostly likely vote for McCain because face it there really isn’t a difference between the two except that McCain is smarter in his attacks. As a Republican I had always read that Hillary was actually a mean person yet I never seen proof of it. In RI she totally lost it and there was the proof–that is the real Hillary Clinton.
As for the photo it’s obviously a last minute hit piece designed only to be put out one day before the election. If she honestly thinks Obama supporters are going to be affected by she is dead wrong. Many Obama supporters, including myself, really like this man (I like him just as much as I liked Reagan and that only is very unusual). What Hillary has proven with the photo is what Republicans suspected: the Clintons (now both of them) are racists. They really don’t have any tolerance for other races except if you can vote for them.
Feb 25, 2008 - 1:23 pm Jack Okie:What many of you are missing is that not only is the picture being discussed today, but the idea of Obama being linked to Islam. It wasn’t really a brilliant move by the Clinton camp until the Obama campaign responded defensively. The picture is only an opening to point out things like Farrakhan’s endorsement.
Obama should have responded with a “hey, thanks for reminding us of that great trip, etc etc. Here are some other pictures of Obama in various other cultural dress.” Then they could have thrown in pictures of the Clinton’s in Muslim dress like those at CaptainsQuartersBlog today, and finished with a picture of Calvin Coolidge in full indian headdress. Everyone could have had a laugh and the original picture would have been forgotten. But now, there’s a hint of “Why is he so touchy? What does he have to hide?” floating around. Machievelli would be proud.
Feb 25, 2008 - 2:50 pm Kamangir:Interesting…
Feb 25, 2008 - 3:19 pm Laura:First of all just because drudge claims someone from Hillary’s campaign was responsible for this doesn’t make it so. If one wanted to set her up to try and make it appear she was fighting dirty, they would make that claim. We know how drudge feels about the Clintons. Secondly, by calling it dirty, you yourself are acknowledging there is something wrong with being decked out in muslim gear. In my opinion there IS indeed something very wrong with being decked out in islamic gear and I’m glad this has been circulated regardless of who did it. This photo has been passed around throughout the conservative blogosphere in order to harm obama, so I find this phony outrage coming from Pajamas media to be extremely hypocritical. If this photo had emerged after he was the nominee, I don’t think pajamas media would be complaining about the GOP’s dirty tricks. In fact it has been conservatives who have been circulating stories of obamas supposed muslim background. Oh and BTW, wasn’t it Republicans who made such a big deal about and circulated pictures of Pelosi wearing that hijab while visiting Syria? So enough with the faux outrage over dirty tricks, considering Karl Rove is the master.
Also michael weiss and the rest of the pathological, obssessive Clinton-haters, thanks to you, we now have a man with ties to the nation of islam who has a 50/50 chance of becoming the next president of the United States. But at least you can say you were able to stop Hillary. I hope you are pleased with yourselves.
Feb 25, 2008 - 5:11 pm Laura:Marina, obama is a racist as well as an antisemite. He belongs to a racist and antisemitic church. obama has used thugs like jesse jackson jr. to bully delegates into switching. obama voters deserve to be criticized, because like yourself, they are brainwashed, cult-like followers of this charlatan. And enough with the faux outrage, you never considered voting for Hillary anyway. This has nothing to do with it. And finally, the Clintons have treated obama with kid gloves compared to how the GOP will grind him to dust.
Does it ever occur to you why conservatives here and Captain’s Quarters are defending obama? Because they want him to be the one they have to face in the general election, they believe he will be far easier to beat.
Feb 25, 2008 - 5:22 pm Mister Snitch!:Does it ever occur to you why conservatives here and Captain’s Quarters are defending obama? Because they want him to be the one they have to face in the general election, they believe he will be far easier to beat.
Good God. Could that be any LESS true? Every conservative pundit I have read - and I read LOTS or them - would much rather McCain face Clinton. I challenge the author of that statement to post an actual link to a conservative pundit who claims to prefer facing Obama rather than Clinton.
Feb 25, 2008 - 8:27 pm Laura:“She can kiss that Veep slot goodbye!”
……………..
Why would Hillary want to demean herself by being this punk’s VP?
Mister snitch, yes I believe that the GOP would rather face obama. In fact I saw polls showing Hillary leading McCain by a greater margin than obama is.
Feb 25, 2008 - 10:27 pm Laura:The hypocrisy and faux indignation is more than I can stand. If this photo had been released during the general election by the GOP, all of you would be lauding the genius of Karl Rove and warning how dangerous obama is.
Feb 25, 2008 - 10:38 pm Eric Dondero:I’m a huge Obama critic. But this strikes me as just another “politician wears funny hat” story.
What’s more important, and what hasn’t been getting enough coverage is Obama’s links to radical Islamic groups in Kenya like Raila Odinga and his followers. Obama even campaigned for Odinga in 2006 on that very same trip.
Feb 26, 2008 - 3:41 am Henry:A few decades ago, a candidate in Florida won after demanding that his opponent deny that he and his wife “practiced monogamy behind the closed shutters of their home.” Can’t recall whom, however.
Feb 26, 2008 - 5:21 am Harvey Levy:For all I know Barack Hussein Obama is a practicing Christian, as he says. It would take more than just idle speculation - such as a picture of Obama wearing traditional Muslim nomad gear - to cast doubt on his religious affiliation.
Feb 26, 2008 - 12:55 pm Laura:Proof the GOP is pulling for obama:
‘Let’s get rid of Clinton once and for all,’ ” said Ralph Bordie, who conducts the IVR Poll in Texas.
Feb 26, 2008 - 2:39 pmBordie’s latest statewide poll released last week found that 15 percent of Texas Republicans who said they will support the GOP nominee in November plan nonetheless on voting for Obama next week.
Debi McLoughlin, a 52-year-old Department of Public Safety worker who was waiting while her daughter had her hair cut, said she usually supports Republicans. But she is likely to declare herself a Democrat so she can choose Obama.
… .. “I don’t want her in the final choice,” said Berkner, who added she will vote for McCain in the general election. … ..
In Democratic primary, expect a GOP turnout
Perhaps fueled by Clinton dislike, many Republicans to vote for Obama
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5569829.html