Clinton Says She Must Counterattack

Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday she must respond in kind to attacks from rival Barack Obama even though she'd rather keep the race for the Democratic presidential nomination focused on their differences on public policy issues.

"I try not to attack first, but I have to defend myself -- I do have to counterpunch," Clinton told NBC's "Today Show."

"I took a lot of incoming fire for many, many months and I was happy to absorb it because obviously, you know, I felt that was part of my responsibility. But toward the end of a campaign you have to set the record straight," the New York senator said.

Clinton, Obama and their campaigns have exchanged increasingly hard-hitting jabs in recent days over race, his relationship with a Chicago developer, her vote on the Iraq war, and other issues. Clinton stopped airing a South Carolina radio ad critical of Obama on Thursday and Obama took down his radio response in an attempt to cool the angry public spat.

"I have tried to make it clear that this election has to be about the future," Clinton said. "It is perfectly legitimate to draw comparisons and contrasts. I think both Senator Obama and I have made it clear we do want to focus on what we each would do for our country. It has been obviously an incredibly intense campaign. ... But I do want to make it clear that our campaigns have to stay focused on what you know the legitimate differences are so we can give voters information."

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Comments

[DietrichMoody]

Be ready for the sterner stuff coming towards the Clintons. Win or lose Obama or Party red staters and thoughtful democrats, should and will start letting the Clinton's crumble in on themselves. A majority of the Americans are NOT EXCITED with Sen. Clinton's sense of entitlement to her party's nomination

And the Clintons should be ready for a lot sterner stuff coming from the Obama camp, and many other supporters.

Bill Clinton had it pretty easy when he was running for President.­, now he's trying to get a his wife elected to the Presidency. The Clinton's are becoming uniters, for the first time - uniters against them.

Be thoughtful and reasonable when voting.

[NotWaldo]

"Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.­"

Ambrose Bierce

[IkeChicago]

10 Reasons why I won’t vote for Hillary Clinton.

1. Bill Clinton disgraced himself while president and turns around and ask us to reward him by electing his wife, Hillary.

2. The USA is not a monarchy, but for the last two decades has acted as such. Bush, Clinton, Bush, ?Clinton.

3. Hillary presided over a dysfunctional family and tried to convince Americans that her family is normal. Think of the ramifications this is having on all the families in the nation. People should be able to recognize whether their family is normal or not, the Clinton family blurs the issue.

4. With Bill Clinton running amuck, want to see what a Hillary presidency will be like, take a good look at the way her campaign works, dysfunctional to the core, apology after apology.

5. In a Hillary Administration, while most people walk their dogs in the morning, Bill Clinton will also be walking his dogs, Sec of Defense and Sec of State.

6. Hillary Clinton is a liar, most presidents going into the presidency and then become liars, Hillary Clinton is going in as a liar and will only get progressively worst.

7. Great presidents inspire, Kennedy, Roosevelt, Lincoln, Hillary’s supporters would not even show up to hear her speak and when they do, will not repeat the experience.

8. Hillary Clinton is anxious to prove that she has balls and will start a new or continue the present war.

9. Hillary Clinton thinks she could beat the Republican in Congress over the head won’t happen, she has only to look at what Newt Gingrich did to Bill Clinton’s presidency.

10. Hillary Clinton will take the Democratic Congress down to defeat. She is much weaker than Bill and much less admired, she will repeat the fiasco of 1994 that tossed the Democratic control of 40 years out on their heads.

[Turnip]

Last night the Republicans had a 'debate'.

But once again today, the focus of the entire world is on the candidates of the party that will provide America's next President.

The Democrats.

Go Edwards!
Go Hillary!
Go Obama!

Keep showing the Republicans what QUALIFIED candidates look like!

[Rubiconski]

Oh my. This is getting ugly.

Do you Clinton supporters honestly believe that the HRC campaign can plow through the nomination with these tactics and hope to win the general election? With what? Disgruntled liberal baby boomers, the latinos, and the angry feminist vote? And 50 per cent negatives?

What are you smoking?

You are are alienating the very people you desperately need to succeed in a general election. You know, those Independents and Democrats who like Obama's message of change and bipartisanship. And it isn't just the Presidential election at risk, it's the toxic coat-tails for every toss-up Congressional election.

Grow up or stfu.

[Coyote2]

GrouchoMarxist posted: “I'm a lifelong Democrat, but I will never vote for any of the Democratic candidates for president. I only vote Republican, because the Democrats never nominate the candidate that I like. So I just have to keep voting Republican until the Dems learn their lesson. But I'm a big supporter of the Democratic party. For all my life. Yep. You bet ya.

Oh

I know nothing about politics, except that the Republican party has destroyed America. They have raided our treasury and thrust us into an impossible war exactly when the paradigm of the new century knocks. Energy Scarcity and Climate Change will devastate our economy -even as we see it beginning now- yet we are helpless to act with our pockets empty, our armed forces stretched to the point that our enemies laugh at us, and our politicians sucking on gigantic corporate lollipops.

And this is the recent history of the Republican party: to drive us into debt, stupidity and WAR (eg: Viet Nam).

At this point, there is only one solution and that is ANYTHING BUT GOP. And you suggest that GOP is preferable to not-YOUR-f­avorite-ca­ndidate? Dickhead!

[pajewood]

i could vote for edwards or obama. hillary clinton is straight out a demagogue. she represents more of the same: special interest money backing, backbiting and twisting facts to support your cause, and she's a clinton. when's the last time the country had a president with the same last name in 6 election cycles?...­never!

if you're for more of the same divisive politics we've had since '92 then vote for her. neither edwards nor obama have taken special interest money during this campaign and i believe both are more interested in the interests of the public than in their own election.

we need a great president who will fight for the middle class. bill and hill had eight years to get health care reform passed. instead we got nafta and impeachment proceedings which left the country so divided we ended up with the worst president this country has ever seen.

i'm not saying i wouldn't vote for hillary in the general election. dems have to quit fighting in such a nasty way about the primary(hope my message doesn't come across as nasty). any democrat will be far better than what we've had for the last eight years. let's stick together no matter the outcome of the primaries.

[TheSchul]

Norman Hsu, Johnny Chung, Denise and Marc Rich, the Lincoln Bedroom, Travelgate, the Rodham brothers, what's next?

Folks, we can have 4 more years of Clinton scandals or we can have change...

[TotobiAyokoh23]

Even before the primaries, Sen. Clinton thought she will be the Democratic nominee and her campaign machine was geared toward attacking Giuliani who was presuimed to be the Republican nominee. But Clinton was surprised when Obama won in Iowa. Clinton then adopted a by-all-means approach that resulted to the on-going disgusting intra-party wranglings. In this case, Sen. Clinton is behaving like the arsonist and the fire-woman at the same time.

[JaneC]

Hey trolls! GO HILLARY! OK, off you go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbwqRENn-OE

[JoJoKewl]

Who can turn the world on
With her smile?
Who'll be the Pres
In a little while?
Why it's Hillary and you should know it
She's got it in the bag
she ain't gonna blow it.
Hate is all around but she don't care
She's gonna sit in Bills' old chair
She's gonna make it after all.

[westreal]

This is the most devious politician I have ever seen. If you are sick of her lying, cheating, subverting of rules or just overall don't like her hit-job campaign then please contact the Democratic National Committee and the media.
Voice YOUR concerns
Don't blog about. BE ABOUT IT.

http://www.democrats.org/page/s/contactissues

www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?65

msnbc.commsnbc.com

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6872152/

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/letters.html

[unionave]

As usual we find ourselves in trouble again with a repub in the White House . Some how they think cutting government income will balance the increased government spending . Free trade reduces revenues (duties) . Tax cuts reduces revenues . Our government employs more people now than it ever has . These are just a few areas where we increased our out-flow of money . We also have made a few enemies along the way . When we vote these are the real things we need to think about . The candidates job is sell themselves with a list of good attrubutes . If that list is a short one the next move is to destroy the competition which leaves us with the candidate with the short list and wind up in another mess . We do not live in this world alone and the better our image the less we will be disliked . It's a lot safer living with more friends than enemies .

[Beelzebul]

Aaaaay! And I know right where its going to be so I'll be there once a month paying homage to THE FONZ!

--It's now official: the bronze statue of the Fonz will be added to downtown Milwaukee's landscape later this year. The $85,000 needed to create the life-size statue of "Happy Days" TV show character Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli has been raised, according to an announcement today by Visit Milwaukee, the group leading that effort.--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpraJYnbVtE

[JoJoKewl]

Go Hillary! Eat cold cantaloupe and die you Hillary Haters!