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

[JaneC]

"See, one of the interesting things in the Oval Office--I love to bring people into the Oval Office--right around the corner from here--and say, this is where I office, but I want you to know the office is always bigger than the person."--George W. Bush 2004

*****************

A bit of a reminder of what we WON'T have to ever listen to again in 361 days! ;)

Carry on....

[Seattlelite]

I read this article and my head just about exploded -- Hillary Clinton is just SHAMELESS. She knows dam well she's the nasty negative campaigner in this race. Come on folks do these kind of people deserve our support. Don't be fooled again, let's elect a President with integrity this go round PLEASE!! The Clinton's don't give a rats ass about anything other than once again being the "worlds power couple". A vote for Hillary is a vote for more of what we already have in Washington.

[JoJoKewl]

If Hillary wasn't fighting hard they'd call her a wimp. She has nothing to lose by not pleasing her critics.

[nocore]

She and Bill have lied about: Obama being a Republican sympathizer, about Obama's ties to Rezko, about Obama's opposition to the war, about Hillary's support of the war, about Bill's support of the war, about Bill's "fairy tale" statements, about whether they are knowingly spreading lies, about not knowing that statements in a recent ad were false, about overhearing Nevada voter conspiracies, about Obama's position on Yucca Mountain, about Obama's pro-choice record (which is 100%). And all this is just in the last three weeks. And after all these lies, she has the nerve to say that she doesn't "attack first"? Preposterous. Add that one to the list of lies as well.

[JoJoKewl]

So Hillary has a twin sister!?!? Well I'll be damned.

[JaneC]

No wonder the GOP's going broke. It looks like they dumped a wad on minimum wage trolls. Incredibly bad ones at that. hehe

[jackpinesavage]

Mooooom, make Obama stop looking at me. No way, mom, she started it...she's breathing my air and i told her not to. Am not. Are too! Mom, Clinton is punching me. Nuh uh, she punched me first. No I didn't, he looked at me first. No, she was sticking her tongue at me, so i looked at her and then she punched me. I didn't punch you. Mom, he's making funny faces at me...make him stop. I'm not making funny faces, I just look like you. See, Mom, she's punching me again. Its not fair, she looked at me first. Mom, he's kicking me...

Over and over and over again, every friggin' day. Welcome to the kindergarten wing of the Democratic Party...

I propose that we start a petition to turn this car around right now if these too can't behave like adults.

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

The issue of Hillary and Obama attacks are a NON ISSUE.

It's distracting voters from the very real harm that the Bush administration has done to this country and it's standing in the world.

The sad fact is that if Hillary becomes the democratic candidate she will NOT WIN THE PRESIDENCY.

If Hillary wins against Obama, McCain will be the Republican nominee and SHE WILL LOSE THE GENERAL ELECTION.

There is just NO WAY IN HELL that she can win against McCain. She's as bad a candidate as John Kerry was, in terms of inspiring voters, and in terms of getting crossover votes from Independents and Republicans.

However much Hillary supporters admire her, or are convinced she would make the best President, SHE CANNOT WIN, AND SHE WILL NOT WIN AGAINST McCAIN.

Wake up Democrats and vote for Obama or Edwards if you don't want another 8 years of Republicans!

[Rubiconski]

Oh those wonderful 90's ....how could we ever forget the Clinton years:

After 2 years in office, they gave us a REPUBLICAN CONTROLLED SENATE.

After 2 years in office, they also gave use the first REPUBLICAN CONTROLLED HOUSE in 40 years. There was a 54 seat swing because of the clinton's corruption.

They also gave up 12 more seats to REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS that year.

And they gave us EIGHT YEARS OF A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENCY.

And of course there was the:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Revolution

[Coyote2]

Staggering Levels Of Mercury Found In Sushi

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/23/staggering-levels-of-merc_n_82856.html

Is anyone starting to catch on yet? The whole argument about pollution, is DILUTION. That there is so much fresh water and that the oceans are so vast that we could safely dump our industrial poisons because they are diluted to the point of having no impact. No longer.

This is evidence that the oceans themselves, our immense open cesspit, is contaminated. That our fresh water systems are nothing more than open sewers. That the earth's precipitation systems -rain and snow- deliver to us poisoned water.

Virgin fallen arctic snow tests full of pollutants. A recent water study in America showed ALL water samples, including well water from underground sources to be contaminated. Other studies of random and directed blood samples from folks all across North America found ALL samples to be contaminated with fire retardants, plasticizers and other chemicals. That new-car-smell? That is what is in our bloodstreams.

And we wonder where cancer comes from? Why does an ever loving god allow children to die from cancer? Let me tell you a secret here: if we don't give a f**k, god doesn't either. In fact the Bible has an end-time curse for those who “destroy the earth.” And that is you and me, our mothers and neighbors, our bosses and their bosses, and of course the assholes we elect to our government WHO ARE PAID TO CARE.

America was built upon the economic model of EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION and we spread our culture throughout the world. All this consumption demands excessive chemical manufacture, consumption, and dumping to create the goods that we use and throw away. We are to blame. We must end this culture of consumption before the monsters of Energy Scarcity and Climate Change do it for us. Or before the Earth becomes so poisoned as to destroy more life than it sustains.

It is grow-up time kids......

[SamanthaJaneSalem]

In one of the debates (116 out of 309) Edwards criticized Hillary for being too much of a Washington insider and looking out too much for the interests of corporations.

Hillary's response was that these attacks were "right out of the Republican playbook."

Sounded like a legitimate criticism from Edwards to me. And that's when the ugliness started-- or the "fun" as she puts it.

And that's how she plays-- you criticize her, she smears you (or her husband does, or Mark Penn). You point out her record-- now you're just helping the Republicans.

But to Hillary dishonesty is considered "intense" campaigning-- she accuses Obama and Edwards of it so she can be dishonest herself.

[gotalife]

Jack Cafferty just quoted Peggy Noonan to bash the Clintons.

I guess the corporate media are upset that the President bashed them.

http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2008/01/25/bill-clinton-political-attack-dog/

[NotWaldo]

If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten by your husband.

[yeuxdisis]

Smack em' hard Hillary....

[EvoMan]

Wow, and I thought projection was a Republican trait.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle, er, black.