Obama Suggests Clinton Show Tax Returns

NEW ORLEANS — Democrat Barack Obama suggested Thursday that Hillary Rodham Clinton follow his lead and release her and her husband's income tax returns so the public can see where the $5 million she loaned her presidential campaign came from.

A day earlier, Clinton acknowledged that she had made the loan late last month. At the time, Obama was raising and spending more money than her heading into the round of presidential primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday.

Asked whether he would call on the Clintons to release their tax returns, Obama stopped short of saying they should.

"I'll just say that I've released my tax returns. That's been a policy I've maintained consistently. I think the American people deserve to know where you get your income from. But I'll leave it up to you guys to chase it down," he told reporters on the flight to Omaha, Neb., for a rally.

"I've disclosed my income tax returns," he said. "I think we set the bar in terms of transparency and disclosure that has been a consistent theme of my campaign and my career in politics."

There was no immediate comment from Clinton's campaign.

Obama noted that Clinton is wealthier than he is. Asked whether he would rule out tapping his personal funds to pay for his presidential campaign, he said, "I don't have enough money to drop $5 million into a campaign."

Clinton's financial disclosures, which reveal only broad ranges of assets, place her and former President Clinton's wealth between $10 million to $50 million.

Obama released tax documents last year showing income of more than $991,000 for him and his wife, Michelle. The figure included his Senate salary as well as her income as an administrator of the University of Chicago Hospitals.

Comments

[sazeem]

Hillary and Bill should release their tax returns.

And while we're at it, the records they have been hiding from the American public from Bill's presidency should also be released. She can't tout her "experience" as first lady when all she has to show for it is a disastrous attempt at health care - while not releasing any other documents.

[uheardme]

You're right. I need to see documentation on her "experience". She should demand the release of her records.

[avicenna]

Considering she is one of two remaining top 5 presidential candidates that was funded nicely by big Oil:
GIULIANI, RUDOLPH W. (REP) + $568,708
ROMNEY, MITT (REP) + $345,383
CLINTON, HILLARY RODHAM (DEM) + $235,250
MCCAIN, JOHN S (REP) + $206,935
RICHARDSON, BILL (DEM) + $154,650
(from http://oilmoney.priceofoil.org/federalRaceGraph.php)
..maybe that's how she is reassured that the 5 mil is a "loan". I guess that is why she is and was keen on the iraq war.

[MNmommy]

Huh.

I drilled down (heh) and the money was from individuals not companies.

[MrClean]

Do you see Obama there by the way?
No...because he hasn't sold out to corporate greed!
His funding is coming from the people and this person is going to his website and giving him another fifty bucks!

[ivana]

Boy is THIS comment a stretch and an example of your naivete...in 10 years, Obama will be getting the same donations. He's a puppy - WAKE UP TO THE REALITY OF THE WORKINGS OF THE WORLD...read, get educated, just don't vote for a freshman senator who's gonna get pummelled in the gen elex!

[mawrm]

These Clinton tax returns ought to be interesting to peruse. I mean, even lil Chelsea is pulling six digits! Must be nice to be a Clinton and hitting up struggling working class folks to give your campaign when you can just "loan" it 5 large!!

You know, I don't wonder any more why Bush got elected for 2 terms in this nation. Watching how folks are blindly falling for the Clintons like they did the Bushes tells me all I need to know.

[MNmommy]

Chelsea graduated from Stanford and has a masters form Oxford.

You?

[MRb1000]

Yeah I wonder how she got into Oxford?

[mawrm]

Be careful who you challenge.

Went off to college when I was 15 years old - Columbia University grad. Graduate school - Georgia Tech (one of the top aerospace programs in the world). Started out as a contractor for NASA, was appalled by the money our nation wastes on contractor services and took a 15%+ cut to work for the government directly doing the same work. About a decade's worth of aerospace experience, working on our space program and my salary is less than HALF what Chelsea Clinton's making.

Works for you?

[ivana]

DUH! Of course she's pulling in 6-figures...most EDUCATED people do. And Hillary is committed to BRINGING UP the rest of the population who do not have access to higher education. Please get a life.

[Ides]

So, by stopping just short of saying they should, he in fact was suggesting they should, even though it was the reporters who suggested they should?

[researcher]

tonight on tv I switched on a station that had a heading of "the mind of manson" and lo and behold it was the life story of hillary.

cannot make this stuff up.

[DeanLowe]

Are you people that dense?
She's been through this before. If she has anything to hide she wouldn't be running. What are you looking for in her returns?

If Obama wants everyone to show their tax returns then maybe he should be the leader that he says he is and do it first.

[JadedAggie]

For the love of god does anybody read the damn text of the story? The headline is sensationalism and inaccurate as the article makes it obvious the reporter was pushing him hoping he would demand that Clinton make the move. It also states the issue only came up because he DID release his tax returns.

[JohnnieBee]

he did it already.

[xufapemu]

He already disclosed his returns. I guess by your own admission that makes him a leader.

[AdLib]

NEWSFLASH - HILLARY SUPPORTER DISPLAYS GROSS IGNORANCE!

The article says he did release his returns.

Er...who's so dense there, Deanie?

[Seattlelite]

Perhaps you didn't read the entire article? He did release his tax returns.

[AdLib]

Just saw this AP headline:

"Bush: Prosperity, peace at stake in Nov."

Sounds like a Rovian strategy, having Bush start campaigning for the Democrats to drive down their numbers. Clever bastard!

[snruB]

He needs to be vetted! Vetted! Vetted! Vetted!

Oh...and by the way....I refuse to disclose my income tax returns or any of my records as first lady in the Clinton Library

[venicesurfer]

Breaking: Obama loses his nutsack and caves in to Hillarys demands for more debates.....developing.

http://thepage.time.com/obama-memo-on-debates/

how bout that for a headline.

[JohnnieBee]

Yeah 2 more debates... she wanted one a week and she wants to go on FOX... Maybe it was a promise she made to Rupert before he donated money to her?

[AdLib]

Typical Hillary troll. First they call Obama a coward because he's "afraid to face Hillary" in debates then when he agrees to two debates, this cockroach says he's lost his nutsack.

Anyone have a can of Raid?

[TIMEATELL]

I disagree with the name calling, but I like how you tied cockroach to raid. Good stuff. By the way, I hope no one takes this stuff too personal. The last thing I want to hear on the news is a Clinton or Obama blogger going postal because of something they read on the Huffington Post lol.

Carry on.

[Seattlelite]

I won't say he was caving....he's being smart did you notice where those debates will take place? In Ohio and Texas where she has the lead.

[karmax]

Okay, so Obama "represents at the very least a chance for the world to be able to exhale, if only for a moment. He may prove as shallow intellectually as his predecessors in the office, but at least Mr. Obama allows the audacity of a hope of having an American president that engages the country in a dignified discussion??????"
Okay, great, read history then HOPE? Yeah, that'll do it!!! We are involved in two wars, one that is dumb as a post, this idiotic president has our debt in a mess, not to mention the inhumanity he has reeked all over this world...the deaths under his watch are too horrible to even think about and YOU WANT A GUY THAT HAS A DREAM AND WE ALL JUST HOPE??? ISN'T THERE SOME WORK INVOLVED HERE....DOESN'T IT TAKE A LITTLE ELBOW GREASE??? I WANT SOMEONE POSITIVE, BUT ALSO SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO GET THEIR HANDS IN THERE AND START DIGGING AND KNOWING EXACTLY WHERE TO START AND DOESN'T NEED AN "ADVISER" TO LEARN!!! PLEASE...GO GET YOUR DREAMS AFTER THIS MESS GETS CLEANED UP.

[catilinus]

I wonder if you tink in caps as well. Your use of language is a reflection of the same type of mentality that propelled Bush to launch this war. It's okay to diagree without whining like a Bush or Clinton. Tell me wise man, who more intelligent or worthwhile than Mr. Obama has a chance of getting to the oval office?

[GJP2006]

Full disclosure, transparency - these are words that scare the Clintons - the Obama camp knows this and their strategy is aimed at raising these issues that never really leave a discussion of the Clintons. If I recall, there was a question in one of the earlier debates about the ex-President releasing some more records on the health care reform efforts in the mid-90s and in typical Clinton style, she passed the buck to her husband, and apparently he has sealed many of these records for 3-5 more years...

[Seattlelite]

Oh it wasn't just the health care records, apparently is customary for all their records to be public after ? years after leaving office. Bill managed to get NONE of her records released. I'm sure the republicans will get them that's for sure.

[KPinSEA]

So, reading the text, he absolutely did NOT "suggest" the Clintons show their tax returns, that was suggested by the questioners.

Really B.S. headline, HuffPo. Bad show.

[venicesurfer]

you've just now figured this out? huffpo is extremely biased and always has bullshit headlines that dont match the story.

[Silpat]

Tax returns! Heck, she won't even release her records at the Clinton Library. You would think that someone with 35 years of experience would want everyone to see solid proof of it.

God, I hope Hillary wins the nomination because this is the only way for the Republicans to retain the White House.

[xufapemu]

Obama should tear a page from Clinton's own play book and call a press conference.

He should invite Mrs. Clinton to join him in fully disclosing all public records and personal finances to insure that the Dem nominee is indeed "fully vetted".

Everytime she whines for a debate-a-week stroke fest, he should respond with transparency first.

No more debates until all the cards are on the table.

[Mileva Maric]

I agree! Then maybe we will get a better look at Obama. I am very curious about the details of his home purchase.

[xufapemu]

If only we knew as much about Hillary's finances and time as First Lady as we know about Obama's home purchase.

I'm assuming you already know the details of his home. Please, tell us all what you know about who Hillary met with when she worked on her health care proposal.

Please tell us what you know about HER finances.

If you agree, then put up or shut up.

[Seattlelite]

You only have to goggle it, it's there for the reading. Not like someone had to ask him about it either he offered it up as soon as Rezko was brought up on charges. Nothing illegal about the purchase, just bad timing which he himself admitted.

[ivana]

Good One Mileva....Obama isn't as "clean" as everyone likes to think!

[IkeChicago]

Obama captured 48% of the vote in the theoretical match-up against McCain's 41%, the TIME poll reported, while Clinton and McCain would deadlock at 46% of the vote each. Put another way, McCain looks at the moment to have a narrowly better chance of beating the New York Senator than he does the relative newcomer from Illinois.

http://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/2.0.0.12/whatsnew/

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Obama will beat John McCain over the head with the war issue, Hillary cannot make the same case. Rather Hillary and John McCain will compete against each other for who is the better Warmonger.

[AdLib]

Agreed, now that McCain is the opponent, the time has come to put electability front and center for the Dems.

According to Real Clear Politics:

General Election Poll - RCP Average 1/29 to 02/04

McCain 46.7% vs. Clinton 45.3% - McCain +1.4%

McCain 44.2% vs. Obama 47.5% - Obama +3.3%

Here's the link:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/national.html

[Mileva Maric]

Give it up!

Newsflash! All polls, including Zogby, have been WRONG!

LMBO!!!!!

[Seattlelite]

Yes, and can you just picture the 76 yr old McCain standing next to the 46 yrs old Obama. Talk about the "old and the new". No disrespect Senator McCain but you're no spring chicken and as you know that white house ages you.