Clinton Surrogate: Obama Can't Milk The Iraq War Cow

The Clinton camp's attempts to call into question both the sincerity of Barack Obama's call for an Iraq troop withdrawal and his ability to serve as commander-in-chief took a bizarre turn on Monday, when farming metaphors were deployed for the first time in the campaign.

Speaking on a conference call with reporters, Lt. Gen. Joe Ballard, a Clinton supporter, compared Obama's stance on Iraq to a person who could "recognize a cow" (ostensibly, the perils of the war) but not milk it (get the troops out? has conflict-management experience?).

"Just because you recognize the cow doesn't mean you know how to milk it," said Ballard, who was playing off his time among cows in Louisiana. "I think body of experience, learning what you have to do and how to do it, is very important... No one can tell you how to milk a cow; you have to do that yourself."

That wasn't all.

"No doubt in my mind he can probably milk a cow but his body of experience means he probably doesn't know how to milk one," continued Ballard, before getting a bit more specific. "When I look across the aisle at Sen. Obama, other than a great speech, I really do not see the same body of experience to deal with that issue. I see a statement that says I have a great staff that can advise me. I think you need a great body of experience to deal with the recommendations your staff is bringing to you."

Campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson called into question Obama's capacity to be the vice president, claiming "We do not believe that Senator Obama has passed the commander-in-chief test. But there is a long way between now and Denver."

In addition to Ballard, the conference call included Gen. Wesley Clark, and Lee Feinstein, the Clinton Campaign's National Security Director, all of whom attacked Obama for not being entirely committed to a troop withdrawal. As evidence they cited recent remarks by former Obama aide Samantha Power which suggested that the Illinois Democrat would reconsider troop withdrawal once elected, given the account of conditions on the ground.

"[Sen. Clinton] has been unwavering in her commitment to support withdrawal," said Ballard. "People know when they vote what they are exactly going to get. And in the case of Sen. Obama I don't think we are quite that clear."

Moooo.

Comments

[research]

04:10 PM on 03/12/2008

Hillary ran the DLC.ORG! They have been for the war forever.

Hillary will never leave Iraq.

Check out this DLC Lieberman love fest:

http://www­.dlc.org/n­dol_ci.cfm­?kaid=131&­subid=192&­contentid=­253901

[blinddraw]

01:33 PM on 03/12/2008

Re: the Clinton Surrogate article...­It is udderly ridiculous to think that HRC could stool so low as to to get an actual visual of the situation in any question. But her husband, however, has a better feel for such matters...

[nazgul]

11:58 AM on 03/11/2008

How can Hillary milk the cow if she can't recognize it?

[KaAp]

11:39 AM on 03/11/2008

It is kind of ironic that the generals that spoke out for Clinton were all political appointees in other words to receive a promotion above a 3 star general in the military you need to have it pushed by the president ...
How about other General's that were not the beneficiar­ies of Clinton's stars?

[PragmaticProgressive]

11:37 AM on 03/11/2008

That is certainly a bizarre metaphor.
Who is it aimed towards?
Dairy farmers in central PA?

[Oldchef]

11:19 AM on 03/11/2008

Don't I remember Edwards getting on Hilary and Obama for being vague on their commitment­s to troop withdrawal in one of the many debates last year? It seems to me that she has continuall­y hedged all last year, saying many times that you can't commit to a date specific, because we don't know what the situation might be in Jan. 2009. Obama says the same thing, but he's wrong? I cry Bullshit! We come back again to her vote to authorize war in Iraq, her vote with Lieberman on the Iran situation and other times when her judgement is in question.

[MandyW]

08:53 AM on 03/11/2008

Let me get this straight. Obama has made the common-sen­se acknowledg­ement that the strategy and tactics for accomplish­ing troop withdrawal from Iraq will have to take into account actual conditions on the ground after the new President takes office in 2009. Clinton supporters criticize this as not tough enough. Does that mean that Clinton promises four more years of ignoring realiiy-ba­sed facts on the ground, a la Bush?

[sculptor]

02:28 AM on 03/11/2008

This got me thinking about were Hillary will be in the not so distant future...

Picture a phone ringing, the light comes on and Barak Obama's face looking at a bed side clock.

In a voice over you hear his thoughts "3:00, no not again."

He sits up and answers the phone.

You hear the caller say, Mr. President it's Hillary banging on the front gates again yelling "let me in, it's mine."

To which the President replies, "OK, you know the drill, get her out of the cold, give a mug of coco and try to calm her down. If you can find where she ditched her secret service agent, good, otherwise assign her a new one and get her a flight to Ney York. Oh, and this time make sure she gets on the plane..."

[treadway123]

10:24 AM on 03/11/2008

I am so sure the Iraq people enjoyed hearing the war in thier land that is killing Hundreds of their people a Cow! For pete sake-----w­hat stupidity to insult the Iraqi people this way! Haven't we done enough damage to thier country, because Bush didn't understand ethicnal groups in Iraq, and the Bathe partys and what would take Place? I've heard Obama talk about this------­----and he has a heck of a knowledge about the different ethical groups in Iraq. and Understand­s uneless you tell the New Gov. they have a time line------­they wouldn't do any thing, but let america pay out our nose's for years to come to try to bring peace to thier land. It's up to them know! We got rid of the Tirent and Monsters for them------­---It's up to them know to govern their own country. We need the Billions of dollars here at home to get us out of a recession, and help with health care.

[Ozarks]

02:11 AM on 03/11/2008

Lt. Gen. Joe Ballard, a Clinton supporter, compared Obama's stance on Iraq to a person who could "recognize a cow" . Maybe Clinton saw a cow on the Highway when she helped Bush drive the bus into the Iraq war ditch. Military intelligen­ce is a contradict­ion. Wonder what bus Joe Ballard was driving when he thought up that cow analogy? Hey Joe I got a sequential thought pattern for you : get the bus out of the ditch before you think about milking a cow.

[Triangle1]

01:52 AM on 03/11/2008

Oh wait, Obama's pulling the wrong part.

[Jonahson]

01:46 AM on 03/11/2008

Eh? I thought they have machines to do the job nowadays. In any case you don't have to prove you are a milkmaid to withdraw from Iraq.

[busybeez]

01:34 AM on 03/11/2008

Another soundbite for John McCain to use. Thanks Hillary. Scorch and burn.

[Mattie]

07:28 AM on 03/11/2008

the truth is painful, anyone with a brain realizes he is using the Iraq war in the same way that Rudy used 9/11. It worked for Rudy for awhile, and it will work for Obama for awhile. We already saw his top adviser last week say, oh don't worry what he says about Iraq in public, he really doesn't mean that. This guy is as phony as it gets. The politics of hope and change, yeah right, read the nasty hate filled comments by his supporters­. if that's hope and change, I'm glad I'm going third party if he is the nominee, I want nothing to do with the hate filled rhetoric of his supporters­.

[ruscle]

01:29 AM on 03/11/2008

If Hillary can identify a cow...
and then votes to bomb it...
where does the milk go?

Oh, right. Monsanto is going to give us a cloned milk-u-lux milk replacemen­t drink and Hillary's going to give them a tax "incentive­" to do it. Free samples at Walmart.

[Bushgirlsgonewild]

01:41 AM on 03/11/2008

HUH?

[XYZ]

12:59 AM on 03/11/2008

I don't want experience milking the war cow. If I did value this experience I would vote for McCain. I want some one with experience to avoid wars, reaching out to our enemies, and trying to make peace.

I have a metaphor for the poster. This is like selling snow-cones to Eskimos.

[viper234]

12:12 AM on 03/11/2008

Yup, this is what it's come down to folks, dummies in the Clinton camp measuring the power of their opponent's position on the Iraq War to "milking a cow." I guess for the next debate, the Clinton campaign will demand that two cows be hauled on the stage during the candidates­' "foreign policy" exchange, so Clinton can show the American people, first hand, her superior cow-milkin­g abilities vs. Sen. Obama. After all, Sen. Obama doesn't have enough experience in the cow-milkin­g business, "as far as I know!" I'm so sick of this election and how we've drifted far, far away from substance into to outer limits of nonsense.

[Mattie]

07:29 AM on 03/11/2008

oh good, more hope and change brought to you by an Obama supporters­. tsk tsk, you must not have gotten the memo about name calling. The dummies in the Clinton camp won't be voting for Obama in the general, we'll see how far you get without us.