Novak: Michelle Obama Nixed Hillary As VP

Conservative columnist Robert Novak alleges in a new column that Michelle Obama has nixed the idea of Hillary Clinton as a VP candidate:

Close-in supporters of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign are convinced he never will offer the vice presidential nomination to Sen. Hillary Clinton for one overriding reason: Michelle Obama.

The Democratic front-runner's wife did not comment on other rival candidates for the party's nomination, but she has been sniping at Clinton since last summer. According to Obama sources, those public utterances do not reveal the extent of her hostility.

But the Obama campaign brushed off the column in colorful terms:

[Barack Obama] dismissed it with a flit of his hand. He nearly didn't say anything, but then offered: "My wife does not talk to Bob Novak on a regular basis."

Communications director Robert Gibbs suggested afterward that the article should be set aside "in case of a toilet paper emergency."

Comments

[audacitytocope]

Shame on you Huff!!! Why would anybody continue to quote Novak he is a prototypical, right-wing fascist. We know already, from what he did to Valerie Plame, that he cannot be trusted. You should know better than to post anything that comes from the quagmire of Bob Novak's crazy head. He probably got that information from Mark Penn. Who knows just about as much about this campaign as he does.

[northeast73]

Michelle Obama of the bad weave and chip on her linebacker-sized shoulders is DIVISIVE just like the rest of obama supporters.

[Malarcus]

I'll give you 60 minutes to see the irony in your post. Hell, take all the time you need.

[Yansher]

Are your insults really necessary? The race between Obama and Clinton is over and I agree that Obama should not consider her for the VP slot.

[audacitytocope]

you are a hater of epic proportions. why is it that when we criticize women we can fight fire with fire. michelle obama talks politics and you mention her hairdo. you are either a woman hater or a self-hater.

[MikeDu]

Click on 'See Profile' for northeast73. Not just a Clinton supporter, a rabid Obama hater, despite the fact that I can discern no significant policy difference separating the two. Instead of trashing a Dem perhaps m. northeast73 should save all that rage for the one candidate in the presidential race with the revolting voting record.

[devadasi]

Michelle Obama is bellisimo.

She's no stepford wife like cindy and laura. Aside from being gorgeous and athletic she's witty and has a wicked sense of humor, which too many ill informed types just don't get.

Get this: Michelle Obama with all her class, her curiosity, and chic --she is from the ghetto- -and Michelle knows how to fight the good fight.

You just have to take one look at Michelle's family values and to see how beautifully she has orchestrated being a wife, being a mother, being an advocate, and being a woman.

[northeast73]

she is from the ghetto-
=========

Only that part of your post is accurate. She is quite ghetto.

[urbanscorpio88]

Shouldn't you be on Taylor Marsh, sending inflammatory emails to Superdelegates to save the 'ole miss' campaign?

[MJD615]

I do not care for Michelle Obama. I think she is arrogant and domineering.

[audacitytocope]

another sexist (and probably racist) stereotype. why can't she just be confident and assertive. or are those characteristics good if you are a man.

[MJD615]

Of course I am a sexist AND a racist because I don't agree with you. Nothing I said was a stereo-type, sexist or racist. I don't care for her...peri­od. I do not see her to be assertive and confident. I see her to be arrogant and domineering. The end!

[westminster]

I don't know if this is true, BUT, if it is - KUDDOS to Michelle. VERY smart woman!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gjoh]

Huffington Post, why would you even publish this? Robert Novak? Are you kidding me?

Why would anybody believe anything this man has to say? It's a given that his words are suspect. He is totally discredited as a source of any factual information.

[TovSquirrel]

Amen.

[Oldchef]

I am horrified at the number and viciousness of the personal attacks on Michelle Obama. Where does all this vitriol come from? The comments on Novak are appropriate to the posting, surely, and comments about reasons she might object to a Hillary Vice-Presidency. But what's with all the personal attacks on the woman. You folks don't know shit about her character as near as I can tell here, and the comments about her personal appearance are totally irrelevant. Let's talk about what's important, OK?

[Binx101]

Novak is finished professionally so he's taken to use his skill in promoting almost unassailable gossip.

1. How does one prove it isn't the case? It's impossible without looking like a liar. Most of the Nation has expressed that they nix Hill as VP!!!
2. By assaulting the article - it forces the innocent parties to weaken their own position by entering the gossip dialog - its a NO Win.
3. Novak is desperate to be relevant.

Two choices for best answer from Obama camp and they're doing both of them. Don't have the discussion - and don't deny the ultimate message. But they really need to tell the campaign leadership to keep their mouths shut and let the candidate do the talking.

Personally, I don't want to hear squat from Obama campaigners unless they're asking for help or need a task accopmlished. Let the opinions and responses come from Obama. There needs to be a singular tenor and timbre to the voice of the Obama team - and this hasn't happened yet ... so let him the talking and everyone else provide the leverage for now. Obama can deal with Novak - we don't need (although they need the work) 50 jounro-tainer talking heads to run this through the next 15 news cycles or until Rev. Wrigjht gets a DUI leaving a topless club with Bill Ayers and Kim Jung Il

Binx101
The Almost Daily Binx
http://binx101.wordpress.com

[M.S. Bellows, Jr. - Huffpost Blogger]

While Obama has done a good job of coming across as calm, rational, evenhanded, postracial -- ie, if it weren't for Rev. Wright he would have totally evaded the "angry black man" meme -- Michelle is more energetic and opinionated -- ie, she's an angry black woman. My wife's opinion is that many white women are afraid of angry black women. I don't see that, but my wife's credentials as a white woman are unassailable . I'd be curious to know whether anyone else sees some bias against or fear of black women like Michelle..­.

[Vespasian]

Why is this man Novak still published. Why is he still in the news? He is not a journalist or even a commentato­r... he is just a shill for the white house.

He is a self-demonstrated traitor to the United States... who knowingly exposed an active, covert intelligence officer to personal danger as well as ruining a functioning CIA cover operation.
He did so as part of a Bush/Cheney/Rove smear campaign orchestrated by the vice president himself. Given the timing this campaign was clearly a campaign of vengeance against a whistle blower who had pissed off Cheney and Rove. A campaign intended to strike fear in the hearts of other potential whistle blowers who might tell the truth to "We the People" about white house machinations.

The media should be ashamed to have this Novak character "in their ranks," much less to continue to defend him in the name of "freedom of the press". Freedom of the Press is a freedom that should be earned by service to the people... not just assumed to be the right of anyone with a press card. Shame on all of you self styled journalists!

Where is Edward R. Murrow when we so desperately need him?

[RossalGondamer]

Speaking of Mr Norwalk, when do we here at HuffPost get the pleasure of reading that ambassador Joe Wilson is ready to support the DEM party with his full support of Mr. Obama?

[stepintothelight]

Won't happen ... Joe Wilson is in bed with those who abused him. It's that whole thing of falling hard for you oppressor. Like McCain when he hugged up bush.

[jrterrier]

Joe Wilson and his wife, Valerie Plame are Clinton supporters. They have taped an ad supporting her that is running in Oregon. Plame says that Hillary was one of the few people who supported them when they were being trashed by Novak and the media.

[M.S. Bellows, Jr. - Huffpost Blogger]

Ain't going to happen, mainly because Wilson (and Plame) are conservatives. I'm not using that as a slur, but the fact that they're angry at how Bush treated them doesn't alter the fact that Plame is the kind of person who chose to join the CIA, or that Wilson's career before Niger was essentially based on center-right ideology. Both would still like careers related to government somehow; both know the Republicans will never give them that; both are pandering to the Democratic machine since Obama intends to start fresh and doesn't owe them any favors. So they back Clinton -- and they'll back her in 2012, too, so long as Obama loses.

Bad gamble on their part, but they're not immune from seeking their own self-interest.

[NoFactsJustTruth]

Novak, like rust limpballs and O'LIEerly, is just another pillar of republicant obsoleteness - wishing for some relevancy.

[likeicare]

Love the t.p. analogy!!

Priceless!!!

[CookieWrites]

Novak is the jerk to revealed Valerie Plame Wilson's role in the CIA and destroyed her career. He is a heartless republican puppet.

[jcwtts1]

destroyed her career and put everyone who worked in her front company's cover in danger. A real scumbag.

J

[Harrier]

Clinton is not a strong leader and has negatives through the roof. For Clinton, "Don't let the facts get in the way of a good argument." She tried every dirty trick in the book and was called on them. Like WMD, for some reason the press continues to accept this as an authentic reason for going into Iraq. I don't know why, but they do. Nobody really asks how does someone think something is there when it never was and nobody was trying to fool anybody. For the press, everyone knows, this election was over months ago and when the runner up refuses to do the right thing and then goes negative, they have no chance. I've grown tired of the press trying to push yet another impossible issue just to get tabloid ratings

[CookieWrites]

So then does half the party want her as president? Since she apparently will not win, what is motivating your hateful drivel?

[BLinCincinnati]

Half the country also voted for George W Bush... twice. So what's your point?

[Gma11]

Today she's got her spinners on television with their nonsense about the popular vote. I e-mailed CNN about allowing this.

I ALWAYS insist my students know how concepts are being operationally defined before they use them to support an argument. John Roberts wouldn't have passed a high school math class this morning. The term "popular vote" is being by used by the Clinton campaign so much like Bush has used terms like "clean skies."

No change there.

[CookieWrites]

Hillary is proud of her country...­...no Michelle.

[M.S. Bellows, Jr. - Huffpost Blogger]

Michelle's "finally proud of America" comment has been completely mischaracterized. She was talking about finally having an UNMIXED pride in her country. Blacks have been full-blown citizens of this country for 130+ years, and yet no black has had a real shot at the Presidency until now. What's wrong with a black woman feeling like anti-black discrimination was a blight on an otherwise wonderful nation, and finally feeling unmixed pride in America now that we're giving Obama a real chance?

[Wordtodawise]

Michelle Obama nixed Hillary as VP?

Bob Novak may be correct in stating that Michelle Obama nixed Hillary as VP. Bob has been around long enough to know how to sniff out inside scoops. Readers may recall that early in the year, Bob hinted that the Hillary camp had goods on Obama that they planned to unleash to slow down the Obama movement.

The Clintons lived up to that billing. They collaborated with right wing nuts the likes of Sean Hannity, Bill O’Riley and Rush Limbaugh to throw the toilet bowl at Obama with manufactured stories like Jeremiah Wright etc. Let's give some credence to Bob's words.

Now, considering the issue of Hillary as VP, it's preposterous to even entertain the thought of offering Hillary the option of being VP. Michelle or not, it doesn't seem likely that the Obama organization will take such a dangerous risk. Hillary is predictable and will jump at the opportunity to humor and sabotage Obama. Never underestimate the fury of a woman scorned.

Hillary Clinton will soon become a thing of the past. She is a beast that must be removed from the scene and banished into relative obscurity. She is divisive and bodes evil for the Democrats. She says she will run until there's a nominee. Well that puts the ball on the court of the super delegates. Hilary is no longer responsible for the potential demise of the party, the party leadership is.

[sk7326]

You or I could have predicted Hillary had the goods to unleash on Obama or any other opponent. Bob Novak let himself be used by the whitehouse to spin the war. You lined a birdcage with his columns, the bird would refuse to do his business until you changed it.

[ImLeft]

my goodness, manufactured, it doesn't get any dumber than that. Farrakhan was saying the same exact things 10 yrs ago to Barbara Walters as Wright was saying today. What bothers me about Wright and his church is, they honor the nation of Islam, which are muslims, who also attend the church, and preachers like Wright are preaching g-d america, and even their new pastor is preaching rap lyrics about damning america. Is this a revolution church for muslims and blacks to go against whites and america?? Obama has built his short and unproblem solving political career in that church and with other close friends like Rezko who have rooted him in dirty politics, which is where he chose to be.
I was going to go on, but you are plain ignorant.

[M.S. Bellows, Jr. - Huffpost Blogger]

Obama is the Democratic nominee. How does this comment help get him elected?

[MikeDu]

About Rev Wright, I have yet to hear him say much I really disagree with. Was a couple centuries of slavery all a dream? The Indian wars? The Japanese American internment camps? All the other disgraceful things done over the years up until Bush's torture camps? What's the threshold at which a man of conscience is not allowed to be angry? And don't tell me anger at America *only* comes from the left. McCain himself called our nations capital the home of Satan. Sounds pretty angry to me.

[Denni]

I can't tell the Clinton supporters from the Republicans (actually, it's always been hard to tell the difference), and Novak probably has a hard time with that as well. it's why he got a 'two-fer' with this article He riles two groups and paints the obamas with the same creepy brush as the Clintons. She is NOT running his campaign. She is NOT his co-President. Everyone gets to fight

Clinton isn't going back to the White House because of her poorly run 'political machine'. She's not going back because she doesn't know how to shut up and stop attacking the man even when she knows she's lost. She has not sense of party unity. Why would he put her on the ticket to intentionally sabotage his chances in Nov.? He can at least defend himself if she's not on the ticket trying to destroy him.

Oh, and that he can play women off of one another? BRILLIANT for him, if women are small enough to buy into it. Get real. Novak knows as much about the Obama camp as he does about ... what DOES he know!?!??!

[coinier]

it appears bob novak likes to make his articles up.buty,th­en,he is a typical repub.anot­her washed up ole fart like mccain.

[doc1400]

Michelle Obama can recognize a monster as well as anyone.
You don't pick a monster for running mate, you destroy them.