Mark Halperin Blows Obama VP Story, Then Covers It Up

Hey, kids! Late yesterday evening, Mark Halperin, who writes "The Page" for Time Magazine - which is like a comic book, full of listicles for children - had up on "The Page" a post that, in his Halperin-y way, suggested or spitballed that Obama had chosen his Veep, and that Veep was Dick Lugar. It was titled "Hoosier Values" and read:

What is Barack Obama looking for in a running mate?

Obama tells TIME he wants someone who is "not about ego, self-aggrandizement, getting their name in the press" and tells CBS News he wants someone he would "feel comfortable with."

Obama at Saddleback: "There are people like ... Dick Lugar, a Republican, who I'd listen to on foreign policy."

On CNN this past Sunday: BLITZER: "Do you agree with Senator Lieberman that Senator Obama has not put the country first?"

LUGAR: "No. I think that was clearly a partisan statement at a rally. I respect everybody their opinions in a political campaign, but that's all that was."

To see what the future could look like, click here. [The link led to a photo of Lugar and Obama.]

Dick Lugar, of course, has endorsed John McCain for President. A brief amount of time passed, and then Halperin took the confounding post down, and there has been no mention of it since then. No update, no correction.

As long as Halperin is pulling the stupid stuff down off of his website, why not continue and pull this silliness down also? It's really hard to believe that a grown up wrote this, or that a room full of grown ups said, "Hey, let's actually pay for this." I find it hard to believe that a grown up would even read it, but I did, and now LOOK! Grey matter is dribbling out of my nose and now everything is going black and swoony. Damn you, Mark Halperin.

Comments

[Witchitalineman]

Halperin is wishy washy.

[levibatgirl]

The media sucks in every way.

[mamacat]

Jason, I always enjoy reading your columns. Halperin must have really ticked you off, to go to all of this trouble.

[NTO08]

He has nothing better to do...

[InofTouch]

dosen't this sort of thing happen all the time...mos­tly on comments

[dlswriter]

Joe Biden is the one and only politician that spoke openly and truthfuly about Iraq. He may have been the only one that knew what the hell was going on. At least 66% of the country never had a clue what he was talking about, because it wouldn't fit on a bumper sticker.

[pixie]

I don't want to be mean, but this Halperin is clearly a hack.

He seems to have a personal stake in every race - he is never just an objective observer.

Take a look at him on the Charlie Rose show the night of the NH primary.

[gdaerin]

lol

[hilts]

Mark Halperin is a pretty dim bulb. His blog has less substance than cotton candy. He's an empty suit.

[Bsonder]

I totally agree. I can't stomach him and turn the channel whenever he is on some show as a pundit. I could be wrong but wasn't he a political director or some such title at ABC and delighted in the assault against Bill Clinton? I hated all the conservative jerks back then and some of them are still on air spewing their poison towards Barack Obama now.

[philryan]

What I see is an incredible display of juvenile snottiness on the part of the Obama-ites on here. And just so you know I supported Hillary, and just so you know, when she was not the nominee, I immediately fell in line behind the nominee. I contributed monetarily to his campaign and I will continue to support his candidacy because he is our nominee. Period. However, that being said, all the Clintonites are saying is that Hillary solidifies the wavering blue states like Ohio and Michigan and Pennsylvania. Time and time again, Democrats want to be all lofty in their picks and they end up getting their ass beaten by Republicans. Why? Because while Republicans suck at governing the country, they are pretty darn good at winning presidencies. So stuff your nah, nah, we beat your girl idiocy. That woman deserves respect just as Obama earns the respect for his achievement. I truly hope he wins in the fall. It will be interesting to see what my text message says tomorrow morning. Biden? Not my first choice, but I think he'll do nicely, if he can stay on message and not stray off the reservation and shoot his mouth off. And Obama needs to realize that while the goal of staying positive is all well and good, when he is hit, he needs to kick some ass back -- in other words, the Clinton model.

[veracity]

Hillary sat on the board of directors of WalMart - there ONLY because her husband was the Governor of WalMart's home state - and collected her pay while WalMart went on a 20-year bust unions and KEEP WOMEN _OUT_ OF MANGEMENT tear.
She told us she was "AGAINST NAFTA" even though there is video all over the web of her advocating for it in 1994. Worst of all, she has had VERY LITTLE legislative experience, and as a result, her 1993 "Health Care Reform" commission was a Frankenstein monster that gave Repubs & Big Biz ALL the ammunition they needed to portray _all_ Dems as arrogant, detached, dictatorial tax-and-spend autocrats.

Net Result Dems LOST BOTH Houses of Congress, for first time in decades.

Even in 2006, when (due to gross Repub corruption) Dems finally undid that GOP stranglehold on Congress, many Dems complained that Hillary's campaign machine sucked the air out of small, long shot candidates' donor appeals, long after Hillary's reelection was assured.

Finally, Hillary blew through a _quarter billion dollars_ in 2008 without broadening her support a lick. She claimed to be AGAINST CAFTA - even as the 2 men closest to her campaign, Bill & Mark Penn, were collecting almost million each FROM COLUMBIA!
IF that isn't an indication of how DISASTROUS a HRC campaign (much less presidency) would have been, nothing is.
Now, though, Hillary HAS A CHANCE to MAKE GOOD on the promise, but not reality, of her political career.

[JJK]

Didn't he also say that Romney was going to be McCain's VP.

OK, Mark, it's show time.

You go 0 for 2 and, since there isn't another Political Party, yerrrrrrr OUT!

[johnnynyc]

After reading this I've taken HuffPo out of my bookmarks.

I now feel at least 50% smarter.

[BannedInBoston]

Funny, you sound 50% dumber....

[aflyinyoursoup]

Well said.

[ColinSF]

I believe he means he has made Huffington Post his Home page.

[darthmaul]

Now you have learned the dangers of reading. That's why our president stays away from the printed word, it's dangerous stuff. Except comics and stuff like that. With comics you can usually get by without reading.

[Jonz316]

I read somewhere that some state ballots do not allow a registered republican to be on a democratic ballot position?

[aWatchmanOnTheWalls]

Quiet interesting reading this questionable character Sen. Liebermann to be able to question Sen. Obama on who is putting this country "first"? I'll love to know if Sen Lieberman in his everyday administration of duty isn't it about NOT putting American "second" and Israel "First"? Just a question.

[BannedInBoston]

Just an observation -- In Washington, D.C., among pols and lobbyists, Israel is casually referred to as "the 51st State." As I say, just an observation (but a true fact....)

[blackpope]

I am sorry i have to disagree with arianna and her crew on this one...I love mark halperin..­.he is a true journalist­...objecti­ve and never subjective­....never!­!! Atimes I wish he was the only news source alive...of course besides huffpo!!!

[militaryfamily]

Wasn't Mark Halperin the one that wrote the story about the "kid and the fist bump" that was untrue? Turned out the the child was asking Obama to sign his hand. I still remember that condescending last line that said it was "sad on so many levels". Even after it was debunked, he did not apologize for mis-reporting the story.

[darthmaul]

Ah, but did he "regret" the story. Like he may have said "I regret that the small boy and Obama chose to use such an easily misinterpreted greeting, like gangs do, instead of a good, American style handshake.­" Hows that for an "apology."

[saltysea]

sarcasm, right?