Clinton, Obama Surrogates Bring 'Bitter' Battle Battering To Morning Shows

The war of rhetoric over presidential hopeful Barack Obama's "bitter" comments continued on this morning's news shows, as surrogates and supporters sparred to turn the issue to their advantage. On The Today Show, Clinton supporter James Carville stepped back from labeling Obama as an "elitist," but continued his criticisms from Sunday's Meet The Press, suggesting that the candidate lacked sufficient awareness of "cultural history." He recommended that Obama move away from pressing the issue any further.

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LAUER: Let me ask you this, has Barack Obama committed a cardinal sin here, James, or is this politics as usual today, where a candidate says one thing to one group, tailors the message, if you will, and then says something else to another group?

CARVILLE: Being that the Pope is in the country, maybe we'll just call it a pretty serious venial sin. The more likely they talk about it, the more mortal it can become in a sin in the way we look at these things. I was surprised a bit that he wanted to keep the discussion going, because I don't think it was helpful for him. The statement itself was not only culturally insensitive, but it was inaccurate. But candidates make gaffes on the road and I think he ought to try to get this behind and talk more about working class people in a different way.

LAUER: Then let me ask you, as a longtime Democrat and someone who obviously wants to see your party -- whoever the nominee is -- do well in November, do you in your heart think that he is an elitist, unable to connect with the working class in this country?

CARVILLE: Well, I don't want to say somebody is an elitist, because I'm not exactly sure what that is, but I do think that as the campaign goes on and a lot of candidates grow, and I think in some ways that he's grown, and I think that as you go on, he wants to be sure that he has a better grasp of the cultural history of places like Pennsylvania, small towns in the midwest, and I think he can do that. I don't -- I'm not sure that John McCain has ever sort of lived the life that these people have lived, he's had a very honorable life, mostly in the military. But candidates grow and learn as they campaign and hopefully, that will happen with Senator Obama if he's the nominee. Senator Clinton, this may be an opportunity for her to come up and she may win this thing.

Meanwhile, over at MSNBC's Morning Joe, Obama strategist David Axelrod disputed the idea that Obama's background was lacking in "cultural awareness" and suggested that he should continue to talk about the issue. His take was that, ultimately, this discussion stood to damage Clinton more than it would help her.

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BRZEZINSKI: But, David, the question is your candidate in touch with people like the folks in Pennsylvania? Senator Clinton said that Senator Barack Obama's remarks are elitist and out of touch and not reflective of the values and beliefs of Americans. What do you say to that?

AXELROD: Well, I'll tell you something. Senator Obama started his -- started his career in public service working for churches in a community in the shadow of closed steel mills and a community devastated by the economic challenges. I don't think he need any lectures being in touch from Senator Clinton.

SCARBOROUGH: Was this something, David, the second you heard it, you knew it was a problem? Did you guys go to the proverbial war room and say, okay, we need to have him back off of this?

AXELROD: Well, we didn't need a whole lot of time to reflect on the fact that this was going to be a political issue because the Clinton campaign lit up like a pinball machine. You know? So we didn't have to be too hesitant about this. But, you know, here's what I believe, Joe. I believe at the end of the day in presidential campaigns, they're like MRIs, right? They expose you for who you are and people will judge who you are. I know who Barack Obama is. I know what drives him in life. I know why he got into public life. I know what his sense of identification is with working people and people who are struggling in this economy. I know that he's a man of deep faith. So I have every confidence about this. I think people will see him for who he is. I think they'll see the others for who they are. I don't think they're going to suddenly buy that Hillary Clinton is the NRA candidate here or that somehow she's more devout in her Christianity than Senator Clinton. I think, ultimately, what is disdainful is when you play people cheap and I think that's what -- I think that's what she's doing out there and I think, ultimately, I agree with what Mika said. I think she's overplaying her hand here and she's the one who is going to suffer for it.