by Taylor Marsh
Clinton fights for children and families.
She fights for women's rights around the world.
She fights for health care. She fights for veterans' health care too.
After a year in the primary season, Hillary Clinton has found her theme: I'm a fighter.
It does not go unnoticed that she's fighting to win this nomination even as people want to push her out of this race.
The first part of the debate it was obvious that it was three on one. Clinton didn't flinch at first, but finally let it rip.
SEN. CLINTON: Well, can I just point out that in the last several debates, I seem to get the first question all the time. And I don't mind. I -- you know, I'll be happy to field them, but I do find it curious, and if anybody saw "Saturday Night Live," you know, maybe we should ask Barack if he's comfortable and needs another pillow. (Laughter, boos.) I just find it kind of curious that I keep getting the first question on all of these issues. But I'm happy to answer it. (transcript)
It was clear she was furious. The flash from her eyes was obvious, but it was organic so the rest of the debate washed over it, as everything settled back down.
Clinton also finally cornered Obama about the NATO sub-committee on which he has yet to convene a hearing. He admitted that was the case, that since January 2007 he hasn't. But his answer was basically that he was too busy. Unfortunately, there was no follow up to ask: why? Afghanistan is going to hell and Obama's too busy to get involved in his own sub-committee. This just doesn't pass the test. There is no excuse considering what's happening in Afghanistan. It was a prime opportunity for Obama to lead, which he failed. Clinton nailed him on it.
Time and again Clinton fought back to make an additional point on subjects that are important to her, fighting her way through Obama's continual word blizzards.
Russert then threw out a question on Russia, which he later said on MSNBC was a "jump ball," which even the wingnuts knew was a gotcha.
Gotcha BS [Andy McCarthy]
Good for Hil getting the name of the new president of Russia right (more or less). Catty of Russert to ask. She got the essential part of the question right -- he's Putin's marionette. Did she really need to know the guy's name off the top of her head to convince us she understood what's happening in Russia?
Dmitry Medvedev, for those of you who care.
On the next issue, I'm playing the contrarian.
Because it was on Louis Farrakhan that the debate shifted and you really saw the differences in these candidates. As much as it's popular to beat up on Bill Clinton these days, at least he knew a moment when a marker is laid down. Last night, Barack Obama missed his Sister Souljah moment by a mile.
SEN. OBAMA: You know, I have been very clear in my denunciation of Minister Farrakhan's anti-Semitic comments. I think that they are unacceptable and reprehensible. I did not solicit this support. He expressed pride in an African-American who seems to be bringing the country together. I obviously can't censor him, but it is not support that I sought. And we're not doing anything, I assure you, formally or informally with Minister Farrakhan.
MR. RUSSERT: Do you reject his support?SEN. OBAMA: Well, Tim, you know, I can't say to somebody that he can't say that he thinks I'm a good guy. (Laughter.) You know, I -- you know, I -- I have been very clear in my denunciations of him and his past statements, and I think that indicates to the American people what my stance is on those comments.
Clinton then took Obama to school.
CLINTON: I just want to add something here, because I faced a similar situation when I ran for the Senate in 2000 in New York. And in New York, there are more than the two parties, Democratic and Republican. And one of the parties at that time, the Independence Patty, was under the control of people who were anti-Semitic, anti- Israel. And I made it very clear that I did not want their support. I rejected it. I said that it would not be anything I would be comfortable with. And it looked as though I might pay a price for that. But I would not be associated with people who said such inflammatory and untrue charges against either Israel or Jewish people in our country.
And, you know, I was willing to take that stand, and, you know, fortunately the people of New York supported me and I won. But at the time, I thought it was more important to stand on principle and to reject the kind of conditions that went with support like that.RUSSERT: Are you suggesting Senator Obama is not standing on principle?
CLINTON: No. I'm just saying that you asked specifically if he would reject it. And there's a difference between denouncing and rejecting. And I think when it comes to this sort of, you know, inflammatory -- I have no doubt that everything that Barack just said is absolutely sincere. But I just think, we've got to be even stronger. We cannot let anyone in any way say these things because of the implications that they have, which can be so far reaching.
OBAMA: Tim, I have to say I don't see a difference between denouncing and rejecting. There's no formal offer of help from Minister Farrakhan that would involve me rejecting it. But if the word "reject" Senator Clinton feels is stronger than the word "denounce," then I'm happy to concede the point, and I would reject and denounce.
CLINTON: Good. Good. Excellent.
As a Scots-Irish broad, I saw Obama's tepid response to Farrakhan, and was appalled. Emails from Jewish friends confirmed that I wasn't alone. That Obama had to be led to this reality is proof of his ruffle no feathers at any cost mentality. It has nothing to do with him believing in our "special relationship" with Israel, or insinuating anything remotely anti-semitic. It's about moral courage and the conciliatory reflex he has to extend grace to people who haven't earned and don't deserve it. People like Louis Farrakhan.
So the winner in political terms was Clinton, because she found her theme and it fits.
Obama was a push, because he remained cool throughout. For me that's a draw back. I like my politicians with passion, but pontificating on an air filled hill suits some. But conceding the point on Farrakhan was important and showed a bit more of the man, which is good, even though he had to be led to it.
Take away of the night: Clinton, the fighter. That's for sure.
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I denounce and reject Ferraro, why doesn't Hillary?
The great thing about this election, is it is now clear we WILL elect a woman for president, but not Hillary, not this time.
of course, if she wins the nomination, I'll voter for her.
I am Jewish. All the Jews I know support Obama I doubt Ms. March is you have any understanding about how WE feel or who we support Jews are not monolithic ... there are even Jewish republicans.
I was frankly moved by Obama's comments surrounding Farrakhan and also by his continued support and work with the Jewish people. More than I can say for either of the Clinton's: especially Mrs. Clinton you forget about her
f****g Jew remark surrounding one of their Arkansas campaign aides --- I never will ...
Please let us as Jews make our own decisions and do not put words in our mouths ...
I'm also Jewish and haved already voted for Obama, as have the rest of my family. What f****g Jew remark by Clinton-- I didn't know about that???????
Ditto and thank you!
AHaHahaha! Stop it, you're killing me! My side are aching, ROTF, AHHahaha!
Got Rose colored glasses?
"...Clinton then took Obama to school..."
Gee - I hope she packed him a nice lunch with some healthy choices like fresh fruit and water (since I know Hillary herself has given up the diet cola)
Yup, Obama is still 'going to school' whilst Hillary has graduated and is now ready to join the workforce.
I get where you're coming from Taylor Marsh, but I'm not sure if I agree with you.
ms. marsh
INTELLIGENCE, INTEGRITY AND CHARACTER should always be the primary criteria that every voter uses when assessing whether a political candidate is worthy of their trust and their vote
mrs. clinton is very INTELLIGENT
whether the candidate has a controversial middle name or a vjj is totally irrelevant and i am really getting tired of your blind devotion to the possibility of a woman as POTUS
if anyone had bothered to look behind george bush's avuncular demeanor and texas-sized smirk we wouldn't be where we are today - it was very clear to see that bush had little INTELLIGENCE and absolutely no INTEGRITY or CHARACTER
when hillary agrees to the dnc's florida/michigan rules and then vows to seat their delgates, that points clearly to a lack of INTEGRITY
when hillary continues to attack obama's INTEGRITY and CHARACTER rather than his positions and ideas all she does is draw attention to her own lack of those very same qualities
hillary's slavish devotion to and protection of pay-to-play lobbyists and lavish earmarks to the military and medical industries speaks volumes to the issue of where her interests truly lie
barack obama's promises to clean out the washington dc special interests and restore the interests of the american people are equally revealing of where his interests lie
hillary promises a continuation of the corrupt, disfunctional and broken-down government currently getting a 21% approval rating by the american people
obama promises something better and because i believe him to be a candidate of INTELLIGENCE, INTEGRITY and CHARACTER, he has my full support
while i sympathise with your dashed hopes for the first woman POTUS, i strongly suggest that you get over it
When will you get it - we don't want Clintonism. Or hotheads. Or 'perpetual campaigners' constantly looking to score cheap points.
I promised myself in 2002. Anyone who voted for the irag war resolution and while listening to Senator Bryd pleading with the senate not to give bush dictorial powers. I would never vote for anyone of them at any level. They totally ignored us. Has nothing to do with any sister souljah or Farrakhan moment. Hillary and other democrats voted along with the republicans to ban flag burning. She voted for the f**k the middle class bankruptcy bill, the kyl/lieberman bill.
Once again, Taylor puts her foot in her mouth. She had 196 comments on this story on her blog, she has 400 plus here. But she does not and will not have this story on her blog.
Hillary's Farrakhan moment *update* video link
by LoLoLaLa
Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 06:47:06 PM PST
Link to video, thanks to Elrod: http://cbs11tv.com/...
Found this on Adrew Sullivan's blog
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/
Every time she tries to call someone out, she ends up looking, well...
LoLoLaLa's diary :: ::
From New York Daily News reporter Michael McAuliffe's pool report. He was with Sen. Clinton today for a round of satellite interviews.
She was asked by KTVT in Dallas about a Latina backer who said that black politicians never do anything for Hispanics. Her name is Adelfa Callejo. Apparently she"s 84.
[The question: "She recently told us that African-Americans never help Hispanics when they gain power and influence and that she would never vote for Sen. Obama, and now quoting here she said 'Obama"s problem is that he happens to be black.' How do you react to those comments?"]
Will she reject, or denounce? Wait for it...
"People have every reason to express their opinions. I just don"t agree with that. I think that we should be looking at the individuals who are running."
Q - Do you still want her support, though?
Clinton laughed and said, "You know This is a free country. People get to express their opinions. A lot of folks have said really unpleasant things about me over the course of this campaign. You can" take any of that as anything other than an individual opinion."
But what about the debate last night?
Q- But you criticized Obama for not rejecting the support form Farrakhan,
"I don"t see any comparison at all with what you"re referring to and I don"t know the facts of what you"re telling me over the TV. So I"m just going to repeat that I want people to judge us on the merits."
Amazing.
Tags: Louis Farrakhan, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, hypocrite, redenounce, deject, Adelfa Callejo (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions
Are you going to post it on your blog Taylor?
"Hillary fails Iraq mistake moment." It would mean allot more to people if Senator Clinton would admit she made a mistake on her Iraq vote. This is actually relevant, unlike the Farrakhan stuff which is just a canard. You think that Senator Clinton is an inspired leader because she brings up that she is always asked the first question. This is very important to the American people? Do we want a person for President that really thinks that such inconsequential nonsense is important? This would be a reason not to vote for her.
Hello?
Obama was doing a lawyer thing -- he was denouncing Farrakan's comments about Jews.
He was dancing a fine line.
Russert asked him if he REJECTED Farrakan's support.
Obama dances around it by saying he wasn't offered anything specific to reject.
This is what Obama always does -- he covers his tracks in a way he can always explain away if pressed further.
Hillary is also a lawyer - she saw the move for what it was.
Reject is a stronger term. That's why Russert used the word reject.
Oxford dictionary:
Denounce - to speak publically against.
Reject - to refuse to accept.
For a man who says words are important I find it odd that he acts as if there's no difference between the two ... there is.
Your hatred is clouding your perception, are you sure you wouldn't be more comfortable as a Republican?
Denouncing is a LOT stronger than rejecting. When you denounce someone you draw attention to what is wrong, you display everything you find abhorrent about that person.
Rejection is a simple, let's not accept this.
But it's all moot, because no matter what anyone wants to imply about Obama he did in fact say: I denounce and reject, and Hillary's moment of triumph in this word blizard never occurred.
Well said! Great column!
Why is it that white America requires every Black politician pass its 'Louis Farrakhan Test'? Every time the man says anything White Media comes running to the nearest Black leader wanting him to repudiate Farrakhan's statements as if they have to prove that they don't share his views even though they aren't associated with Farrakhan. I never see anyone running to any of the White Republicans when Ann Colter, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage or any of the other Uber-Far right talking heads routinely say racist, bigoted, sexist, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic crap. For some reason White Media needs blacks to prove that they are the type of "American Negro" that white America decides is acceptable. Its well past time for this to stop.
I'm sure many voters are asking themselves why Obama would be a member of a Church that Honors Louis Farrakhan as a Great Man?
Oh please! Is that all you have? Now he is ant-Jewish? News flash not all Black folks think alike. There are many white leaders and thinkers that have opinions that people don't agree with (Billy Graham, etc...). We have to be able to challenge folks but also keep the door open for dialogue.
I am sorry Hillary is losing but you have to stop blaming Obama for it! Remember Hillary ran as the presumptive dem nominee. With all the sexism she faced, she has to take responsibility for how she ran her campaign. Even with all the racist, anti-Muslim crap thrown at him (and there"s more to come) he knew he couldn"t get stuck there! Obama just out organized Clinton on the ground. Obama managed his money better, competed in every state, and had a game plan after Super Tuesday. Hell he built a movement! She did not handle her business by under estimating her competition. There will always be sexism & racism, but you cannot use it as an excuse. RUN YOUR CAMPAIGN!
Democratics we have to stop this foolishness. As a African American women, I understand that the prospect of having a women president is awesome. We all should want that! We also have to understand that the prospect of the 1st African American president is awesome too! We all should want that too. With that said we have to let them both make the case and ultimately support the winner. Stop insulting the electorate and stop confusing your support for Clinton with hatred for Obama! We have got to unite!
I agree, well put and articulate.
I am a big fan of Taylor Marsh, but like other I have noticed a rather nasty tone creeping into her Obama criticism. I was for Edwards, and only recently came over to Obama.
I understand Hillary is a friend, but I have friends, that doesn't mean I want them to be President. Moreover, isn't is an awful precident to have 2 families occupy the white house for 28 years, now another 8!? Is that our democracy? Is that what our founders envisioned?
As for her assertion that she is being asked the first question too much..6 out of the last 10 times? REALLY! if it was 8 or 9 yeah maybe.. but 6.. come on. Besides, she says she is a fighter. Look she is great, but she has gone nasty and dirty. She is in the pocket of Big Business [sorry just a fact of her campaign policy and contributors] and we don't need any more of that.
Is a woman in office more important than our nation? than the world?
one final note. some other poster on Huff mentioned, Obama if eleceted, would be the first minority elected to National leadership in the world. That has to count for something.
Unfortunately, Clinton fights everyone but Bush. She purrs like a kitten when he asks for more power: Iraq, Iran, FISA, etc. She only fights other Democrats, like her 1993 healthcare fiasco and her attacks on Obama. She needs Republicans as foils, but Democrats who stand in her way are the real enemy.
BTW, why is Obama responsible for Farrakan? Because they are both black??? Does that make me responsible for Tom Delay?
Obama is a MEMBER of a CHURCH that Honors Louis Farrakhan as a GREAT MEN, what don't you understand?
This is what seems to be forgotten. I find the view that Obama-can-do-no-right here rather silly after a while. She's attacked Obama far more than she's done squat in years against Bu$h. But we're supposed to forget that because Ms. Marsh tells us so. No thanks.
She purrs like a kitten?
How aboutthe MAJORITY OF MALE SENATORS who made the same vote: Did they purr like kittens?
Jeeze. Sexist much?
I ussualy say that male dems who helped bush get his war on "bent over and took it".
I guess that's probably homophobic, but I've never heard any of my gay friends complain.
In regard to Senator Clinton, I would say something LESS offensive, like "she purred like a kitten" or she "rolled over for him".
Hil was a rep, before a Dem. She did not like it when Bill lost an election. She got busy working for the cause, started using Bil's last name. She talked the talk with a southern drawl and she had a baby. She talked like tha southern belle until she decided to run for Senator, and her voice and acting lessons paid off because now she sounds like the New Yorker, and as she rapidly ages, she is determined to beat Bil at his game. Challenging Bil re the put up over his womanizing and misuse of the oval office. This obsession for taking over the Oval office and beginning on day one the unfinished work, is a real challenge and she is resorting to a to die for attitude toward this goal.
I want to make it clear that - as a sane person not involved in any Clinton personality cults - I don't simply denounce Taylor Marsh, I reject her.
I concur.
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Posted February 27, 2008 | 03:03 AM (EST)