Clinton-Obama smackdown

[Mr. Morden]

Great entertainmnet:

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/02/falling_on_geff.html

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"Hillary Clinton's campaign apparently didn't take too kindly to the harsh rhetoric from L.A. music mogul David Geffen, courtesy of today's Maureen Dowd. Geffen, who is backing Barack Obama, called Bill Clinton "reckless" and clearly is still upset that Clinton didn't grant a pardon to cause celeb native American Leonard Peltier. More Geffen: "Marc Rich getting pardoned? An oil-profiteer expatriate who left the country rather than pay taxes or face justice?"

Clinton chief spokesperson Howard Wolfson, in a release this a.m., is "demanding that" Obama "disavow personal attacks" from Geffen. Wolfson: "While Senator Obama was denouncing slash and burn politics yesterday, his campaign's finance chair was viciously and personally attacking Senator Clinton and her husband. If Senator Obama is indeed sincere about his repeated claims to change the tone of our politics, he should immediately denounce these remarks, remove Mr. Geffen from his campaign and return his money. While Democrats should engage in a vigorous debate on the issues, there is no place in our party or our politics for the kind of personal insults made by Senator Obama's principal fundraiser.""
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http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/02/obama_camp_take.html

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"The Obama camp has responded to Howard Wolfson's demands. From spokesperson Robert Gibbs: "We aren’t going to get in the middle of a disagreement between the Clintons and someone who was once one of their biggest supporters. It is ironic that the Clintons had no problem with David Geffen when was raising them $18 million and sleeping at their invitation in the Lincoln bedroom. It is also ironic that Senator Clinton lavished praise on Monday and is fully willing to accept today the support of South Carolina State Sen. Robert Ford, who said if Barack Obama were to win the nomination, he would drag down the rest of the Democratic Party because ’he's black.’""

[angus]

It is ironic that the Clintons had no problem with David Geffen when was raising them $18 million and sleeping at their invitation in the Lincoln bedroom. It is also ironic that Senator Clinton lavished praise on Monday and is fully willing to accept today the support of South Carolina State Sen. Robert Ford, who said if Barack Obama were to win the nomination, he would drag down the rest of the Democratic Party because ’he's black.’""

it's a good soundbite and a clever response, but those are not examples of irony.

Neither verbal, dramatic, nor situational irony, as far as I can tell. 

This would be an example of irony:


Just FYI.

[Verily]

No, it's irony. Irony has an extremely broad definition, we're just used to only hearing about comedic and tragedic irony.

[agcatter]

Confirms the obvious.  The Clintons really are afraid of Obama.  They are taking him seriously.  Still, in the end, the Clinton machine destroys Obama.  Could get pretty ugly between these two before Obama goes down.  Entertaining.

[Mr. Morden]

And now Wolfson fires back:

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/02/the_denouncemen.html

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"By refusing to disavow the personal attacks from his biggest fundraiser against Senator Clinton and President Clinton, Senator Obama has called into serious question whether he really believes his own rhetoric. How can Senator Obama denounce the politics of slash & burn yesterday while his own campaign is espousing the politics of trash today?

“When one of Senator Clinton’s supporters made an inappropriate statement, her campaign disavowed it immediately and the supporter apologized for his words. Why won’t Senator Obama do the same?”

[Rob]

This is getting nasty...

Good to see a prominent Democrat blasting the former Prez, though. I'm tired of liberals blindly supporting that Rockefeller Republican.

[angus]

This is getting nasty...

The I-like-to-say-'I'm-sorry'-more-than-you-do wars are a bizarre sort of negative campaigning, though, and not what normally comes to mind when I think of mudslinging.  I haven't yet seen the sort of good old-fashioned dick-in-the-dirt muckracking that Lee Atwater would be proud of.  I'm sure it's coming.