A top adviser to Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign said that Democrats should give more thought to Sen. Barack Obama's admissions of illegal drug use before they pick a presidential candidate.
[...]
Shaheen, an attorney and veteran organizer, said much of Obama's background is unknown and could be a problem in November 2008 if he is the Democratic nominee. He said Republicans would work hard to discover new aspects of Obama's admittedly spotty youth.
"It'll be, 'When was the last time? Did you ever give drugs to anyone? Did you sell them to anyone?'" said Shaheen, whose wife, Jeanne, is the state's former governor and is running for the U.S. Senate next year.
"There are so many openings for Republican dirty tricks. It's hard to overcome," Shaheen said.
Today, the Union Leader reports that Shaheen has resigned from the Clinton capmpaign after issuing those statements to Wapo.
In a statement first obtained by UnionLeader.com, Shaheen said, “I would like to reiterate that I deeply regret my comments yesterday and say again that they were in no way authorized by Senator Clinton or the Clinton campaign. Senator Clinton has been running a positive campaign focused on the issues that matter to America’s families. She is the best qualified to be the next President of the United States because she can lead starting on day one. I made a mistake and in light of what happened, I have made the personal decision that I will step down as the Co-Chair of the Hillary for President campaign. This election is too important and we must all get back to electing the best qualified candidate who has the record of making change happen in this country. That candidate is Hillary Clinton.”
Clinton issued an apology to Obama this morning.
Isn't that special?
So, did he misspeak or is Sheehan just collateral damage, doing Hillary's dirty work for her, then sent away as the sacrificial lamb?
Obama's campaign Manager, David Plouffe, had this to say:
"Hillary Clinton said attacking other Democrats is the fun part of this campaign, and now she's moved from Barack Obama's kindergarten years to his teenage years in an increasingly desperate effort to slow her slide in the polls. Senator Clinton's campaign is recycling old news that Barack Obama has been candid about in a book he wrote years ago, and he's talked about the lessons he's learned from these mistakes with young people all across the country. He plans on winning this campaign by focusing on the issues that actually matter to the American people."
On the 9th of December, 2007, Hillary Clinton's campaign also asked for the resignation of a second Iowa volunteer coordinator who forwarded a hoax e-mail saying Barack Obama is a Muslim possibly intent on destroying the United States.
Last week they asked volunteer Jones County coordinator Judy Rose to resign after learning that she forwarded a such an e-mail on Nov. 21. But it turns out Rose wasn't the only one.
"Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential Candidacy," read the e-mail. "Please forward to everyone you know. The Muslims have said they Plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at The highest level."
Are these coincidences? Over eager staffers and campaign coordinators? Or are these intentional smears giving Hillary the negative campaigning she claimed was "fun", then offering her a chance to wipe her hands of it by asking for their resignations.
Maybe they feel that offering themselves up as a sacrifice is a good way to act for the "common good".
Newsday has this little tidbit:
For months, tension has been building between the "Hillary" and "Bill" parts of the team, say several people familiar with the situation. Bill Clinton -- along with former White House hands -- have counseled her to adopt a far more aggressive approach with Obama.
Penn, sources say, has counseled moderation, believing an attack would elevate her already-high negatives and drive her too far to the left to win a general election.
Having staffers and campaign coordinators do the dirty work, then resigning could actually implement both, Bill Clinton and Mark Penn's strategies.
Attack, fire or ask people to resign and then declare she had no part of the attack.
Would you put that past either Clinton?
I certainly wouldn't.
Coincidence or coordinated plan.... what do you think?
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