Obama vs. The Clinton's Round Three

Wow! If you have any compassion in your entire being, you have to be feeling some for Barack Obama right now. He seems to be on the Clinton's hit list and they are not letting up. The Democratic debate last night gave Clinton and Obama another chance to tear each other apart, with John Edwards, the martyr, standing by saying how he represents the "Grown-ups of the Democratic Party" and "all of the bickering will not get children health insurance or help the economy" (One point for him - yes, I am admitting that John Edwards said something intelligent and that I agree with.) The three are buying for last minute undecided voters in the South Carolina democratic primary this Saturday.

I believe that the problems started when the Clinton team realized that Obama had a real chance to gain the nomination. Before him, I think they (along with a lot of other people in the US) thought that Hillary was unstoppable in her push for the White House. When the primaries started and they realized that Obama was really close to her in the polls and actually beat her in some of the early primaries, they got scared that they might loose. The Clinton's don't like to loose. As the gap in the poll numbers has closed in between the front runners, the attacks have gotten more vicious and much more personal, seeming to criticize every word out of Obama's mouth.

One of the latest "Obama Quotes" that has gotten under the Clinton's skin was where Obama was talking about wanting to be a president who makes an impact in the world. He said, "Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of American in a way that Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton did not." Can you believe that he had the audacity to say that the Clinton presidency did not change the world? (If you know me, you would know that the previous sentence was said with sarcasm and the word "audacity" was emphasised in the sentence - there should be a universal symbol for sarcasm.) The truth is it didn't. Bill Clinton was a good president, but he did not do anything spectacular. The waters were relatively calm, he did not rock the boat, he cruised through 8 years in the white house. Congressional hearings and dealings with interns were all his doing and had nothing to do with making a difference on the world. Reagan on the other hand had the Cold War and the Berlin Wall among other events that made true change in the world. Obama said this and he was correct in this. Talk about a bee in the Clinton's bonnet. Not only did Obama "dis" the Clinton presidency, he talked supported about Reagan - ultimate treason for any good Democrat since Reagan continues to be a face for the Republican Party.

Something that makes this whole campaign even dirtier, is the involvement of Bill Clinton in the hateful remarks and personal attacks toward Obama. Eugene Robinson, writer for the Washington Post has dubbed Bill, Hillary's "cold-blooded political hit man." Senator Ted Kennedy, well known for being outspoken himself has joined with Congressman Rahm Emanuel, another leading figure in the democratic party, to tell the Clinton's to "stop attacking Barack Obama." and Representative James Clyburen from South Carolina said that "Bill Clinton needs to chill." Bill's behavior is made even worse by the fact that as a former president, you expect his demeanor to be more reserved and for his main priority to be to unite the party. Right or wrong he is held to a higher standard because of his position. Wait a minute? Don't we hold the president to a higher standard while in office? Isn't Bill Clinton the one making sure interns were taken care of in the Oval Office? I guess we are expecting too much.......

When asked about the former presidents behavior on Good Morning America, Obama said, "He has taken his advocacy on behalf of his wife to a new level that I think is pretty troubling and I promise to directly confront him when he is making statements that are not factually true." I respect Obama for the way he has tried to continue to remain calm and I respect his right to confront Bill about untrue statements, but has he ever heard the one about winning a spitting match with a snake?

Last night during the debate, Hillary was asked about Bill's "new attack dog role" in the campaign, to which she replied that the "campaign is not about spouses. Michelle (Obama) and Elizabeth (Edwards) are staunch advocates for their husbands and I respect that."

Okay, Hillary, first of all Michelle and Elizabeth have been a quiet, strong support from the background with no attempt to overshadow or make the campaign about them. They have never once gotten up at a rally and attacked Hillary's record, professionally or personally (and we all know there is plenty that they could attack), nor have they made themselves the focal point of their husbands campaign. Having a spouse as a former president could be a huge advantage in a campaign, but the Clinton's have shown their true colors the way they have handled what would seem to be an upper hand in the election.

This has been a hard post, I am very disappointed in the Clinton's. I think that their tactics are becoming more and more immature and that if they continue to down slide, it could be a factor in a loss for them. This post was also hard to write because I had to write that I agreed with John Edwards and Ted Kennedy. I don't know which is worse.......