In an interview, Barack Obama went out of his way to impugn the national security bona fides of a fellow Democrat. Presidential politics aside, this is scorched earth politics. It’s also the most dangerous kind of ploy to play against one of our own. Obama obviously thinks he’s playing a game, instead of launching a deadly charge against a Democratic party leader. I know Mr. Obama doesn’t have any respect for history, but since the Vietnam war and Reagan walked in to Washington, this is the type of charge Republicans have been using against our party for decades. Obama’s subtle way of sneaking it into the political bloodstream is the actions of someone who cares more about himself than what he does to the Democratic brand. Because if he seeks to sew doubts about a woman running for commander in chief, he’s doing so at all of our peril. The fact that military men across a wide spectrum have endorsed Clinton is not a small matter. I’d like Obama to make this quiet charge in front of Wesley Clark or Joseph Wilson.
But this really is rich, coming from a guy who wouldn’t even hold a hearing of his own
foreign affairs committee. Ducks out on important votes so we don’t know how
he would have voted. Chooses to vote “present” on votes that require
taking a stand. Won’t tell the truth about his a lobbyist being involved in
his own campaign. Runs untruthful ads about his health care plan saying it is
“universal” when it is clearly not. Says he won’t use outside groups,
then when he gets desperate ignores a UNITE HERE ad in Nevada.
But the worst of it is that Obama is now using subtle tactics to insintuate
that Clinton can’t be trust with secret intelligence.
Then asked whether that means she can’t be trusted to portray secret intelligence
to the American people:“I will decline to answer that question. I am making a point about politics.
… Part of the change that is needed in Washington, if there is enough trust
between the American people and their officials, when there are difficult
decisions to be made, there is not a lot of cynicism.” … ..
Why won’t he answer the question? No Democrat should let a question on national security go unanswered in order to paint doubts about another Democrat on serious issues that play into a long used Republican talking point.
Divide and conquer, baby. It’s another vein
of what he did last night, only he’s outright refusing to answer the question
so he can leave it in the air. The method is Republican. It smacks
of Dick Cheney innuendo and scare tactics. It also follows a pattern.
Obama praises Reagan. Gets caught on tape and starts to spin. Clinton uses
it in a devastating ad so Obama starts leaving subtle innuendos that she cannot
be trusted.
He goes to Christian Broadcasting Network to bash a Democrat.
He runs “Democrat for a Day” campaigns across the country.
He questions whether his people will vote for Clinton.
He calls himself a unifier, but is working very hard at dividing the party.
Then Obama refuses to answer a question about Clinton on one of the most important
commander in chief issues any potential nominee can face. He’s telegraphing
that the girl just might not be up to it. That she just doesn’t have the right
stuff. That a fellow Democrat, someone currently leading to be the Democratic nominee for commander in chief, cannot be trusted with secret intelligence. Joe Sestak might laugh in his face, but this isn’t funny at all.
Nothing is more nuclear for a Democrat. For a potential nominee of our party to imply this in an interview against one of his own is scorched earth politics. National security is an area where the Democratic brand is more important than any single Democrat. It is the very thing on which many people vote. It is the central job of the president: keeping Americans safe. Barack Obama is playing a deadly game for to assauge his own ego.
Who is this guy? And how did we let him get into the position of being so close to getting the Democratic nomination?
Comments are closed.