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 | Elian Gonzalez saga could haunt Obama | |
| Gitmo trial looms in election homestretch | |
| Back at Senate, Clinton treated like royal | |
| GOP favoritism in new IG report | |
| How Hoyer got the deal done | |
| LA Times/Bloomberg Poll: Obama +12 | |
| IN Polls: Prez Race Even, Gov Race Close | |
| McCain's Psychological Benefits | |
| VP Watch: Michigan Numbers | |
| The Charm Offensive Continues |
| A Transportation Stimulus | |
| McCain's Speech in Santa Barbara | |
| A Serious Energy Policy for Our Future | |
| The Imitators | |
| 'Victims' of Cut-Rate Loans |
| November's Magic Numbers | |
| Panel Discusses Clinton's Withdrawal | |
| Barack and Billary, Together Apart | |
| Clinton's No Guarantee to Bring Votes to Obama |
|
December 03, 2007
Rough Turn Of Events In Democratic Race
FOX News Special Report With Brit Hume
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's beginning to look a lot like that, you know, it really is, where we can't get a straight answer on healthcare, where somebody who runs on ethics and, you know, not taking money from certain people has found out to have at least skirted, if not violated the FEC rules and to use lobbyists and PAC money to do so.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Folks from some of the other campaigns are reading the polls and starting to get stressed and issuing a whole range of outlandish accusations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUME: And said Barack Obama, contrary to Senator Clinton, he didn't violate any elections laws and everything has been on the up and up. All this is happening perhaps in the response to but certainly in the aftermath of the emergence of a poll this weekend from the "Des Moines Register" whose polling is respected in the state of Iowa that shows Barack Obama by a three-point margin, which is in the margin of error, we should add, but it represents a significant uptick for him is now in the lead narrowly in the state of Iowa, which of course is first up in a month from today.
So where are we in all this, how rough is this getting and how much rougher will it get? Fred, I remember hearing from you last week when I was watching from vacation worrying or suggesting at least that the Republicans were beating each other up. Now you are beginning to see it get a little rough among the Democrats. What about it?
BARNES: Well, look, obviously you said perhaps that poll had something to do with it. Of course it had everything to do with it. But I think this is a strategy by Hillary Clinton. I think really it has no risks. What are people going to think, gee, she's tough and she's mean and she is not as nice and likable as we thought she was?
Nobody ever thought that anyway. So I don't think the risks are there, but she realizes that she can lose Iowa, she can lose Iowa and still -- because she has a base in the Democratic Party and still live on as a candidate, but if she wins Iowa and this is what she is doing, really going for the kill here. If she wins Iowa, as many, many people have written, and the political analysts have said, and commented, and people in the political community have said if she wins Iowa, the race is over, it's hers. And that may be true, and so she's going to just let it all fly in Iowa. Why not?
HUME: Even if she wins by a whisker in Iowa it would be enough to put Obama away?
BARNES: Maybe not a whisker, but if she wins by more than a whisker, it may be.
KONDRACKE: I think that's true but Mara has often said that when Hillary gets stressed by close polls and a tight race, she is going to do something really dumb, and I think this is really dumb. To say that this is the fun part, now comes the fun part and she goes on the attack against Barack Obama, as though, you know, she is enjoying this, she was the one saying that we all ought to attack just Republicans, and that people who question her are throwing mud. I think .
HUME: Now she is throwing mud.
KONDRACKE: I think she does look desperate here. She does look desperate and I think this is more defensive and rather than .
HUME: Do you think it will hurt her?
KONDRACKE: I think it will. I think that Iowa voters are not going to like a harsh attack on her part against Obama's character.
HUME: Fred Barnes says she doesn't see any downside risk her. Mort Kondracke says he does. Charles, you want to break this tie?
KRAUTHAMMER: It's Mort. He wins by a knockout.
HUME: By a whisker?
KRAUTHAMMER: By the chin. Look, Iowa has a history of being unhappy with frontrunners who attack each other. In the last cycle we had Gephardt and Dean who whacked each other, who were ahead, who had very harsh ads attacking each other.
And of course we all remember Kerry and Edwards snuck in and buried the other two. I think this is an example of her overreacting because of the polls. The part of the spat I'm enjoying the most is the spitball match over who has lusted for the presidency longer.
HUME: We'll talk about that later.
KRAUTHAMMER: She holds the world indoor record on this, having wanted it for at least 20 years .
BARNES: She started in Kindergarten.
KRAUTHAMMER: But her campaign has found a news story he wrote in kindergarten saying he wanted to be a president. Now, that is a parody. That stuff ought to be not in the panel but the kicker ...
HUME: It will be. Trust me it will be.
KRAUTHAMMER: Obviously I was not in on the planning of this show.
BARNES: Charles, they had a lot of negative stuff stored in the cupboard and they cleaned out the cupboard including that one.
KRAUTHAMMER: When you seriously quote an essay written in kindergarten, you have gone way over the edge.
HUME: Are these two candidates beating each other up so both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates will be equally beaten up?
BARNES: I don't think so. You heard Obama. He is doing a rope a dope. He is on the ropes and letting Hillary flail away and hopes that will hurt her.
