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April 01, 2008

Lanny Davis on Ickes' Wright Strategy

Hannity & Colmes

COLMES: Hillary Clinton's top advisor Harold -- excuse me -- Ickes believes that the controversy surrounding Reverend Jeremiah Wright may sway undecided super delegates away from Barack Obama. Ickes said, quote, "I've had super delegates tell me that the Wright issue is a real issue for them."

Ickes wouldn't confirm or deny whether he was the one bringing it up, just that it had been discussed.

Joining us now, Clinton supporter Lanny Davis.

Look, Lanny, let's not be coy here. Harold Ickes is in charge of getting the super delegates to sway over to Hillary Clinton. He's probably, although conservatives have run with the Wright story, the Clinton people like Ickes are probably using that to try to sway the super delegates, right? Because that's how the game is played.

LANNY DAVIS, CLINTON SUPPORTER: Well, I think it's an appropriate issue to raise. I don't think...

COLMES: Who a guy's pastor is?

DAVIS: No. I think the appropriate issue to raise is -- and I still don't know the answer -- is when did Senator Obama hear these hate-filled sermons or newsletters? Did he know of them? Why did he not leave the congregation? And why did he appoint him his religious advisor in the campaign?

I don't hold it against him for any of those answers. I think he's got to answer them. And then people will have to decide whether he exercised good judgment.

COLMES: Lanny, that speech on race, he's addressed directly. He said he's distanced himself from those particular remarks. He has said everything I think he needs to say.

I don't know more -- you're in league with those people who, you know, obviously don't like Obama, because you want Hillary Clinton. I'm a Hillary supporter, but I'm very uncomfortable with going after somebody based on who their preacher is and what is said in the pulpit in a church which is a personal choice.

DAVIS: Alan, I respect your reaction, and I respect Senator Obama's decision, if that's a decision that he heard that chickens coming home to roost, his own minister, is what 9/11 was about, and decided to say. That's a decision I'd like him to explain.

If it were my rabbi who is using hate speech about America or about African-Americans or about any generic description, I would leave my synagogue. Now, that's my decision. You can react differently, but it is an appropriate issue, Alan. Because it's out there, and it's being talked about.

COLMES: It's appropriate to judge Obama on his votes, what he's done as a state senator, what he's done as a national senator, what his own speeches and two books have said. He has plenty of his own paper trail that should reveal who he is.

DAVIS: I have no doubt you are right. And I -- if I have left any misimpression, let me be clear. I respect Senator Obama. He is not even slightly sharing the views of this hate-filled minister.

HANNITY: Hey, Lanny...

DAVIS: I'm saying I'm uncomfortable with his decision to appoint him as a spiritual advisor of his campaign, a religious advisory committee. And I would not personally have stayed in that congregation with my rabbi or anybody else.

HANNITY: Lanny, yes, this could be a very historical night. Lanny Davis and Sean Hannity could agree.

DAVIS: Oh, my God.

HANNITY: The fact that his minister had traveled to Tripoli with Louis Farrakhan is a sign of his extremist views. The fact that the church awarded a lifetime achievement award to Farrakhan.

I'm of the belief, Lanny, and I'm being straight up and honest, that over the course of 20 years, it -- I have to have the willing suspension of disbelief, to quote your friend Hillary Clinton.

DAVIS: Remember that.

HANNITY: I have to believe that he didn't know in 20 years. If he would have left this church 10 years ago, I don't think we'd be talking about this today. But are you as hard-pressed as I to believe his story that he didn't know?

DAVIS: You know, I take the position, if somebody tells me something, I believe it. And I respect, Alan, as you know...

HANNITY: Don't duck this question. This is too important. Do you really believe he went to this church for 20 years?

DAVIS: I have not heard him answer that question...

HANNITY: Yes.

DAVIS: ... that he never heard these hate-filled sermons. And in fact, I thought he said that he hadn't heard anything before this past year.

HANNITY: The audacity...

DAVIS: So he's got to answer the questions for me, Sean.

HANNITY: The audacity of hope speech had white folks' greed in it. That phrase was in that speech.

DAVIS: Well, look, I'm again saying that I don't think Senator Obama shares these views. But he has questioned Hillary Clinton's judgment and used that against her. I am asking about his judgment.

He said himself, Alan, that he would have resigned from that congregation if this man hadn't already resigned himself.

HANNITY: Let me ask you this.

DAVIS: Why didn't he do it earlier?

COLMES: He didn't hear the particular comments. That's what he said.

HANNITY: If Barack Obama, Lanny, wins the popular vote at the end of this -- all the contest, if he wins in free, fair, and open elections, if he has won more elected delegates and Hillary then comes in the back door, party insiders, super delegates, convinces them to give the nomination to her, if I'm a Barack Obama supporter, I don't care what the DNC rules are, I will feel as if that election was stolen. Am I right to think that way?

DAVIS: I certainly think there is a real danger of that. And I think that, if Barack Obama wins the popular vote and all of the delegates, there will have to be a powerful argument based on facts that the national polls show...

HANNITY: Can you make one now?

DAVIS: ... that he cannot defeat John McCain, that would cause a super delegate to exercise.

HANNITY: Could you make that argument now?

DAVIS: I certainly am making the argument that, if he cannot defeat John McCain, that it's up to the super delegates to vote for the nominee...

HANNITY: Let me ask you this.

DAVIS: ... who can and that would be at great risk. And the Obama supporters would have a right to be upset.

HANNITY: But he's doing a little better in the polls -- but he's doing a little better in the polls than Hillary Clinton. But let me ask this.

DAVIS: Not versus John McCain, Sean. Actually, that's not true.

HANNITY: Polls work both ways. And honestly, they're very close.

DAVIS: They're close. But in the battleground states, he is behind Hillary. For example, in Massachusetts he's tied with John McCain.

HANNITY: Because only because of the time constraints we have. This whole Bosnia sniper fire thing. And I know you're a big Hillary supporter. What is it about this propensity -- I'll be gracious because she's your friend -- to fib, to exaggerate? I'm named after Sir Edmund Hillary. I'm a Yankees fan. You know, Chelsea's story about 9/11, et cetera, et cetera.

Why does she and her husband have this propensity to exaggerate? And I'm being gracious, because you're a friend.

DAVIS: Let me give you a two -- two-word expressions. One is honest mistake. It's an expression.

HANNITY: Honest mistake? Sniper fire? You didn't have sniper fire.

DAVIS: You asked me a question. Let me answer it.

Honest mistake when she makes a mistake I call it honest. When Barack Obama claims credit for an immigration bill but then Chris Dodd said he had very little to do with it, I call that an honest mistake.

But the double standard is to call Hillary a liar and to ignore what Barack Obama said that was an honest mistake.

HANNITY: If you say you were named after Sir Edmund Hillary and you're a Yankees fan, lifetime Yankees fan, you grew up in Chicago and there's sniper fire. If there was sniper fire, she would have known. That is not the type of thing you forget.

DAVIS: There is a big difference between somebody who has an honest mistake of memory 12 years ago...

HANNITY: Lanny...

DAVIS: ... with reported sharp-shooters at the time that she got off that plane that was reported.

HANNITY: When I get in trouble...

DAVIS: That was an honest mistake.

HANNITY: When I get in trouble, one day, I want people loyal like you defending me, because you'll defend -- you'll find a way to defend me.

DAVIS: It will be tough, Sean. It will be tough.

HANNITY: Thank you for being with us.

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