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 Down And Dirty In The Democratic Trenches
by The Associated Press
Posted: March 24, 2008 - 8:00 am ET
(Washington) Prominent supporters of
Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama on Sunday both faulted Obama's campaign
for allowing a retired general and backer of the Illinois senator to equate
comments by Clinton's husband - which appeared to question Obama's patriotism -
to McCarthyism.
"I don't believe President Clinton was implying
that," said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former presidential
candidate who endorsed Obama last week. "But the point here ... is that the
campaign has gotten too negative - too many personal attacks, too much
negativity that is not resounding with the public."
After the Obama endorsement, Clinton adviser James
Carville compared Richardson to Judas. On Sunday, Richardson said: "I'm not
going to get in the gutter like that. And you know, that's typical of many of
the people around Senator Clinton. They think they have a sense of entitlement
to the presidency."
Asked whether Obama's campaign was being too negative in
accusing former President Clinton of McCarthyism, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell,
a Clinton supporter, said, "Of course ... the Obama campaign tries to have
it both ways," he said.
Rendell said Bill Clinton was saying what many people
think, that the campaign should focus on the economy, health care and the
candidates' experience, for example, and not on race and other distractions.
"And instead they launch this all-out attack trying
to take an inference out of President Clinton's words that no fair person could
take," Rendell said. "It's an example of the negativity that Governor
Richardson is talking about.
"If they want to tone it down, don't accuse someone
of McCarthyism," Rendell said.
Both governors commented on "Fox News Sunday."
In Charlotte, N.C., last Friday and speculating about a
general election matchup pitting his wife against Republican John McCain, Bill
Clinton told a group of veterans: "I think it would be a great thing if we
had an election year where you had two people who loved this country and were
devoted to the interest of this country. And people could actually ask
themselves who is right on these issues, instead of all this other stuff that
always seems to intrude itself on our politics."
Retired Gen. Merrill "Tony" McPeak, a
co-chairman of Obama's campaign, took offense and accused Clinton of being
divisive and trying to question Obama's patriotism. Standing with Obama at a
campaign stop in southern Oregon, McPeak repeated Bill Clinton's comments for
the audience, then said:
"As one who for 37 years proudly wore the uniform of
our country, I'm saddened to see a president employ these tactics. He of all
people should know better because he was the target of exactly the same kind of
tactics."
That was an apparent reference to Bill Clinton's 1992
presidential campaign, when he was accused of dodging the Vietnam War draft.
McPeak also made off-the-cuff remarks to reporters Friday
in comparing the former president's comments with the actions of Joseph
McCarthy, the 1950s communist-hunting senator.
"I grew up, I was going to college when Joe McCarthy
was accusing good Americans of being traitors, so I've had enough of it,"
McPeak said.
©365Gay.com 2008
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