Redstate

I guess character may be an issue after all

By Kevin Holtsberry Posted in 2008 | 2008 Democratic Primary | 2008 Presidential Campaign | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton — Comments (7) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

I posed the question yesterday if Hillary's penchant for exaggeration and her scandal plagued past was going to be an issue in the campaign. Obama has answered my question with a loud yes.

It is true that he isn't going after the old scandals, but he is taking the issue of character head on. Mark Helprin has reproduced a scathing memo from the Obama campaign hitting Hillary hard on the issue of honesty.

Details below the fold.

Here is a key section of the memo:

Senator Clinton’s newly released White House schedules—showing a lack of candor on her NAFTA Record, her role in passing FMLA, and her role in key foreign policy decisions—are just the latest in what has become a legacy of misleading voters. On issue after issue, Clinton says one thing while her record says another.

Her Iraq vote. Clinton says she voted for diplomacy, while on the Senate floor at the time she said she was casting a “vote that might lead to war” and doing it “with conviction.”

Foreign Policy Experience. Clinton claims that she’s been “tested” on foreign policy and that she’s experienced in handling foreign crises. But her White House records show that she was consistently absent when critical decisions were being made, and that her trips abroad were largely ceremonial.

The Michigan and Florida primaries. Back when it suited her political purposes she said the Michigan primary “didn’t count for anything” and that she wasn’t leaving her name on the ballot to try to legitimize the results. But now that she desperately needs more votes, she’s doing just that. And despite her pledge not campaign in either state, she held two campaign events in Florida.

Fully vetted. Clinton openly tells voters that she’s been fully “vetted,” choosing to obscure from them the fact that she won’t release her tax returns, earmark requests, or the donors to the Clinton library.

Her position on NAFTA. Clinton tells Ohio voters that she has “been a critic of NAFTA from the very beginning.” Yet her own schedules show that as First Lady she attended at least four meetings to advocate for its original passage.

Her role in passing the Family and Medical Leave Act. Clinton credits herself with “helping to pass” the Family and Medical Leave Act as First Lady. But the 11,000 pages of schedules don’t contain a single mention of her involvement in the issue.

Obama’s religion. In a “60 Minutes” interview, Senator Clinton refused to confirm that Senator Obama is a Christian, even though she knows the facts.

Reverend Wright. Even though it has been reported yesterday that Clinton is pushing Senator Obama’s association with Reverend Wright in attempt to rattle superdelegates, Clinton refused to give a straight answer. She would only say that their campaign “has been making the case that I am the most electable” before shrugging and prompting the next question.

35 Years in Public Service. The oft-repeated Clinton claim that she has 35 years of public service experience is simply false. Fifteen of those years were spent at a law practice.

It’s time for Hillary Clinton to explain these inconsistencies—and to put an end to the dishonesty. As she campaigns in working-class areas of Pennsylvania, will she finally admit to workers that she was one of the chief proponents of NAFTA? Will she admit to even a basic understanding of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002? Will she drop FMLA from her list of accomplishments?

And if she won’t, will the press call her on it?

Ouch! Obama is going after Hillary's biggest vulnerability: honesty and trust. Check out this graph:

It will be interesting to see if these theme resonates with voters and if Obama continues to press the issue in the run up to Pennsylvania. After all sometimes the best defense is a good offense.

Cross posted at the Stop Her Now blog.

UPDATE: Some of you may be wondering why I posted a long quote from an Obama campaign memo. Well, I figure maximum damage is the goal here and I think the issue of Hillary's character is bound to turn ugly in a Democratic primary. Plus, I find the whole issue fascinating. And yeah, I enjoy attacks on Hillary no matter where they come from.