Obama Versus Fox News

[RamboLiberal]

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/01/obama_versus_fo.html

1. The story still has legs, and Obama's staff are concerned that the madrassa rumor will never be fully put to bed unless it's tucked under the covers by Obama himself. Obama, we're told, was asked about the madrassa story at least six times yesterday. One reporter wasn't aware that CNN had proven the rumor false.

2. They're angling for a hit off the Obama versus Fox News match-up. The memo takes Steve Doocy and John Gibson to task for repeating the charges and documents how CNN (Fox competitor!) thoroughly debunked the story. Bashing Fox -- and in this case, Fox warrants a bit of bashing -- is like throwing a log in a heated fire. Compare this to Sen. John McCain's embrace of MoveOn.org's ads against him. The more liberals attack McCain, the more conservative he seems.

3. Obama will not be swiftboated. Period.

From the memo:

To be clear, Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian who attends the United Church of Christ in Chicago. Furthermore, the Indonesian school Obama attended in Jakarta is a public school that is not and never has been a Madrassa. These malicious, irresponsible charges are precisely the kind of politics the American people have grown tired of, and that Senator Obama is trying to change by focusing on bringing people together to solve our common problems.
Attached to the memo was a letter signed by prominent progressive clerics to congregations across the country. "We are writing to deplore this despicable tactic and set the record straight. We have had enough of the slash and burn politics calculated to divide us as children of God," the letter states. It's signed by the presidents of the United Church of Christ, the Interfaith Alliance, the exec. dir of the Muslim Public Affairs council, and several prominent liberal rabbis.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/24/D8MRL7M80.html

Obama: Name Not an Advantage in Campaign

<snip>

Appearing on CNN, Obama, D-Ill., said that when he was running for the Senate, "there was an image of me superimposed over a picture of (al- Qaida terrorist leader Osama) bin Laden. I think people like to play with my name."

On CBS's "The Early Show," Obama said he wouldn't be surprised if he is the victim of "scurrilous attacks."

But he also said he believes "people are smarter than that. They're going to judge you on what is your vision for the country. If I do that in a presidential race, then I'm sure I'll do fine."

"Should I decide to go forward with this presidential race," he told CNN, "we will get put through the paces ... and then the American people are going to make a good judgment about it. I'm pretty confident that they'll have a discerning eye."

[DrFunkenstein]

1. He Should Just Call Them "A Bunch of Knuckleheads"

The quote would certainly get picked up and would effectively kill any further efforts to attack Obama with the weirdest form of indirect racism I've ever seen (this year, so far).

Speaking in press-release-speak English will only doom him to Swiftboating limbo (sort of).

[burythehatchet]

2. A source close to a friend of Steve Doocy's neighbor

has said that Doocy repeatedly raped his mother.

[Dr Fate]

3. he should say "What is new? FOX 'news' (makes quote sign w/ fingers) lies pretty much every day...."

"I'm not suprised at all that the Pro-republican FOX news would lie about my record- it wont be the first time they have lied in a manner that hurts Democrats and helps Republicans- and it wont be the last. Do I REALLY need to bring up the literally hundreds of examples or are we going to be honest about media bias for a change???"

[illinoisprogressive]

4. It's not just Fox. Hillary is threatening donors with or else if they give

money to Obama. She is using Rove tactics and strong arming all the donors, big money poeople with ultimatums. They are not to give a penny to Obama or else.
This was on hardball tonight.

[Telly Savalas]

5. Hang on here.

This is the second unflattering rumor about the Clinton campaign posted at DU whose only source is Chris Matthews. To post the ramblings of that madman as if he had any credibility is a borderline Rovian tactic in itself.

I would much prefer Obama over Clinton winning the nomination, but using a slander campaign based on made-up shit from Hardball is precisely the kind of politics Obama is try to put an end to.