March 19, 2007, 9:48 pm
Clinton-Obama War Feud Spills Into Forum
By Adam Nagourney
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. –Senior advisers to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senator Barack Obama clashed intensely tonight at a forum for campaign managers here over the positions of the two candidates on the war in Iraq and the tactics being used by both campaigns.
The exchange occurred during what had been a civil – even placid – forum among senior advisers for three of the Democratic presidential contenders at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
The argument grew so heated that it silenced a room packed with students, faculty and reporters. It ended when Jonathan Prince, the representative of former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, shushed them to quiet down.
“In reality, when they both got to the Senate, Senator Obama’s votes are exactly the same as Senator Clinton’s,” said Mark Penn, the senior strategist for her campaign.
“Let’s not try to create false differences when we both agree it’s time to de-escalate; it’s time to end the war. Let’s be clear, Senator Clinton thinks that. Senator Obama thinks that. Former Senator John Edwards thinks that.”
Mr. Obama’s long-time adviser, David Axelrod, leaned over to Mr. Penn: “If we had followed Senator Obama’s advice in 2002, we wouldn’t be talking about de-escalation,” he said.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/03/19/clinton-obama-war-feud-spills-into-forum/