Obama Showing New Confidence - Iowa Sprint - "A month ago, I was an idiot.This month, I’m a genius."

[jefferson_dem]

Obama Showing New Confidence With Iowa Sprint
By JEFF ZELENY

WATERLOO, Iowa — Senator Barack Obama is seeking to capitalize on a moment of opportunity in the weeks before the Iowa caucuses to challenge Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s long dominance of the Democratic field, and in doing so, he now faces intensified questions about his vulnerabilities in a general election.

These days, Mr. Obama spends less time acknowledging Mrs. Clinton as he speaks to Iowans. But he finds himself at the center of a fusillade of criticism from his rivals, including an assertion by former President Bill Clinton that to elect Mr. Obama would be to “roll the dice” for America — a comment that validates the political threat Mr. Obama poses.

Mr. Obama, in an interview on Friday, addressed the shift in sentiment about his prospects of beating Mrs. Clinton in Iowa and holding her off in New Hampshire and other states that follow. “A month ago, I was an idiot,” he said. “This month, I’m a genius.”

The campaign of Mr. Obama, which slogged uncertainly through a period in the late summer and fall, alarming contributors who feared that he might have missed his moment, is now brimming with confidence as he delivers a closing argument to Iowa voters. His speeches are noticeably crisper, his poise is more consistent and many supporters say they no longer must rely upon a leap of faith to envision him winning the nomination.

With one week remaining before the campaign pauses for Christmas, Mr. Obama is dashing through a 22-city tour from the Mississippi River in the east to the Missouri River in the west, rushing to lock in voters before a holiday interlude. His organization faces its greatest test yet: turning enthusiasm among many grass-roots Democrats into widespread support at the caucuses on Jan. 3 in precincts that will decide the outcome, particularly rural areas where his support still remains uneven after 10 months of campaigning.

As he traveled across Iowa a month ago, a chief element of Mr. Obama’s pitch was to draw sharp contrasts with Mrs. Clinton and to urge voters to consider whether she had been truthful in explaining her positions. One of the few mentions he made about his rival here Saturday was to respond to criticism by associates of the Clinton campaign that he was too inexperienced and his background was unexamined.

“I understand that there’s a history of politics being all about slash and burn and taking folks down,” Mr. Obama, of Illinois, told reporters. “I recall the Clintons themselves calling it the politics of personal destruction, which they decried. My suspicion is that’s just not where the country’s at right now. They are not interested in politics as a blood sport.”

<SNIP>

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/us/politics/16obama.html?ei=5065&en=cbd05fa581ac3255&ex=1198386000&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

[earthlover]

1. "I recall the Clintons themselves calling it the politics of personal destruction, which theydecried

.... My suspicion is that’s just not where the country’s at right now. They are not interested in politics as a blood sport.”

Great, simply great. Turning the Clintons' response to character assassination on Hillary herself! Subtle and effective.

Obama is sounding more and more like a front runner....

I think I have under-estimated Obama's political skill.

As to Hillary's comment that this is where the "fun" begins...seems like the fun is in the Obama camp, not hers these days.

[Tellurian]

2. OBAMA = "ROLLING THE DICE for America"

Nice Turn of Phrase Bill!

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[ClarkUSA]

3. Bill = "I opposed the Iraq war from the beginning."

And my personal favorite: "I never had sexual relations with that woman."

Did he shake his finger when he said it this time, too?

[Tellurian]

9. Bill did oppose the war from the beginning..

When he was in office, Republicans threatened to start a scandal he was a weak president because he refused to start a premptive war with Iraq. He held a live Press Conference stating so on tv..

[Windy]

4. Intelligent and sincere... I don't hear him throwing the dirt do you?

go obama

[ClarkUSA]

5. No, but Hillary and her surrogates still are, according to the story...

An adviser to Mrs. Clinton’s campaign suggested last week that Mr. Obama’s admission of drug use as a young man could
weaken his candidacy. Her campaign repudiated the remarks, Mrs. Clinton apologized and the adviser resigned. But she and
her aides have kept the issue alive by referring to it publicly in what appeared to be an effort to drive up negative views of his
character and to raise doubts about his ability to weather a general election.

In an interview, Mr. Obama responded that voters would ultimately be turned off by such attacks on him, particularly about his
admission more than a decade ago that he used marijuana and cocaine in his youth.

“My past and my character seemed to be fine when I was 20 points down,” Mr. Obama said. “Those kinds of tactics or strategies,
I think, are emblematic of an old politics. It’s the exactly the kind of politics that the American people are tired of.”

Amen to that, brother.

[fightindonkey]

6. He's Still An Idiot, Obama Carter

Bigoted fool.

[jefferson_dem]

7. Carter? Idiot? Bigoted fool?

Welcome to DU. ...You'll fit in nicely.

[stillcool]

8. why bother?

[Perry Logan]

10. He says he was an idiot last month--and they describe him as "confident"?