Obama Defends His Veep Vetter

By: Maria Gavrilovic
Topics: Barack Obama

(CBS)

From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

ST. LOUIS -- Barack Obama dodged questions today about the head of his vice presidential search committee, James Johnson, and his questionable loans from mortgage lender Countrywide Financial by diminishing the role of the search committee all together.

Obama explained that Johnson and his counterpart, Eric Holder, are unpaid volunteers for his campaign, and that the decision of who to choose for VP ultimately rests with him.

"They are giving me information and, then, I will then exercise judgment in terms of who I want to select as a VP candidates," Obama told reporters today.

"These aren't folks who are working for me. They are not people who I have assigned to a job in the future administration and ultimately my assumption is that this is a discreet task that they are going to performing for me in the next two months."

Last week, Obama struck a different tone about his search committee, who he said he has entrusted with helping him make the most important decision in his general election campaign.

When asked what instructions he has given his search committee, Obama told reporters last Wednesday, "I am a strong believer in doing this in a careful, deliberate way outside of the day to day political pressures that inevitably start to start up during this kind of thing. So, and listen, there's no decision that I'm gonna make that's gonna be more important before the November election. I intend to do it right and I'm not gonna do it in the press."

Johnson came under fire in recent days after The Wall Street Journal reported that he had obtained loans from Countrywide Financial through a personal relationship with the company's CEO, Angelo Mozilo. On the campaign trail, Obama has harshly criticized the company for paying Mozilo a multi-million dollar bonus at a time when home foreclosures are hitting record numbers. Obama has also criticized Clinton advisor, Mark Penn, for his relationship with Countrywide.

However, today, Obama blamed criticism of Johnson on political "games."

"I mean this is a game that can be played, everybody who is anybody who is tangentially related to our campaign I think is going to have a whole host of relationships," Obama explained.

"I would have to hire the vetter to vet the vetters."

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by mattcat25 June 11, 2008 3:56 PM EDT: Americans can%u2019t be in favor of Pollution, Corruption, War without reason and an end.
Will all the Republicans shout out in glee over higher fuel $costs at their convention?

%u201CHAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!%u2026%u201D

Be smart about voting this year.; Reply to this comment


by libh8er June 11, 2008 3:43 PM EDT: Well, well......so Mr Ubama''s VP vetter is in business with, and manages a fund for G. Soros. More ''change'' from Ubama.; Reply to this comment


by obama8years June 11, 2008 3:11 PM EDT: %u201CAttending Princeton has probably forced [black alumni] to compete intellectually with Whites more than with Blacks and, thus, they have probably become more familiar with Whites intellectually, but in other activities they are likely to have gained familiarity with Whites if they did not spend time with Whites in other activities besides intellectual ones. %u201C

Is it no wonder that most black alumni ignored her racist questionnaire? Only 89 responded out of 400 who were asked for input.

The following passage appears to be a call to arms for affirmative action policies that could be the hallmark of an Obama administration.

%u201CPredominately white universities like Princeton are socially and academically designed to cater to the needs of the white students comprising the bulk of their enrollments.%u201D; Reply to this comment


by rowdywicca June 11, 2008 11:41 AM EDT: Ho hum...next week he''ll be throwing this guy under the bus with the rest of them...

I''ve never seen a man present so much bad judgment in my life.

NO OBAMA ''08; Reply to this comment


by toldyouso12 June 11, 2008 10:36 AM EDT: Obama can''''t lose on any VP running mate pick. ANYONE would be more qualified than he is.

It is to laugh!

Posted by DemWatcher at 10:06 PM : Jun 10, 2008

Which must make HRC''s loss to him even more pitiful--if he is unfit--she is that much more unfit--she could not even run and win with her campaign and nasty tactics--if she could have gotten a dollar for each of her nasty tactics and another dollar for each of her nasty, angry supporters--no doubt she would still have lost (she is a huge liar and cheater after all--planting questions, breaking pledges, etc) but she might have been able to start paying all her campaign debts. LMAO; Reply to this comment


by feelfreee4u June 11, 2008 4:07 AM EDT: While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old Texas rancher, whose hand was caught in a gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Obama and his bid to be our President.

The old rancher said, "Well, ya know, Obama is a ''post turtle''." Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a ''post turtle'' was. The old rancher said, "When you''re driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced up on top, that''s a ''post turtle''."

The old rancher saw a puzzled look on the doctor''s face, so he continued to explain. "You know he didn''t get up there by himself, he doesn''t belong up there, he doesn''t know what to do while he is up there, and you just wonder what kind of a dumba*ss put him up there!%u201D; Reply to this comment


by demwatcher June 11, 2008 1:06 AM EDT: Obama can''t lose on any VP running mate pick. ANYONE would be more qualified than he is.

It is to laugh!; Reply to this comment


by omaar-101 June 11, 2008 12:00 AM EDT: Keep the Same Ole Game...

Stick With 71-72 Yr Old Career Politician ...

John McCain, lets Continue this Game, for More of the Same D@mn Thang.

Please Vote for 71-72 yr. Old...

Semi-Senile John McCain !!; Reply to this comment


by chuckamok June 10, 2008 11:14 PM EDT: Michelle - Stand firm and veto that Clinton scumbag.

Or be prepared to hire that White House food taster.; Reply to this comment