Kerry Defends Obama Veep Vetter

By: Maria Gavrilovic
Topics: Barack Obama

(CBS)

From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

CHICAGO -- John Kerry defended Barack Obama's Vice Presidential vetter James Johnson today.

"Jim Johnson is a very experienced, very discrete, very capable individual who is performing a voluntary function without pay, without any interest," Kerry said on a conference call. "He's not seeking a job and he is acting completely independently to gather information about somebody."

Johnson served on Kerry's vice presidential search committee in 2004.

Johnson has come under fire in recent days for obtaining low interest rate mortgage loans from Countrywide Financial. Kerry repeated Obama's defense of Johnson, saying that said his sole function is to gather information. "He's not at a position to do anything except provide information to somebody who wants information and he's proven himself somebody who has a great skill at gathering that information," Kerry said. "I have no complaint about what he did for me."

Obama continued his economy tour today, hosting a roundtable on predatory lending and credit cards. He was supposed to be campaigning in Iowa, but the trip was cancelled due to floods.

"We didn't want to divert state resources from going directly to flood relief, that's why we're here today," Obama explained, "My heart goes out to the families that are struggling with having to flee their homes, leaving their businesses and communities behind."

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by seah5 June 11, 2008 8:59 PM EDT: Works for free, usually those are people who get favors.

Obama can you get small town Americans some, deals on their mortgages?

Hypocrite; Reply to this comment


by sjbj2322 June 11, 2008 6:48 PM EDT: What an opportune time to speak to the inefficiency of FEMA under the Bush Administration or what he would do in office to meet challenges presented by natural disasters but no - as usual he spews out flowery sentiment as if it will somehow elude to substance. If Hillary were still in the running you can bet she would have spoken on policy regarding such issues and he would have at least had someone else''s idea to copy or elaborate on. My Oh My....what''s he gonna do now.; Reply to this comment


by rowdywicca June 11, 2008 5:12 PM EDT: We didn%u2019t want to divert state resources from going directly to flood relief, that%u2019s why we%u2019re here today,%u201D Obama explained, %u201CMy heart goes out to the families that are struggling with having to flee their homes, leaving their businesses and communities behind.%u201D

I''m sure your heart is just bleeding to death! Whatta prize statement without saying one damned thing about how you hell you think you''re going to do it!

More krap WORDS from Obama!; Reply to this comment