There’s No Debate – Obama Says He Won’t Face Clinton Before Indiana and North Carolina

From CBS News’ Maria Gavrilovic:


ANDERSON, IND. – Barack Obama’s campaign is refusing any more debates with Hillary Clinton until after the May 6th primaries, despite attempts by the Clinton campaign to offer a new debate structure. “We have participated in 21 nationally televised debates, the most in primary history, including four exclusively with Senator Clinton,” said Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs. “Senator Clinton refused an earlier invitation that had been accepted to debate in North Carolina.”

The Clinton campaign objected to that debate because it was during Passover. Clinton campaign manger Maggie Williams sent a letter the Obama camp today, suggesting a Lincoln-Douglas style debate without moderators.

“If Lincoln and Douglas had debated 21 times,” Obama chief strategist David Axelrod responded, “I don't think there would be much appetite for another Lincoln-Douglas debate."

But that’s not how the Clinton campaign is doing the math. “Our final two primary candidates to date have had three fewer debates than Lincoln and Douglas held in single state over 60 days in 1858,” says Williams in her letter, referring to the seven Lincoln-Douglas debates. Obama and Clinton have only had four one-on-one debates – the other 17 were all with other candidates participating as well.

Obama himself also closed the door to any debates in the near future. “We're not going to have debates between now and Indiana,” he told Chris Wallace of Fox News.

But he wasn’t shy about taking on John McCain’s “gas tax holiday” idea today, calling it his “latest scheme.” “The truth of the matter is the only way we’re going to lower gas prices over the long term is if we start using less oil,” Obama said. “The only way we do that is to increase fuel efficiency standards on cars and invest in new technologies and alternative fuels.”

Obama said the tax holiday would save consumers only $25, and that the federal highway fund would suffer as a result. “You remember that bridge in Minneapolis? We’re already short on money in terms of investing, and for what, for $25?” Obama asked.

He also argued that McCain now supports President Bush’s tax cuts, which he originally opposed, because he is running for president. “Somewhere on his path to the Republican nomination, John McCain kind of lost track of his conscience, the Straight Talk Express lost a wheel,” Obama said.

The McCain campaign fired back at Obama’s criticisms, accusing him of not understanding how the economy works. “How does it make sense for Barack Obama to talk about relief, but call for raising taxes on hardworking American families and opposing lower gas taxes when prices at the pump are a record high?” asked McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds. “The more Senator Obama campaigns, the more we see how little he understands the American economy.”