From the Left, Clinton Scolds McCain Over Republican Ads on Wright
From CBS News' Fernando Suarez:
GRAHAM, N.C. -- At a press conference in this small town outside of Greensboro, Hillary Clinton said John McCain has not done enough to stop state party officials from running television ads targeting Barack Obama's relationship with controversial pastor Jeremiah Wright.
"I regret the efforts by the Republicans to politicize this matter and I believe that if John McCain were serious, he would do more than send a letter," Clinton told reporters. "I think he could very clearly tell the North Carolina party, the Mississippi party that he would not tolerate those kinds of advertisements and I'm waiting to hear if he does that."
McCain says he has done everything he can to try and get the ads pulled, and has had harsh words for the state parties for continuing to run them. "They're not listening to me because they're out of touch with reality and the Republican Party," McCain said. "I've done everything that I can to repudiate and to see that this kind of campaigning does not continue."
Clinton dodged the bigger question as to whether or not her campaign would engage Obama over his relationship with Wright, now that Obama said the subject of his relationship was "a legitimate political issue." Clinton did not take the bait, saying, "I have said that that was a personal decision of his, I answered one question about it and made it clear that I would not have stayed at that church under those circumstances."
Clinton was also asked about an oft-used line in her stump speech where she says critics of the 1990's must not have enjoyed the peace and prosperity of that time, a line Obama now references saying that the 90's were a divisive time in American history. Clinton said there is always going to be divisions when fighting to change the status quo. "You're going to take on some tough, strong, vested interests," Clinton said. "I, frankly, wear that as something as a badge of courage when you take on the vested interests like Bill has and I have you are going to expect to be in their target. But I don't think that you can get big change if you don't do that."