Clinton, Obama Agree To Bury Racial Spat
At Nevada Debate, Democratic Rivals Blame Campaign Supporters For Controversy
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Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, speaks as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. listens during a Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008. (AP)
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Democratic presidential hopefuls, from left, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., stand before the audience before a Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008. (AP)
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Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., answers a question during a Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008. (AP)
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Play CBS Video Video Democrats' Race Tensions Cool Harry Smith speaks to author Shelby Steele and Newsweek's Jon Meacham on the "race war" between Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and their attempts to call a truce.
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Interactive Campaign 2008 Profiles of the candidates, polls, fund-raising, blogs, video and more.
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In The Spotlight Campaign Watch '08 Check out the latest campaign ads in the race for the White House.
At a debate in which the two sparred almost cordially, Obama suggested Clinton had taken a page from President Bush's political playbook with an earlier statement that the next president could expect to be tested quickly by terrorists.
"When Senator Clinton uses the specter of a terrorist attack with a new prime minister during a campaign, I think that is part and parcel with what we've seen, the use of the fear of terrorism in scoring political points, and I think that's a mistake," he said.
Asked by NBC's Tim Russert whether she had meant to say terrorists would test Obama more than her, she replied, "No, of course not," before adding, "it matters who's president."
Clinton, Obama and former Sen. John Edwards, the only white man among the candidates on stage, settled in for their debate as the former first lady won a meaningless Michigan presidential primary, a contest held in violation of party rules.
The debate also unfolded four days before the party-sanctioned Nevada caucuses, the next for-keeps contest in the wide-open race for the party's presidential nomination.
Race dominated the debate at the outset, after several days of back-and-forth that left many Democrats worried about an adverse impact on the party's prospects for the general election.
Obama said "not only in hindsight, but going forward," he regretted that his staff had prodded reporters to pursue the issue.
"Our supporters, our staff, get overzealous. They start saying things that I would not say," added the most viable black candidate in history.
"We both have exuberant and sometimes uncontrollable supporters," Clinton said in the opening moments of a two-hour, round-table debate televised on MSNBC. "We need to get this campaign where it should be," said the former first lady, seeking to become the first woman to occupy the White House.
She said comments by black businessman Robert Johnson over the weekend were inappropriate, but sidestepped when asked whether she would bar him from playing a role in her campaign. Johnson made an evident reference to Obama's youthful drug use - although he denied that was his intent.
Obama won the kickoff Iowa caucuses less than two weeks ago, and Clinton countered with an upset victory last Tuesday in the New Hampshire primary. Edwards is winless. After Nevada, the South Carolina Democratic primary is Jan. 26, then the campaign explodes with nearly two dozen contests on Feb. 5.
There was a political reason for the pleasantries, underscored when Edwards was asked whether he and Obama had teamed up to attack Clinton in a debate just before the New Hampshire primary.
"I don't think it was that way," he said. "My job as a candidate for president is to speak the truth as I see it."
Clinton won the primary in an upset three days after the debate, carried to victory over Obama by an unexpectedly large turnout by women voters.
At the same time, there were limits to the comraderie, and Clinton, in particular, took several opportunities to challenge her rivals.
Asked whether Edwards and Obama were prepared to sit in the White House, she said "that's what the voters have to decide."
Later, Clinton asked Obama to back her legislation to prevent Bush from unilaterally extending the United States' presence in Iraq beyond the end of his term next January.
"I think we can work on this, Hillary," he replied.
On an issue of particular interest in Nevada, the former first lady stressed her opposition to a plan to develop a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in the state. She said Obama's campaign drew financial support from a company that favors the project, and in a rare campaign jab at Edwards, said he had twice voted for it.
Obama countered, saying that even though his home state of Illinois has more nuclear power plants than any other, his opposition to the controversial project was unequivocal.
Edwards said he had changed his mind on the issue, citing new scientific evidence about its risks.
Edwards, given a chance to question his rivals, pointed out the huge sums that Clinton and Obama have raised from drug and insurance companies. "Do you think these people expect something or are they just interested in good government?" he asked.
Obama quickly replied that he did not accept donations from federal lobbyists or political action committees, and Edwards just as quickly pointed out that applied to him as well.
All three also agreed they would not seek creation of a national gun registry, a shift in position for Clinton.
The Michigan primary was an election in name only, where Clinton was the only major candidate entered. She faced competition principally from the "uncommitted" line on the ballot, an option that some supporters of Edwards and Obama advocated to embarrass her.
Returns from 87 percent of the state's precincts showed her with 56 percent of the vote, and uncommitted gaining about 39 percent.
Pre-caucus polls in Nevada make it a close race among the three, an event spiced by a lawsuit filed by several Clinton supporters hoping to challenge the ground rules.
Their objective was to prevent several caucuses along the Las Vegas Strip, where thousands of Culinary Workers Union employees - many of them Hispanic or black - hold jobs.
The rules were approved in May, when Clinton was the overwhelming national front-runner in the race. But the union voted to endorse Obama last week, and the lawsuit followed.
Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich had hoped to have a seat at the table, but the Nevada Supreme Court ruled shortly before the debate began that MSNBC was legally entitled to prevent him from participating. It promptly did.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."





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See all 140 CommentsSenator, what are you running on?
a.- On a platform of Change.
Change fom what to what?
a.-We have to change it to Hope
Hope from what?
a.- We need Change.
Change from what?
a.- We need Hope.
Hope from what?
a.- We need Change.
Change from what?
a.- A policy of Hope
How do you do that?
a.- With Change.
Change from what?
a.- To a change to Hope.
moving on senator, did you smoke and sold crack to others?
a.- Next question.
Did you answered 139 times Present to yes or no questions in the senate floor?
a.- Next question.
Did you smoked crack in the senate floor?
a.- Next question.
Are you a Muslim senator?
A.- Next question.
Did you ever went to rehab for crack cocaine addiction?
A.- Next question.
And Chameleon Obama walks away smiling having fooled the infidel forever.
The right wing scam is destructive and dangerous for humanity. The hubris of the anti-socials beyhind the scam comprise the dark side of the universe.
Rise up people, wake up to the dirty right wing before with the callous of a reptile progress toward a better humanity is consumed.
Did Sen. Obama sold crack cocaine to other students?
a.- Likely,most users either resort to stealing or selling crack cocaine to pay for
their use and addiction.
Did Sen. Obama went to a rehabilitation program for his addiction to crack cocaine?
a.- There is no record anywhere Sen.Obama went to rehab or treatment for his addiction to cocaine.
Why is Obama so skinny and spaced out at times?
a.- Possibly, Loss of weight, and ashen color skin are telltales of drug addiction.
Posted by johnfrost
Inquiring Fox Friends would like to know.
I''d say, check your next issue of the Globe.
Posted by Hwy71So at 12:55 PM : Jan 16, 2008
P.S. If you had even an ounce of common sense, you''d realize that neither the democrat nor the republican party is a friend of this nation. They are both apparently necessary evils that we as citizens should be trying to tame, not falling into line to kiss their a$$es, like a bunch of brainless twits who actually believe what any of these scoundrels say. Comprende?
Powell has a thousand times the backbone you could ever muster.
You dems. You just can''''t get over your pregnant chads from Florida...
Posted by Hwy71So at 12:55 PM : Jan 16, 2008
Guess what, you brainless twit? I''m not a democrat. Nor am I gullible enough to fall for the BS that republican party has sold this country since the days of Ronald Reagan. It''s all been a complete fraud committed on Americans, like yourself, too vapid and stupid to know when you are being lied to.
- Suzanna Gratia-Hupp
Posted by gunownerdan at 02:34 PM : Jan 16, 2008
What a bunch of loaded BS -- how a politician stands on gun control tells you who is lining his pockets with cash, the gun lobby, or citizens concerned about children getting shot in the head by cross-fire from criminals who so easily get their hands on guns (1) because the gun lobby makes it so easy for any felon to obtain a gun; and (2) because there are so many millions of guns floating around in this country due to irresponsible politicians who have no moral backbone. Guns are for paranoids and pansies who live in fear.
WHY?
A.- OBAMA MUSLIM WAMA HAS THE SAME BUSH PROGRAM AND OPEN BORDERS TO DESTROY AMERICA CUZ HE''S A MUSLIM RADICAL.
Posted by tbweb
Yes, I feel that''s important too . . . everybody''s got their quirks, but anybody who''s got millions of viewers is certainly relevant to the national dialogue whether we personally agree with their views or not. Better to be informed :)
"How a politician stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual ... as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded over, controlled, supervised, and taken care of."
- Suzanna Gratia-Hupp
Me I am intrested in my country and elections based on substance not repug dooo dooo and neo con dooo"
Posted by pepperp1,,,
Actually I watch them all, the good, the bad and the ugly, its best to have a well rounded view. I even watch some I don''t really care for, just to know what their views are. Don''t limit yourself!
Let''s remember that Hillary does not have all the experience she claims. Hillary''s tenure as First Lady simply does not translate into experience. Menu planning, tea serving experience, yes, real experience, no.
It is only the voting by naive women for Hillary that is keeping her in the race. Voting for someone simply because she is a woman is just not acceptable.
Matthew Yglesias wrote%u2026.
Actually, the balls Russert favors may be hard, but the pitches he throws aren''t curveballs, which go someplace useful. They''re sillyballs, which go somewhere pointless. Russert has created a strike zone of his own where toughness meets irrelevance.
See CBS issues can be covered more than one next article please the old guard Press hopefully is the change that will be booted dump WaPo-Newsweek-MSNBC/NBC links they are unbecoming a great news organization.
Me I am intrested in my country and elections based on substance not repug dooo dooo and neo con dooo"
Posted by pepperp1
Way to show you''re all about the issues and not hate
Posted by tbweb
Oh okay . . . the Jerry Springer reference had me confused :/
And as for me I would sooner watch OReily or Hannity for my quote of hate bating, anti up STUPID is what happens right up your alley while he spits on his guest while faoming
Me I am intrested in my country and elections based on substance not repug dooo dooo and neo con dooo
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