Obama Campaign Slams Clinton Over Photo

Politico: Accuses Campaign Of "Shameful Offensive Fear-Mongering" Over Picture Calling Attention To Obama's African Roots

(The Politico)  This story was written by Mike Allen.

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Obama campaign manager David Plouffe accused the Clinton campaign Monday of "shameful offensive fear-mongering" by circulating a photo as an attempted smear.

Plouffe was reacting to a banner headline on the Drudge Report saying that aides to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) had e-mailed a photo calling attention to the African roots of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

"The photo, taken in 2006, shows the Democrat front-runner dressed as a Somali Elder, during his visit to Wajir, a rural area in northeastern Kenya," the Drudge Report said.

The Clinton campaign did not deny the charge, but did not comment further.




Plouffe said in a statement: "On the very day that Senator Clinton is giving a speech about restoring respect for America in the world, her campaign has engaged in the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we’ve seen from either party in this election. This is part of a disturbing pattern that led her county chairs to resign in Iowa, her campaign chairman to resign in New Hampshire, and it’s exactly the kind of divisive politics that turns away Americans of all parties and diminishes respect for America in the world," said Plouffe.

The photo created huge buzz in political circles and immediately became known as "the 'dressed' photo," reflecting the Drudge terminology.

[l00ker]

This is to be expected from her from here on in, in tandem with the attempt at mixed signals by showing a
"kinder, more gentler" face, such as she did at the end of the last debate. The old two-faced two step. Nothing surprising here, seems she is just giving Barack a taste of what the Pubs might do come November. Shame on her.

[davek455]

Is this an unaltered photo of Obambi? If the answer is yes, it''s unaltered, a true photo, then what''s the problem? McCain''s surrogates will surely use it this Fall, so stop crying and own up to it Obambi. Suck it up and be a man for a change.

[bluedogtired]

My, on my.

Well hillary thank you for reminding me why I''m not voting for you. You are not Presidential material and this kind of childish bevavior speaks to that.

These past couple of days are the undoing of Hillary. She''s been on her best behavior but now her true nature shows. She is a bitter, ugly win-at-all-costs Clinton.

The point is as a nation we are all beyond this. Doesn%u2019t it just remind you of the past? The hateful speach, the sarcastic and caustic rhetoric isn''t this what drove this country apart into he 90s and continued under the republicans in the 2000s.

Haven''t we all had enough? Can you image 8 years of listing to this trickery, not to mention this whining and piercing attack speak.

It''s disgusting.

[realpatriot1]

davek455,

It sounds like you''ve already been sucking it up.

[miaw77]

This is classic CLINTON SMEAR MACHINE!!! To those who may have been mislead...


The truth is that most skillful diplomats wear local attire when meeting with foreign dignitaries. Princess Diana stated that she always tried to wear at least one article of clothing indigenous to the people with whom she was meeting.


PRESIDENT BUSH and THE CLINTONS do the same thing! It''s a common show of respect. The Clintons released this photo to encourage people to make a connection between the FALSE Muslim accusation and the unusual attire in the photo!


It''s official! Hillary Clinton is now trying to swiftboat a fellow Democratic Presidential Candidate - An all time low - even for a Clinton - What''s next???


Of course, now that Clinton is caught, she is quickly backpedaling and saying her campaign didn''t mean anything by it, that SHE often dresses in local attire, as well!


We know that already, Billary! So what was the point of releasing the photo???

[frellthat]

The photo shows Obama in very Muslim-esque attire, taken during his five-nation tour of Africa in ''06. It''s actually common practice for visiting Americans to dress that way - Hillary herself wore a headscarf and shawl when she visited - but this photo was clearly made to suggest to ignorant voters that Barack Obama was a Muslim, which is an allegation one of Clinton''s campaign officials made last year.

What''s really troubling is that all of these things Hillary is digging up now and throwing out there are bound to linger long after her campaign is over, and will be used against Obama during the general election. So her conduct is really starting to sabotage the chances of a Democratic Party win in November.

[truthspeake2]

Once again, no smoke, no fire!

[taddles-2009]

"This idiot would be a danger to the U.S economy and National security.

Posted by b48151 at 11:48 AM : Feb 25, 2008"

How? Do you have a real comment or you just like to see your irrelevant ignorant words in print.

[erasmus6]

"...and diminishes respect for America in the world."

I can assure you that it ain''t Hillary that is diminishing the respect for America in the world.

[lorinkundert]

Don''t worry about the photo, anyone with the ability to form a complete sentence knows how dirty Hillary is.

[belief08]

Hillary Rodman Clinton will do anything
to win. The more her campaign acts the more
I realize she is just another Bush. Wanting
us to live in fear. She''s just more of the same.
By the way, Obama does have a better plan for
Universal Health Care. Could you imagine if
your monthly health care plan was the cost of
getting a cell phone. We would all have health
insurance and there would be no need to force
it on us. Make it affordable and it will be
Universal.

[hillaryis44]

Ahhhh, The Clintons are back.

[dinslc]

Who needs to worry about the "Republican Attack Machine" when we have Hillary to do the dirty work?

The Clintons disgust me.

[tigerjcs]

A photo of Obama that showed all the candidates saluting the flag, all except Obama, who refused! Do we need someone who won''t salute our flag in the White Huse?
Oh, yes, he is a Muslim in disguise. He is pro Palestinian and against the Israel. He is the saint Obama according to the Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan. Why is Obama crying outloud about his Muslim outfit?
The outfit show your true Muslim self, accept it! It show your foreign policy experience, pro Muslim!
Quit Whinning!
At least it is real picture instead of the "blatantly false" campaign fliers.
GO HILLARY, THE PROUD AMERICAN ALL THE TIME.

[cbilski2]

Good for Obama for respecting other countries'' cultures and customs.

[hawksprings]

Go to www.drudgereport.com and see a picture of Hillary wearing a headcovering while she was in another country.
And she''s a great feminist leader?

There''s something kinda sad about watching Hillary go down in flames on her broom.

[dothemath3]

One of the most inspiring elements of Obama''s campaign is his faith in the American people. His success up to this point reflects, not only his appeal as a candidate and his skill in leading the best-run campaign in this election, but also the character of the American people. We''re better than I thought we were. We''re not as susceptible to fear mongering, baseless accusations, and groundless smear campaigns. And for the first time, we''re taking responsibility for our government in great numbers, participating in the political process. Let''s keep up the good work.

[vastr-wcon]

.
For which African country is O-BOMBA running for president?

Do Americans really want another president that will focus only on certain "special" interests?

.

.

[unsung21]

He should be proud of what he has accomplished. Why is he upset? This is not a big deal. If you aren''t proud of it don''t do it. It is as simple as that.

[Frisky1989]

I have to agree with whoever it was that said that if Obama gets elected, we''re in trouble

[erasmus6]

"...Hillary wearing a headcovering while she was in another country." posted by hawksprings

Are you talking about a country that requires women to wear something on their head?

If that is the case, then I would call it "having RESPECT for another country and their ways."

[gretagreen]

Hillary seems to have lost her mind. This photo. Actually mocking Obama. Throwing a hissy fit about a flyer that''s been out for weeks. I''m truly sorry to see her campaign go down like this. I was hoping she''d take the high road.

Obama 2008.

[hawksprings]

"Do Americans really want another president that will focus only on certain "special" interests?"
Posted by VastR-WCon

Vast, you''ve just described the Democrat Party.
What difference does it make who they nominate?

[hawksprings]

"...Hillary wearing a headcovering while she was in another country." posted by hawksprings

Are you talking about a country that requires women to wear something on their head?
If that is the case, then I would call it "having RESPECT for another country and their ways."

Posted by erasmus6


Then why did the Clinton campaign feel it necessary to release a photo of Obama wearing Somalian dress when he was visiting?
What was the point of that?

So if Hillary becomes President, will she wear a burhka when she visits Saudi Arabia?

[hillaryis44]

Okay. That''s it. I just took the money I was going to donate to Hillary and donated it to Obama. I tried to hang on with my support but there are only so many times I can make excuses for Hillary (and Bill). She has let me down.

Enough HRC!
It%u2019s disgusting! And am not supporting her any longer.
At this point, I%u2019m sorry for her.

Enough HRC!
It''s disgusting!
at this point, am not supporting her any longer and am sorry for her deeply.

[remco82]

Hillary is REALLY getting desperate! She''s turning into a screaming mimi.

[Swatantra7]

Barack Obama has publicly declared that Jesus Christ is his Lord and Savior. NOT MUHAMMAD. But what difference does would it make if he was a Muslim? There are plenty of non-Christians currently in public office. Keith Ellison in Minnesota. Joe Lieberman in Connecticut. Political leadership positions are NOT religious leadership positions.

[battyellison]

What nneds to be addressed is Does Obama support the palastines against Isreal as Ralph Nader said on MTP yesterday morning or is Nader "playing dirty" I notice Cris Mathews, Russert and all of those Obamanites over at NBC didn''t even mention Nader this morning or his comments i wonde why? and now this. All Obama is doing now is trying to play the race card himself he''s starting to suk if u ask me

[ji_john]

This Quote is from Politico:
Plouffe said in a statement: %u201COn the very day that Senator Clinton is giving a speech about restoring respect for America in the world, her campaign has engaged in the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we%u2019ve seen from either party in this election. This is part of a disturbing pattern that led her county chairs to resign in Iowa, her campaign chairman to resign in New Hampshire, and it%u2019s exactly the kind of divisive politics that turns away Americans of all parties and diminishes respect for America in the world," said Plouffe.

The Clinton campaign issued an official response to the growing tempest - but the statement from campaign manager Maggie Williams did not respond to the central question of whether staffers circulated the photo.

%u201CEnough,%u201D Williams said in the statement. %u201CIf Barack Obama''s campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed. Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely.

The Picture reinforces an earlier Clinton smear of calling Obama a muslim. Hillary has worn all sorts of garb, but the ''emperor''s new clothes'' that she has been prompted to wear by campaign workers is exposing her true self.

[ekucrew]

Hahahhaa Obama camp.... a boomerang HURTS when the returns to crack YOU in the head.

[l00ker]

There''''s something kinda sad about watching Hillary go down in flames on her broom.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by hawksprings at 12:59 PM : Feb 25, 2008


Not really.

[granny1234]

It makes me REMEMBER how the Theologians say the
''antichrist'' will be dark skinned, from the middle
east, very likable ... but once he has our trust, he
will turn on us! Freaky!
Something that should be deeply thought about when you
make your choice!
This is very FRIGHTENING to think of what lies ahead
of us here in our own United States ...

[idiobiblio]

For those who are asking why Obama is acting "ashamed" to be seen in traditional Somali garb, or how distributing this photo at this time this would be perceived as a smear tactic; it''s because it plays into the xenophobic, anti-Muslim prejudices that many U.S. voters feel. Obama has been falsely accused of being a Muslim because the Kenyan father he barely knew was raised a Muslim, but a confirmed atheist by the time his parents met. There have been some false extremist, anti-Muslim emails circulating for many months trying to derail Obama''s candidacy, and the photo of Obama dressed in traditional Somali garb is clearly intended to stoke those extremist, xenophobic fires.

The perpetrators of this shameful attack on Obama want us to overlook the fact that Senators and political dignitaries frequently wear the customary clothing of a region when traveling abroad.

[b-easy63]

he truth is, the NAFTA Agreement was signed by Bill Clinton on Sept. 14 1993.
Sen. Clinton has always touted her 35years of experience and this includes her years in the White House. This is Hillary Clinton%u2019s voting record on the NAFTA issue.
1) She voted yes to free trade agreement with Oman, Ref. United States - Oman Free Trade Agreement: Bill S.3569: Vote number 2006-190 on June 29, 2006.
2) She voted yes on establishing Free Trade Agreement between US and Singapore. Ref.: US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act. Bill S.1417/HR 2739: Vote number 2003-318 on Jul. 31 2003.
3) She voted yes on establishing Free Trade between the US and Chile. Ref. US-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation. Act. Bill S. 1416/HR 2738. Vote number 2003-319 on July 31 2003.
4) Voted yes on granting normal trade relations status to Vietnam. Ref: Bill HJRES51: Vote number 2001-291 on October 3, 2001.
5)She also voted for open trade with China, despite China''''s substantial human rights violations and evidence to show that NAFTA has caused the loss of millions of US jobs to non-industrial countries and hasn''''t delivered on the promise of widespread prosperity.

(taken from huffington post blog)

[marcuswatson]

BILL CLINTON WEARING AFRICAN-MUSLIM CLOTHES:

Go to "google", click "images," and type in, "President Clinton%u2019s Visit to Ghana ." You will see at least two pictures of Bill wearing African attire. Is he now a closet Muslim? How low down does Hillary want to drag this contest?! This is indeed "silly season" in politics!

[voyager1313-2009]

Well, well... it has come to this.

The Clinton campaign circulated a picture from Obama''s 2006 goodwill mission to Africa in hopes it will "scare" up a few more votes for her. Well, this is sad indeed.

I know this has made many Obama supporters upset but actually, this is good for him. If the worst thing they can produce is a picture of him in funny clothes from a Goodwill mission to Africa, then he will be fine.

The only people this will scare are those that are uneducated and easily persuadable by such nonsense. BTW - this photo is not new. Obama let a documentary team follow him around on this goodwill trip so a bunch of conservatives have had the photo for awhile. My guess is they are upset they did not get it to the main stream media first. Clinton''s dirty politics beat them to the punch.

Remember, "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger". And I am not talking about just Obama, we need to get past this kind of garbage in our politics and starting building a coalition for real positive changes in America.

Read more at: http://laststopmidwest.blogspot.com/

[LeadingZero]

I have sadly, lost my respect for Hillary Clinton.

While a certain level of aggressive tactics are to be expected in a spirited campaign, she and her campaign have crossed the line into mudslinging, innuendo and identity politics over the last several weeks. In doing so, her slash and burn campaign is severely damaging the Democratic party. Democrats need to remember the bigger objective; winning on November 4th. We do that with coalition, not division.

Troisihme Sarabande

[krenz4]

battyellison: how the hell is Obama playing the race caed, when it was hellary that placed the picture??? You hellary losers must be as dumb as she is..

[wakeup007]

Look at this link, where Mr. & Mrs. Clinton wiring african dress. Now Clinton is playing same old politics to win the nomination. Shame on you Mrs. Clinton!!! Hey, I stole her word!!

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia/sharemed/targets/images/pho/t790/T790947A.jpg&imgrefurl=http://encarta.msn.com/media_461551129_761572628_-1_1/president_clinton%25E2%2580%2599s_visit_to_ghana.html&h=368&w=556&sz=48&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=xqg8pL99u0v_OM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3DPresident%2BClinton%25E2%2580%2599s%2BVisit%2Bto%2BGhana%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4SUNA_enUS244US244%26sa%3DN

[voyager1313-2009]

Well, well... it has come to this.

The Clinton campaign circulated a picture from Obama''s 2006 goodwill mission to Africa in hopes it will "scare" up a few more votes for her. Well, this is sad indeed.

I know this has made many Obama supporters upset but actually, this is good for him. If the worst thing they can produce is a picture of him in funny clothes from a Goodwill mission to Africa, then he will be fine.

The only people this will scare are those that are uneducated and easily persuadable by such nonsense. BTW - this photo is not new. Obama let a documentary team follow him around on this goodwill trip so a bunch of conservatives have had the photo for awhile. My guess is they are upset they did not get it to the main stream media first. Clinton''s dirty politics beat them to the punch.

Remember, "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger". And I am not talking about just Obama, we need to get past this kind of garbage in our politics and starting building a coalition for real positive changes in America.

Read more at: http://laststopmidwest.blogspot.com/

[smashwl7]

I feel so bad for the people who supported Hillary Clinton she really let them down with this one. She will always be remembered for this. This will be in everyones mind for years and decades to come. Does she even care about her legacy or Bill''s. My God this woman really needs professional help, someone needs to step in and stop her before she does something that really hurts herself or those around her.

She is sick a very, very sick woman her friends should step in and help her before it is to late.

[swf1960]

AMAZING people consider this photo a threat to our national security!!

The deduction is Neanderthal: A + B = ***??

Far better to have a charismatic President who respects cultural sensitivities than a President who resorts to desperate acts of fear mongering every time her ratings drop a notch.

[swf1960]

AMAZING people consider this photo a threat to our national security!!

The deduction is Neanderthal: A + B = ***??

Far better to have a charismatic President who respects cultural sensitivities than a President who resorts to desperate acts of fear mongering every time her ratings drop a notch.

[mavric_979]

Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan said that presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama is the %u201Chope of the entire world%u201D.
Michelle Obama did not believe she could ever be fully integrated into white society as a black woman, she wrote in her 1985 Princeton University senior-year thesis and Michelle Obama is %u2018Proud of this Country%u2019 for the First Time.
Barack Hussein Obama Decision Not to Wear Flag Pin
Do you still want to vote for this person? God Bless America

[tbweb]

Its very common for visiting Leaders to dress up in the garments of the Host nation to show solidarity and respect, very common and no big deal. I think Sen. Obama is extra sensitive about that photo because many accuse him of being a closet Muslim and this photo feeds into that. The truth is there is nothing wrong with being a Muslim even if Sen. Obama were a Muslim, the issues with Muslims are with Muslim Radical Extremist, not moderate Muslims. But just the same Obama is a Christian now, no matter what he may have been before and lets not forget the current Pope is an ex-Nazi, the photos in his Nazi uniform didn''t stop him from becoming Pope! In addition, a simple Google Search will find photos of former Pres. Bill Clinton in African garments!

[PulSamsara]

Clinton is a sleaze.

What a disgusting, pathetic candidate.

[audividi]

this is a perfect time to remind everyone that Newsday reported sunday that "In 1975, a 27-year-old Hillary Rodham, acting as a court-appointed attorney, attacked the credibility of a 12-year-old girl in mounting an aggressive defense for an indigent client accused of rape in Arkansas - using her child development background to help the defendant."
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/politics/ny-usark245589997feb24,0,429056,print.story
a lot of politicians have done dress up. this is another racist smear on the part of Mark Penn of BursonMasrtellar (which has both Clinton and McCain as clients - interesting, no?) and Maggie Williams. And Hillary herself.

[jerkeedoodle]

tuck,RE:Billary needs to withdraw...You''re right.But with the way she''s been acting,I''m begining to have my doubts about her dropping out even if she gets stomped in Texas and Ohio.She''s acting like she''s going to be the next democratic president,or nobody is.