Clinton Aide Compares Obama To Ken Starr

Spokesman Says Statement That Obama Plans To Be Critical Is Reminiscent Of 1990s Investigations

(AP)  A top aide to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday compared rival Sen. Barack Obama to independent prosecutor Kenneth Starr.

Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said Obama's statement that he plans to be more critical of Clinton's record is reminiscent of the attacks the Clintons endured during the investigations in the 1990s.

"Our point here is to point out that after a campaign in which many of the questions that voters had in the closing days centered on concerns that they had over his state of preparedness to be commander in chief and steward of the economy, he has chosen instead of addressing those issues to attack Senator Clinton," Wolfson told reporters in a conference call. "They've announced that this is what they are going to do.

"I for one do not believe that imitating Ken Starr is the way to win a Democratic primary election for president. But perhaps that theory will be tested," he said.

By raising Starr's name, Wolfson revived memories of the investigation that led to former President Clinton's impeachment. But many Democrats feel the Starr investigation was politically motivated, and injecting Starr into the debate is one more way for Clinton to depict herself as a victim of enemies out to get her. She's already complained recently about the media being against her.

After losing three out of four contests Tuesday night, Obama told reporters Wednesday that he plans to increase his criticism of Clinton's record in coming days.

His campaign also has been attacking her for refusing to release her tax returns. The Clinton campaign said all the Clintons' returns since they left the White House will be made public around April 15.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the comparison to Starr is "absurd" when Clinton has been calling for more scrutiny of Obama's record.

"We don't believe that expecting candidates for the presidency to disclose their tax returns somehow constitutes Ken Starr tactics, but the kind of transparency and accountability that Americans are looking for and that's been missing in Washington for far too long," Burton said in a statement. "And if Senator Clinton doesn't think that the Republicans will ask these very same questions, then she's not as ready to go toe-to-toe with John McCain as she claims."

Wolfson offered two examples that he argued were similar to the tactics that Starr used in his investigation.

He cited a memo from the Obama campaign that called on Clinton to release "her tax returns, the accompanying schedules, and attachments." The memo cited a Wall Street Journal editorial that said Bill Clinton released their tax returns from 1980 forward when he ran in 1992. "But they steadfastly refused to release their returns for prior years, and only later did we learn that 1978 and 1979 were the tax years when Mrs. Clinton reported her 10,000 percent cattle-futures trading profit," said the editorial excerpt included in the memo.

He also cited two quotes this week from Obama senior adviser David Axelrod. In one, Axelrod complained to Time magazine, "We still don't have the records from the Clinton library." And on ABC's "This Week" Sunday, he referenced the Whitewater land deal. "I would think that the Clinton campaign would be the last person to be wanting to characterize any real estate transaction as unusual," Axelrod said.

[sanfelz]

Mr. McCain has not disclosed his tax records either. Maybe they are hidden with W. Bush''s military records. Or perhaps they are secreted with H.W. Bush''s recollections of the Iran-Contra illegal and unconstitutional actions.

[sbnilsson]

The differences in policies between Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton are fairly small, so it all comes down to personal qualities. As a European following American politics I believe Mr Obama has the best possibillities to deal with the challenges facing the world. His grounded personality, vision, bright mind and communicative skills are badly needed both in the US and the rest of the world.

[orange541]

Ken Starr: The Monster under the Clinton bed.

Does Hillary really want to go there?

Hasn''t been swept out in years.

No telling who would be found.

[pepperwood2]

THESE WORDS SAY IT ALL. The former head of the DNC, Clinton protege & supporter suggest to the press Their true feelings concerning African Americas. Many blatant, superior, bias & bigoted feelings surface.

Frankly these are very troubling remarks he made concerning Lynn Swann. It would also be troubling & condensating if made concerning anyone else on the opposite ticket. Whether, Latino, Black, White, Polish, Slovak, Ukranian, Italian, Red, Yellow etc. This clearly shows what the Clintons & Mr. Ed really think that about Our Beloved Lynn Swann, the rest of us minorities serve as cannon fodder just to humor these people.

At this time, I do not feel proud, as a Pa. when Mr. Ed. speaks disrespectfully about our wonderful minority citizens we have here in our State. There is just no excuse for this for this kind of demeaning behavior. This is no time to Polka.

To buttress his point, Rendell cited his 2006 re-election campaign, in which he defeated Republican challenger Lynn Swann, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star, by a margin of more than 60 percent to less than 40 percent.

"I believe, looking at the returns in my election, that had Lynn Swann been the identical candidate that he was %u2014 well-spoken, charismatic, good-looking %u2014 but white instead of black, instead of winning by 22 points, I would have won by 17 or so," he said. "And that (attitude) exists." Bias Attitude exists confirms what Clinton Camp has been trying to hide from the Voters .

I can not wait for the rioting! I''m going to get me a 50" plasma tv, I picked out the store already.




I assume you all know if Obama has the most votes and the superdelegates vote for Hillary then their will be rioting and the blacks will not go to vote. The same people who cried that the election was stolen from Al Gore will speak up and do the same about Obama. That will seperate the party from the moderates and the utra-liberals who favor Obama. John McCain will win. He will win any way because all the whites will get out to vote to make sure Obama does not win. Blacks vote for Obama only because he is black and whites vote for McCain because he is not a woman and he is not black. End of story! Who are the real racists?









Senator Obama with hand in pocket, feel cocky all day.

[popstom1]

Ken Star could not fraim Bill Clinton And he TRYED
Bill pardon her

[popstom1]

The cat she went to jail because she would NOT LIE
FOR KEN STAR 70 million and no one has $hit on the
Clinton

[samthetvcat]

Isn''t this how we''re all keeping score with regards to disclosure . . .

Tax records - everybody''s released them but the Clintons

Their counterdemand for Rezko disclosure - the Clintons once again thinking they don''t have to play by the same rules as everybody else

If they keep demanding Rezko disclosure, we want to hear what it is Susan McDougall went to PRISON to avoid disclosing against the Clintons - the statute of limitations has probably tolled by now, hasn''t it?

[l00ker]

100ker

You are and unmitigated bigot. BTW I''''m married to a jewish conservative

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Posted by alanrobisch2 at 06:38 PM : Mar 07, 2008


Nah, you got me all wrong Robi, I''m all heart.

[alanrobisch]

Let the bad times roll Obama, let the truth be told



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Posted by tibu987 at 02:51 PM : Mar 07, 2008

amen the hypocrisy and nastiness and downright illegal actions the clintons have done are amazing and now the witch is trying to get elected because she is a women by playing for sympathy at every turn trying to play the poor put upon women How ludicrous and how gullible are the dem women who listen to her

[alanrobisch]

100ker

You are and unmitigated bigot. BTW I''m married to a jewish conservative

[l00ker]

"Wrong on all of the above Simon, but I don''''''''t hate you for it.

Posted by l00ker at 02:31 PM : Mar 07, 2008"

So you do believe the Holocaust happened and you''''re a skin-head and a member of the KKK. Well I guess at least now we know where you stand.

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Posted by taddles at 04:02 PM : Mar 07, 2008
+ report abuse
"Exactly like what we got from Bush, a complete jewish run media mirage.

Posted by l00ker at 09:21 AM : Mar 07, 2008

Too bad your vile racist garbage makes your points irrelevant. Your drivel marginalizes any point you might be trying to make.

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Posted by taddles at 03:59 PM : Mar 07, 2008



If you say so, though you''re not saying very much.

[taddles-2009]

"Wrong on all of the above Simon, but I don''''t hate you for it.

Posted by l00ker at 02:31 PM : Mar 07, 2008"

So you do believe the Holocaust happened and you''re a skin-head and a member of the KKK. Well I guess at least now we know where you stand.

[taddles-2009]

"Exactly like what we got from Bush, a complete jewish run media mirage.

Posted by l00ker at 09:21 AM : Mar 07, 2008

Too bad your vile racist garbage makes your points irrelevant. Your drivel marginalizes any point you might be trying to make.

[tibu987]

How ludicrous.
Do I read this correctly?

The Clintons, the King and Queen of vitriol, can disparage Obama at every turn yet, if he questions anything about the Clintons, he is compared to Kenneth Starr.
Again, how ludicrous.

Obama has held back, I question why, but it is now time that he remind the public of just how lowdown sleazy the Clinton twins are, going all the way back to the beginning in Arkansas where the two of then were involved in serious scandals.

"People who live in glass houses should not throw stones."

Go get ''em Obama, your mistakes are nothing compared to the Clintons.
The photograph of the Clintons with Tony Resko; did Rezko also perhaps, contribute to their campaign?
The monies donated to the Clinton campaign by indicted Norman Hsu amount to the same fallout that Obama suffered with Rezko? Both returned all the money received.

I look forward to much dirt being turned up on the Clintons showing just how low these two lawyers from the backward State of Arkansas were and how much of it enabled them to reach the White House.
A fluke if ever there was one.

Let the bad times roll Obama, let the truth be told

[l00ker]

I''''m sure l00ker also believes the Holocaust never happened? Maybe he''''s a reject of the KKK and Skinheads......they have to HATE because they can''''t stand themselves.

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Posted by simonsez40 at 02:18 PM : Mar 07, 2008



Wrong on all of the above Simon, but I don''t hate you for it.

[simonsez40]

I''m sure l00ker also believes the Holocaust never happened? Maybe he''s a reject of the KKK and Skinheads......they have to HATE because they can''t stand themselves.

[popstom1]

Politics is like the full moon all the looney''s
come out

[DCropp]

As a Democrat, I demand this adviser be fired immediately.

[l00ker]

...nobody seems to want to mention how nasty Mr. 100kr is.
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Posted by jimmyc1955 at 10:30 AM : Mar 07, 2008



Nasty? Nah, this the realpolitik that jews like you always practice, and squawk about. You know, the brute force that you learned from Adolf, the disinformation and distorting that you learned from Josef, and the way that jews like you in Israel apply it to palestinian everyday life. Nasty? Nah, realpolitik. But KEEP HOPE ALIVE, your cover may show up any minute now.