Clinton, Obama Make Pa. Closing Arguments

Both Democrats Try To Lower Expectations Ahead Of Crucial Primary

(CBS/AP)  Hillary Rodham Clinton invoked Pearl Harbor, the Berlin Wall and Osama bin Laden as she reached for a victory in Pennsylvania's Democratic presidential primary to recharge her comeback effort.

Barack Obama said she would probably win but he hoped to keep it close in Tuesday's voting.

Clinton made her closing arguments Monday for the biggest primary left on the election schedule, running an ad with historic images to ask voters whom they would trust most in the White House during a time of trouble. It's the same tactic she used successfully in the "3 a.m." ad she aired in the closing days of the Ohio and Texas contests last month.

It was the first time a Democratic candidate has used bin Laden in a campaign commercial in the 2008 race for the White House. The terrorist appears along with images from the stock market crash, the bombing at Pearl Harbor, the Soviet threat, the collapse of the Berlin Wall and Hurricane Katrina as an announcer tells voters the political contest is for "the most important job in the world."

"You need to be ready for anything, especially now, with two wars, oil prices skyrocketing and an economy in crisis. Harry Truman said it best, `If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.' Who do you think has what it takes?" the announcer says at the end, as Clinton appears on screen.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the ad "plays the politics of fear." And he said Clinton is to blame for allowing bin Laden to escape by supporting war in Iraq and diverting the U.S. military.

"It's ironic that she would borrow the president's tactics in her own campaign and invoke bin Laden to score political points," Burton said.

Obama has been framing the choice in Pennsylvania in negative contrasts with Clinton on the Iraq war, trade, special interests, and the back-scratching culture of Washington, reports CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds. He has narrowed what was once a double-digit lead, but his momentum has slowed.

Obama tried to end on a positive note after days of escalating accusations against Clinton. He didn't criticize his rival as he spoke with voters at an outdoor plaza in suburban Philadelphia, where tulips and daffodils bloomed and children played in the background.

"I thought this would be a nice change of pace," Obama said. A bank of TV cameras captured the soft images - early enough in the day to ensure that voters would see the images on Philadelphia newscasts the night before the primary.

Facing a nearly insurmountable delegate deficit, Clinton is now focused on the total popular vote in all the Democratic contests to give her a case to make to superdelegates, reports CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod. She currently trails Obama by 827,308 votes.

Pennsylvania's demographics suit Clinton. The state has a higher median age, a higher percentage of whites, a lower median household income and fewer bachelor's degrees than the country overall. These are the voters - working-class whites and voters older than 50 - who have flocked to her in past contests.

Obama suggested in an interview with Pittsburgh radio station KDKA that Clinton probably would come out on top. "I'm not predicting a win. I'm predicting it's going to be close and that we are going to do a lot better than people expect," he said.

Clinton aides tried to keep expectations down, insisting they would be grateful for a win no matter how close. While the New York senator began the race with a hefty 20-point lead in several polls in the state, Obama's extensive campaigning and heavy TV ad purchases significantly cut into her lead.

She told supporters in Scranton, "We really need to bear down in these last few days. The whole world is watching."

Clinton was hoping a big win in Pennsylvania could boost her chance at the nomination. A loss would increase pressure on her to exit the race, with Obama leading in delegates and the popular vote.

The primary comes after a six-week break in voting that allowed Clinton and Obama to spend more time in Pennsylvania than in any state since the primaries and caucuses began at the first of the year.

Pennsylvania is the largest of the 10 contests remaining, with about 4 million registered Democrats and 158 delegates up for grabs in the primary. Polls were to open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. EDT.

[tigerjcs]

NO OBAMA. No anti American, unpatriotic and hate American to lead this country. All Obama does is delivering empty promisses and speeches, but nothing else. He is coward by voting PRESENT. He has not show any CHANGE and HOPE in his church that he has been attending for over 20 years. His followers are duped by his sweet talk, with no substance.

[blackspirit3]

FLIP FLOP HILLARY????

THEN

Clinton, who has tried to cast her rival as too inexperienced for the job of commander in chief, said of Obama''s stance on Pakistan: "I don''t believe that any president should make any blanket statements with respect to the use or non-use of nuclear weapons."

NOW

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton discussed actions that would warrant a nuclear response that would %u201Ctotally obliterate%u201D Iran. The New York Senator told ABC''s %u201CGood Morning America%u201D Tuesday and MSNBC''s %u201CCountdown With Keith Olbermann%u201D Monday that, if president, she would be willing to use nuclear weapons against Iran if they orchestrated a nuclear attack on Israel.

[blackspirit3]

FLIP FLOP HILLARY????
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton discussed actions that would warrant a nuclear response that would %u201Ctotally obliterate%u201D Iran. The New York Senator told ABC''s %u201CGood Morning America%u201D Tuesday and MSNBC''s %u201CCountdown With Keith Olbermann%u201D Monday that, if president, she would be willing to use nuclear weapons against Iran if they orchestrated a nuclear attack on Israel.

Clinton, who has tried to cast her rival as too inexperienced for the job of commander in chief, said of Obama''s stance on Pakistan: "I don''t believe that any president should make any blanket statements with respect to the use or non-use of nuclear weapons."

[leftyintexas]

People who have NO understanding of how our system of government works should not have the right to vote!!!!!

Posted by LibH8er at 08:37 AM : Apr 22, 2008

You are eight years too late.

[leftyintexas]

Be of good cheer GOP -victory is in our sights.

Posted by tuffone3 at 11:38 AM : Apr 22, 2008

That''s strange, I don''t see DUMBYA''S name on your list. Oh yeah, I forgot....he''s in a category all by himself. Ha!Ha!Ha!

[leftyintexas]

....he is a nut job.

Posted by Obama8years at 09:37 AM : Apr 22, 2008

Haven''t you had this conversation with yourself before?

[sjc_1]

I think the ads are legitimate. It IS an important job, even though W seems to think it is one big frat party. We are going to need a lot of rehab and situations come at you all the time. I think Clinton knows this better than any of the candidates and I think she is more prepared than any of them to deal effectively with what ever comes our way.

[blackspirit3]

40 YEARS OF CLINTON RAPING WOMEN

A 1969 charge by a Eileen Wellstone, said Clinton assaulted her after she met him at a pub near the Oxford University campus where the future President was a student.
In 1972, a 22-year-old woman told campus police at Yale University that she was sexually assaulted by Clinton, who was a law student at the college.
In 1974, a female student at the University of Arkansas complained that then-law professor Bill Clinton groped her and forced his hand inside her blouse
Broaddrick, a volunteer in Clinton''s attorney general campaign, said he raped her in 1978;
From 1978-1980, Arkansas State troopers assigned to protect the governor reported seven complaints from women who said Clinton forced, or attempted to force, himself on them sexually.
Elizabeth Ward, the Miss Arkansas who won the Miss America crown in 1982, told friends she was forced by Clinton to have *** with him shortly after she won her state crown.
Paula Corbin, an Arkansas state worker, filed a sexual harassment case against Clinton the then-governor exposed himself and demanded oral ***.
Sandra Allen James, President Clinton invited her to his hotel room during a political trip to the nation''s capital in 1991, pinned her against the wall and stuck his hand up her dress.
Kathleen Willey, a White House volunteer, reported that Clinton grabbed her, fondled her breast and pressed her hand against his genitals during an Oval Office meeting in November, 1993.

[jerok3]

Sincerely I do not understand about H. Clintons arguments on experience and ability to carry USA to the promise land when she cannot even find out when her hussy was cheating on her right on her nose and not knowing in time that supporting war is supplely means of keep lots of enemies and endangering innocent life%u2019s, power to understand, good judgement, foresights belongs to divine president which Obama has!! My candid advise to H. Clinton is to simply give a positive change chance for people of great USA to rediscover them selves without further deviation and hitches!!!

[gunownerdan]

SUPERDELEGATES...

because the average American is far too stupid to make their own decisions!!

[obama8years]

Search YouTube.com "Obama to Shut Down America"



youtube.com/watch?v= waz57ce_hl0

Not only is Obama have Hamas ties but from his own words wants to destroy our military strength.

youtube.com/watch?v= waz57ce_hl0

VIDEO IS OF OBAMA SPEAKING....he is a nut job.

[obama8years]

youtube.com/watch?v= waz57ce_hl0

Not only is Obama have Hamas ties but from his own words wants to destroy our military strength.

youtube.com/watch?v= waz57ce_hl0

VIDEO IS OF OBAMA SPEAKING....he is a nut job.

[jonswift2]

blp8300, Thanks for the link to opensecrets.org. Very interesting stuff. I can tell you are a Clinton supporter because you selectively ignored the information on this site that says that Hillary Clinton has shown less than full disclosure of her contributors. Not to mention that while Obama is #19 among lobbyists, Clinton is #1. Similarly, Hillary got more more from oil & gas than Obama. Really, this is all irrelevant anyway because these numbers are the amounts received from individuals in these industries. So line workers at refineries are part of the oil & gas numbers. It is why Obama got a good deal of contributions from the pharamceuticals- Illinois is a center for drug companies and people from his home state, regardless of where their paychecks come from, seem to support their Senator. The real point is that Obama raised almost 100% of his contributions from individuals, regardless of industry- still just looking at the numbers from opensecrets.org. Hillary received over $1 million from PACs, compared to $250 to the Obama campaign.

This type of simplistic thinking and selective information, which Clinton supports and promotes is the only way Clinton can make a pretense she has a case to make. So, thanks for the URL. There is an enormous value to real information. It''s a shame that some politicians exploit negative emotions, rather than use truth and positive emotions to provide leadership. Hillary Clinton, Experience and Change that Must be Investigated.

[jgunther7]

As a young lad, I will never forget President Eisenhower''''s Farwell speech and the only point I can remember from that speech was: %u201CThe biggest danger to the U.S. is the military industrial complex.%u201D I was somewhat confused at the time because in the midst of the cold war, I understood the Russians were our biggest threat. His words have always come back to me and sure enough, it is the military industrial complex that is destroying our nation.

The Clintons are criminals and the most corrupt politicians in the history of our country. I can''''t understand why people blindly follow them, but a change in government may see them finally prosecuted for their crimes. That may explain why Hillary is so desperate to be elected. Their staying out of prison may depend on it.

Obama on the other hand seems to be that new ray of hope that can get us out of this mess. I had lost all interest and hope in politics and stopped voting, but he is saying all the right things. I am as excited now as I was about John Kennedy. I never thought I would be in support of a minority person for fear they would only take care of their own, but Obama seems to transcend all the traditional boundaries and is stronger for it. If this man only delivers a fraction of what we hope and expect of him, we will all be miles ahead of where we are now. Today we are in debt, in recession, at war, and universally despised around the world. Obama at least presents the promise of improving our situation. Obama 08

[taotxzen]

The article below is from The Huffington Post:

[taotxzen]

The Latest Proof that the Karl Rove Playbook Has Become the MSM''s Bible

Posted April 21, 2008 | 07:02 PM (EST)

One of the main themes of my new book, Right Is Wrong, is the role the media have played in allowing the lunatic fringe now in control of the Republican Party -- the people who believe in torture but don''t believe in evolution -- to hijack our democracy. I document how the real problem comes not from Fox News or the likes of Limbaugh and O''Reilly, but from a mainstream media that has so internalized the Right''s framing and messages they have now become a part of its DNA.

And the media seem intent on confirming this point again and again and again.

The first of the latest round of exhibits proving that the Karl Rove playbook has become the MSM''s bible was offered into evidence during last week''s ABC debate. The uproar that followed made it seem as if this kind of behavior was an aberration but, in fact, this has been going on for years -- only in a less concentrated form.

(cont)

[taotxzen]

(cont)

Next came a double-whammy in Sunday''s New York Times. First up was David Barstow''s epic revelation of the unseemly complicity between the Pentagon and the mainstream media in delivering the Bush administration''s talking points on Iraq via "a kind of Trojan media horse" -- Pentagon-approved, prepped, and financially-enriched "military analysts" dutifully parroting the Bush party line, with nary a raised eyebrow from the TV stations and newspapers offering these highly-decorated sock puppets their prestigious platforms.

It was -- and, indeed, continues to be -- a propagandists'' field day. And while the moral bankruptcy of the "military analysts" -- many of whom now admit to promoting "facts" they knew to be untrue -- is astounding, it is more than matched by the bankrupt behavior of the media mavens who enabled the Pentagon disinformation campaign. Barstow paints a picture of TV and newspaper execs turning a blind eye to the conflicts of interest their analysts were drowning in. And now they are going mute: many of the news organizations Barstow contacted for his story -- including CBS, Fox, and NBC -- refused to comment, while others offered up half-hearted mea culpas. "We did not ask ... the follow up questions we should have," said CNN.

(cont)

[taotxzen]

(cont)

As David Bromwich put it in an email to me: "The cavalier attitude of the networks is astonishing. No system but despotism can survive when so many high up do such things without embarrassment."

The second blow delivered to the media in Sunday''s Times was the article about how American military commanders in Afghanistan have been urging a widening of the war to include going after terrorists in the tribal regions of Pakistan. But they have been rebuffed by the Bush administration, despite the fact that these terrorists, including members of al Qaeda, present, in the words of CIA director Michael Hayden, "clear and present danger to Afghanistan, to Pakistan and to the West in general, and to the United States in particular." So much for Bush''s endless bleating about listening to his commanders in the field. Once again, the White House''s obsession with Iraq has caused it to take its eye off the real threats facing America.

[jgunther7]

Hillary has been following along behind Obama in the last few primaries hoping he would make the big fatal mistake that would blow him out of the water. Hillary was ready to pounce and take the lead. This last nuke option proves she is finally giving up. Obama hasn''t made the big mistake and she is faced with keeping her word and going the distance. However, she is no Rocky Balboa and doesn%u2019t have the character to stick it out. She is out of money and out of support and can''t go the distance. So what doe''s she do, make a grand stand play promising to nuke Iran as President of the United States. Not so good with the American public because it would be our military doing the killing and incriminating us as a country of war criminals. This is a very desperate political move on her part as there is no turning back. Even Hillary Clinton could not lye her way out of this one. But she now has another cunning plan, her empty promise to nuke Iran makes her a big hero in New York were they don''t like Iranians. This gives her a clear path to win the next New York Senate election. She could care less what people in Pennsylvania or anywhere else think of her; New York is now her focus. She has given up the race.

[naucoming4u]

Today is the feminists last stand in Pennsylvania.

And like Custer''s last stand, the overwhelming numbers that support a new face in Washington will clearly win.

No, I don''t support Obama, but I support something different than the old luggage that has destroyed our government and America. It is sad that this "new face" that inspires Americans isn''t a third-party candidate. It is sad that the vast majority of the American electorate is not smart enough to vote beyond the corrupt two-party system, but in the end... an Obama presidency will have to do for now.