Clinton: "Obama Is Very Frustrated"
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On the morning after the most heated Democratic debate to date in this presidential contest, Hillary Clinton summed up her view of the campaign saying, "We have words, and we have action," essentially calling Barack Obama a candidate who is all talk and no action.
At last night's debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., both Clinton and Obama took aim and one another on a variety of issues. And with only a few hours of sleep after an overnight flight to Washington, Clinton continued to push back on Obama describing his demeanor at the debate as a man who is "frustrated."
"Senator Obama is very frustrated. The events of the last ten or so days, particularly the outcome of New Hampshire and Nevada have apparently convinced him to adopt a different strategy. He clearly came – he telegraphed it, he talked about it – he clearly came last night looking for a fight, and he was determined and launched right in."
It is clear that the Clinton campaign is looking to spin the ugly exchanges as a woman defending herself against a man who brought forth an attack.
However, they were both ready to go at one another. When Obama raised the point that Clinton sat on the board of Wal-Mart, a corporate conglomerate that is a non-union shop, Clinton played her trump card when she reminded Obama that he spent some time defending Tony Rezko, a Chicago-based landowner who has been charged with fraud. But when Clinton was asked to comment on the allegation in her press conference, she was quick to distance herself from the charge telling the press to direct those questions to Obama.
Clinton defended also her tone and her choice of 'contrasts' (as she puts it) at the debate saying that in a presidential contest "what you say has consequences, and there have been a lot of comments made over the last days that I think should be aired."
Clinton added, "Clearly, I believe words matter, but actions matter more. Time and time again we see where the words and actions don't match," referring to Obama.
With race and gender playing a role in the campaign Clinton was asked whether or not her description of Obama as a "young, articulate African American" would be portrayed as offensive.
"There's a lot of commentary out there that is really missing the point. You know, we are presenting ourselves as individuals, not as categories not as fulfilling certain kinds of expectations, we are individuals."
Clinton is scheduled to travel to the West Coast today with stops in California and Arizona. She denied that her trips out west were an indication that she was ceding victory in South Carolina to Obama, pointing out that both her husband and her daughter Chelsea will be campaigning on her behalf in the Palmetto State.