Scoring "Bitter-gate" (So Far)

WP political blog, "The Fix," by Chris Cillizza
Scoring "Bitter-gate" (So Far)

....PLUSES

* Friday Night Firestorm: The news of Obama's remarks at the fundraiser broke on Friday afternoon when many people were paying a lot more attention to their weekend plans than to the state of the presidential race...

* No YouTube Yet: The fact that no video of Obama's remarks has emerged, yet, is a blessing for the Illinois Senator's campaign....

* Rapid Response: Sensing a potential problem, the Obama campaign responded swiftly to the growing controversy -- making sure reporters had transcripts and video of Obama's response to the flood of criticism that started Friday evening....

* General Election Practice?: Obama drew kudos for the way in which he handled the controversy over comments made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright -- bolstering the confidence of worried party strategists who wondered if he was ready for the big time. Should Obama successfully navigate this stormy sea (and that remains an "if"), he may well emerge stronger and better prepared for what promises to be a rough and tumble general election. Every crisis -- even this one -- provides opportunity.

MINUSES

* Double Barreled Assault: The "elitism" charge leveled at Obama fits nicely into the messaging of BOTH Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) in the primary battle and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), who is already waging a general election campaign. For every statement Obama puts out on the issue, two come in response. For every conference call his campaign holds, that number is doubled by Clinton and McCain. Fighting two-on-one makes for tough odds and is usually a recipe for a loss.

* Geography is Destiny: There couldn't have been a worse place for Obama to make these remarks....

* Republican Red Meat: Branding the Democratic nominee as an out-of-step elitist is something Republican strategists have some experience with....

* Sorry is the Hardest Word: On Friday, Obama said that his political opponents were twisting his words out of context. On Saturday Obama said he regretted the words he chose but didn't back away from the sentiment. Will tomorrow bring a full-fledged apology? If so, Obama dragged out the inevitable apology for three days -- ensuring that the story will survive into the early part of next week (if not longer).

* The States to Come: Obama appeared to be on the rise in Pennsylvania in advance of the state's April 22 primary. It's hard to see how these comments (and the furor they have caused) don't slow that momentum considerably. And, both Indiana and North Carolina have a high number of small towns where religious faith and gun ownership are close to ubiquitous. It's hard to see Obama losing in North Carolina given the significant black vote, but could these comments cost him a win in the Hoosier State -- the last true battleground in the nomination fight? Could they also impact Montana and South Dakota, small-town heavy states set to vote on June 3?

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/04/the_bitter_back_and_forth_plus.html?hpid=topnews

It exposes her for what she is-desperate and willing to line up with the Reich wring to hurt Obama.