Obama: "I don't think Michelle would claim that she is the best qualified person to be Senator."

Obama in Iowa: Gloves Off!
As Caucuses Near, Illinois Senator Goes After Hillary on Credibility, Electability and the Clinton Record
by TERRY MORAN, JULIA HOPPOCK and MELINDA ARONS
Nov. 26, 2007 —



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Obama fired back in an interview with "Nightline" co-anchor Terry Moran: "You know, we must be doing pretty well in Iowa. She wasn't paying much attention to what I said before then."

Watch Terry Moran's interview with Sen. Barack Obama tonight on "Nightline" at 11:35 p.m. ET.

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"I think the fact of the matter is that Sen. Clinton is claiming basically the entire eight years of the Clinton presidency as her own, except for the stuff that didn't work out, in which case she says she has nothing to do with it," Obama said, and added, referring to his relationship with his wife, Michelle, "There is no doubt that Bill Clinton had faith in her and consulted with her on issues, in the same way that I would consult with Michelle, if there were issues," Obama said. "On the other had, I don't think Michelle would claim that she is the best qualified person to be a United States Senator by virtue of me talking to her on occasion about the work I've done."

With this line of attack, Obama is openly calling Clinton out on one of the basic arguments of her candidacy and her career -- that her experience at Bill Clinton's side in the White House and before, make her the most qualified person in the race.

Obama continues to paint himself as the most "authentic" candidate whose real life experiences distinguish him from his democratic rivals. He claims that his experience living abroad, traveling the world, witnessing poverty and even facing racism as a black man has given him a perspective that some of America's best presidents have also possessed.

"Our most successful presidents have been people who were successful not because of their wealth of Washington experience," Obama said, "but because of the life lessons and schools of hard knocks that they had gone through."

Obama often makes the argument that these "hard knocks," in addition to his outsider status in Washington, give him the unique ability to change U.S. politics. "I think this whole argument about 'He speaks well, he's got good ideas, but he needs more experience,'" Obama said to a crowd gathered in a School in Western Iowa. "What they really mean is I haven't been in Washington long enough. They want to boil all the hope out of me."

He is hammering on the theme that he is the candidate with fresh ideas--the real "change agent" to take on the status quo in Washington.

"If you think that we've got to do things fundamentally differently, restore a sense of trust in out government, and have greater transparency--then I might be your guy," Obama said.

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http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Vote2008/story?id=3913284&page=1

GObama!

Glad to see Obama do it!

He's been hanging around Edwards too much....

You must really be feeling the heat, SaveElmer.

:scared: <---- HillaryFans

Attack, then claim those responding to the smear are "feelin the heat"

Fact is Obama has turned from the Politics of Hope to the Politics of Dope...

Making childish criticisms that directly contradict comments he made earlier...

I can produce the exact Obama quote on his view of Hillary's service as First Lady...made when he was apparently acting like an adult...if you like...

as I'm genuinely curious as to how big a flip-flop Obama made with this issue.

She's very smart ... people rightly give her credit for having been a participant in the Clinton administration and for doing some heavy lifting on issues." Barack Obama, speaking of Hillary Clinton's White House experience and contradicting Obama supporters - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 8/22/07

Gone with the wind. She was first to impugn Obama's claim of experience, just after she called for and end to the mudslinging. Shall I conjure up the quotes? Is she beyond reproach?

often to fill seats once held by their mates. Whether that's a good thing or not can certainly be debated. And one of the problems I and others have with Obama is how short his career in Congress has been, which means he and his wife have had much less time to have those "conversations" than the Clintons did, lol. Two years and then he pretty much shifted into Presidential campaign gear.

Does anyone know if Michelle has ever represented Obama abroad, or headed up any major policy initiative task forces for his Senate office?

If that's the sort of so-called "experience" she's running on, I want none of it.

But how many people roll out their most colossal failure ever as a "public servant" (IWR vote notwithstanding) as the principle reason, at the top of their resume, for why they are best qualified to be President?

her failed healthcare initiative is her best qualification to be President. And you know that. She relies on her years in the Senate much more heavily than her years as first lady.

because of her 6+ years as the junior Senator from New York?

as Senator from NY are an important component in her being where she is, sure. And I find how hostility is expressed very interesting. If someone referred derisively to Obama as the junior Senator from Illinois with only 2+ years under his belt, I'd know exactly where they were coming from.

Does Clinton's name help her? You bet. Do her years in the White House? Of course. But she does not, as the poster suggested, tout her failed healthcare initiative as her best qualification.

her primary accomplishments are incredibly modest when compared to people like Biden or Richardson?

and let's face it, Biden and Dodd are not in the top tier- unjustly I think, but that's the fact. And how can Obama or Edwards tout their experience compared to Biden or Dodd or Richardson?

Clinton is.

Which of her accolades as Senator does she trumpet?

This -- http://www.senate.gov/~clinton/news/statements/details.cfm?id=240603 ?

Or this -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wyCBF5CsCA ?

this is just silly. She touts her experience as a Senator- just as Biden and Dodd and Obama do.

The reason why that phrase is established in our vocabulary is because it is understood that rookie mistakes are part of a natural learning curve. In general that is a big part of why I expect people who run for President to have what for me is sufficient "seasoning".

for him to travel. The last thing he needs is for Hillary to pull out her Public Service resume -- dating back to the 1970s before Bill was even Governor -- and challenge Obama on who has more experience. For a man who's been Senator all of two years to question anyone on experience -- especially against someone like Biden, Richardson, even Kucinich for God's sake! -- is, in my opinion, more than a little laughable.

I just don't think this is an argument he's going to win. As a friend of mine recently asked me, "Does he even shave yet?"

Maybe then he could face reality and start celebrating our beloved broken "system" like Hillary does. No thanks.

He already appears all too comfortable with cynical pandering.

Of course, he doesn't do it very smoothly, yet, but give him time.

Obama's been in public service for over twenty years AND has good judgement, honesty, and the ability to inspire people on his side.

the job of president can't be had by someone who needs "on-the-job training" as if she's been president. Good for him for responding the way he did!

White House was loll around. I find his comments borderline sexist, but beyond that, I don't think this is a wise approach for him. His experience is less than hers, not greater, no matter how much people want to claim his years in the legislature as equal to her years in the Senate. He hasn't even been in the Senate for 3 years, and he's comparing Clinton's experience to his wife's.

Obama's run in more races than Clinton has (I'm talking about where their names were actually ON THE BALLOT) and has served in elective office longer. To suggest otherwise is an insult to the people of Illinois and Chicago. Elective office is elective office. And being first lady is not. Sorry.

it's silly sniping. they're all doing it. and it doesn't really point out anything.

relationships. Every spousal or partner relationship is unique. The women's movement in America was about ending the cookie cutter expectations of women. People are free to design their own relationships. I think Obama has revealed a personal view of women in marriage and is generalizing that to the Clintons and to the rest of us. It fits in with his remark about prayerfulness in making decisions about ones own body.

I think it is a pre-1970s view of women.

His comment reminds me of the days when women were not given credit for their role in raising a famiy or in their work in family businesses and subsequently suffered great losses if divorced.

She's very smart ... people rightly give her credit for having been a participant in the Clinton administration and for doing some heavy lifting on issues." Barack Obama, speaking of Hillary Clinton's White House experience and contradicting Obama supporters - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 8/22/07

Maybe he also thinks they're only good for one thing

has been short?


yeah, ok.


Yet it's one of the other candidates that gets accused of "doubletalk."

:crazy:

I have yet to see anything that proves otherwise. Hillary is famous for being married to Bill. She got elected in NY because any Democrat would have beaten any republican. It's not a coincidence that she move to NY to run for Senate. She's no different than Schwarzenegger, or Sunny Bono, or any of the other celeb candidates.

during the 1992 campaign, bill trotted her out as a near-equal, saying that with them, you get two-for-one. she was billed from day one -- actually, from before day one -- as someone who would take on far more responsibility than the usual first lady. they talked about her like rfk was to jfk, albeit without the formal office. in fact, bill would have given her a comparable cabinet office if there weren't post-rfk rules about that.

besides, she's now a senator on her own. however she got there, she's holding the office in her own name and doing work in her own name and that's her track record.


disclaimer: i'm not taking sides in the hillary-obama thing, i'm FAR more interesting in continually slamming the republicans than in quibbling about which democrat is going to CRUSH them!

Hillary had been a political animal even before she met Bill.

AND, like Matalin and Carville, husbands and wives need not have the same alliances or opinions.

Comparing someone like Obama's wife (who had NO recognizable political interests or ambitions) to HRC is unfair.

Good for Obama for pointing out how ridiculous and overreaching The Politics of Parsing canddiate has gotten with her "experience" meme
in his trademark humorous manner.