The NYT Caucus blog: Obama, Under the Clinton Microscope

December 10, 2007, 7:55 pm
Obama, Under the Clinton Microscope

By Jeff Zeleny

DES MOINES – Presidential campaigns have unlimited appetites for information about their rivals. They track their whereabouts, they study their records and they obsessively follow nearly every movement. By this point in the race, though, it would seem a candidate’s work history would have already been sufficiently combed through.

Apparently not.

If there was any question whether Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign was concerned about the rise of Senator Barack Obama, here is a fresh example: A deputy campaign manager for Mrs. Clinton sent an e-mail yesterday, trying to find out about Mr. Obama’s background as a community organizer in Chicago.

The deputy campaign manager is Bob Nash, who served as White House personnel director in the Clinton administration. In March, Mr. Nash left his position as vice chairman of Chicago ShoreBank to join Mrs. Clinton’s campaign.

Here is the text of his e-mail, with the addresses redacted:

From: Bob Nash
To:
Sent: Sun Dec 09
Subject: BARACK

HOW ARE YOU ?? I AM FIGHTING HARD >

SECOND ARE YOU PEERSONALLYAWARE OF TH EWORK BARACK DID ON THE SOUTH
SIDE WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION S , ETC ./. BOB

WHAT DI DHE DO AFORE HOW LONG AND WITH WHO ??

PLS TELL BOB HELLO BOB

Bob J Nash
Deputy Campaign Manager
Hillary Clinton for President Exploratory Committee
4420 N. Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22203

—
Mr. Nash, 59, did not respond to an e-mail request seeking comment. A campaign official said he was unaware of the matter, but would look into it.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/barackemail/#more-3253