So we are all supposed to believe that the Rethugs will be too high-minded

to use Obama's admissions about past drug use against him, should he be the nominee?

Even though they attacked Clinton for admitting to marijuana use, and Bush never actually admitted to his own use of cocaine?

Is this why there is such universal condemnation for Shaheen? I didn't see his full comments, but what I saw didn't seem unreasonable. The Rethugs will throw whatever mud they can find. They won't hold back on anything. Remember Willie Horton?

I'm not saying this is a reason to withdraw support for Obama. But we should be prepared for such attacks, because they will come.

was he.

All he said was "When I was young and irresponsible, I was young and irresponsible."

I don't remember that.

against our nom. They turned Kerry's service record agaisnt him, with flat out lies.

Despite the fact that he didn't inhale. I actually think bills didn't inhale line did more damage than actual pot smoking would have.

Shaheen's smear was on a par with what Bush did to McCain in SC in 2000. It wasn't just mentioning Obama's (admitted) youthful drug experimentation, it was the intimation that Obama was a serious drug abuser and even a dealer. Disgusting. Talk about handing the GOP something to use against him.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/14/wuspols214.xml

Very first entry that comes up. You'll see Shaheen's quote about halfway down. His comment was concern trolling at it's finest.

The Rethugs WILL attack Obama in this manner, and it will be something Obama will need to overcome. All candidates have their vulnerabilities, and this will be one of Obama's. There is no question that there will be Rethug dirty tricks and smears -- the question is how the various candidates will handle them.

and look for any dirt regarding Obama's drug use that they can find.

And Obama better be prepared to answer them.

Out of concern that Gore was going to bring those things up in the General. KKKarl was just trying to help John McCain. Just like Clinton campaign is trying to troll...uh...I mean...help Obama right now. :eyes:

I think(?) Obama has shown he can handle attacks. I'm not sure how this one's playing out in Peoria, tho.

I also fully expect to see Obama rise to the ocasion and use it to his advantage and the advantage of kids all over the country as an oportunity to talk about drug use.

Being a drug dealer gang banger. Its dishonest and disgusting.

The fact that its a supposed dem thats the first to do it is what makes it disgusting and disingenuous, but I am quite sure you are aware of that.

I doubt this would even be an issue for you if it werent backfiring so badly on her campaign and I think the pukes will get the same reaction.

I would be happy with any of the three, assuming none of them is crippled in the primary process.

(I do wish Edwards hadn't had to limit himself to federal financing, however.)

it's gonna be disasterous no matter who runs. :cry:

Nobody expects the RNC to treat Obama any differently than they will ANY Democratic nominee. Okay?

beyond the fact that the Rethugs will attack Obama over his admissions of past drug use?

Something which is obviously true?

Shaheen went past the line of truth from teenaged drug use to drug dealing, posing it as concern and question, just like a Repuke, just the way the politics of personal destruction is always played. Furthermore, the stereotype of the young drug dealer would never have been applied to anyone else in this primary, because it wouldn't have entered anyone's mind. That's why the furor.

And was he wrong? Won't they attack Obama in that manner?

And shouldn't we be prepared for that, if Obama's the nominee?

beating my head on this brick wall.

Good luck to ya.

But they don't wanna see the truth in what you're saying.

Rethug smears against HRC -- Vince Foster, etc.

Attacking Hillary makes ya popular!

You know, the one where she had an affair with him and then she and Bill ordered him killed. Not because I'm saying it's true or anything. I'm just saying that the Repugs are surely going to use that terrible allegation that Hillary murdered Vince Foster. I'm only saying this because I'm so concerned for your candidate and all. We all know how ruthless the GOP is when it comes to using things like rumors that Hillary Clinton had Vince Foster murdered and made it appear to be a suicide. I'm only bringing up an old story like this because we all know the GOP is going to use it so let's get it out in the open now.

:sarcasm:

Hillary Clinton didn't confess to killing Vince Foster in her autobiography.

Obama DID open himself to issues of his electability with his revelation that he used cocaine.

Funny, I missed that. Furthermore, you are neglecting to notice that the line of reasoning used by the Clinton/Shaheen defenders is not the validity of the allegations themselves, but that the GOP will use them against the candidate.

The comment everyone is so upset over is that Obama's admission of Drug use hurts his electabilty, because Republicans will attack him on it and bring up all sorts of spurious attacks. Shaheen then listed some of those potential attacks.

Republicans may indeed bring up Vince Foster crapola --but it won't be because of anything that Hillary has done or admitted to doing.

"It'll be, 'When was the last time? Did you ever give drugs to anyone? Did you sell them to anyone?'"

What about that don't YOU understand?

Oh, I know, Shaheen just helpfully "listed some of those potential attacks" because he was so very concerned about them. :eyes:

BTW, what bleeping difference does it make whether or not someone "did something" or "admitted to doing" something when it comes to people from their own party spreading smears about them?

blindsided and shocked when the Rethugs finally do ask these kinds of questions?

Of course they will. And we need to be ready.

He gave them a club to attack with. By planting a false smear in the media to help Sen. Clinton, he handed the GOP a convenient excuse to bash Obama with the drug use if he wins the Primary. They'll say: "What's wrong with us bringing Obama's drug use up now when other Democrats were doing it back in the Primary races?"

We can't protect Obama by keeping quiet about this issue now. No matter what happens in our primaries, they will feel perfectly free to bring up Obama's drug use, just as they brought up Clinton's marijuana use. They don't need any clubs from us to start their attacks.

without any help from us. And asking Obama what he meant about being on the way to being a "junkie."

I'm sure Obama can handle this, but it's silly to act as if the attack described by Shaheen wouldn't have been forthcoming.

him some problem in the future.

I hope he's ready. I don't think it's a disqualifier, and I still like him a lot. But he better be prepared to handle whatever the Rethugs throw in his direction, because they will.

And that's fine, HRC can handle it.

As I hope Obama can handle any smear that may be thrown at him.

That is how the politics of personal destruction is done.

The Repukes will attack any Democratic nominee with whatever they've got, only the story will change to suit the candidate. What they don't have they will make up. I don't worry about what Repukes are going to say. I'd never sleep at night. I can draw up a Repuke scenario for every single candidate we've got in no time at all.

It is true Obama, as he has been straight out front about, used drugs in high school just like millions of American kids who have parents who see it for what it is, ordinary life, not something they want their kids to be doing, but ordinary. Republicans, too, rich people, poor people, middle class people, minorities and whites, urban and rural -- they've been alive through the past few decades.

Are the Republicans going to ask if Obama was a drug dealer? Who gives a shit. It is untrue.

Are the Republicans going to claim Hillary is a lesbian who killed Vince Foster? Who the hell cares. It is untrue.

What we should all care about is Democrats publicly raising downright dirty lies about other Democrats, whether or not they couch it in "concern."

Between this and those "innocently" forwarded Muslim emails, I think we can see what kind of campaign Clinton is running. I'm not impressed, and I'm not fooled. Obviously they don't feel she can win on the issues and the strength of her presentation of them so they have to pull this swiftboat crap.

How long was Hillary planning Vince Foster's death?

Of course, this will be different because the Vince Foster allegation is completely untrue, unlike Obama's well documented history of drugrunning and gangbanging. :eyes:

by the TONS all over America and especially targeting black communities?

Demand those books be opened - act like an open government Democrat.

In which Obama was in his 20s. He already graduated Harvard by then so cocaine use would be a tad more difficult to explain.

Still, you bring up an excellent point about the drug issue, in general.

his CIA nickname Poppy.

IranContra was an extension of that dealing, and the actual Iran and contra support dealings started before Reagan and Bush took office when Obama would have been in his teens. And so it is all part of the same story - CIA drugrunning as a Poppy Bush operation.

So, the American people will GET the connection if it's presented that way - they know more about IranContra cocaine than the earlier dealings.

Throw it all and demand the books be opened to clear up the little details. heh

The sooner they "raise" it the better.
Unlike most dirt this has an upside

that targeted black communities throughout the 80s and 90s.

Heheh - Obama could demand they open the books to see where that cocaine Hawaii was getting from LA connections like Ricky Ross.

American Gangster, indeed.

Suppose junior was still using at the time of Iran/Contra.

fails miserably with Rethugs, who couldn't care less about even appearing fair.

Whatever any of the canidates will spin against one another in this primary, it will not change what most people on this site will vote, Democrat. Ever single candiate knows this. They are playing to the 60%. All of us idiots that run around and have no clue what the hell is going on.It may be a case of "If I can't have it, then no one can." but even that is a pathetic and weak case.

So, I hear some say, "How can 'one of our own' do this to 'us'?" My answer: Welcome to the wonderful world of politics where your life is on display and open to speculation.

I hear some mention "Blame it on Iran/Contra!" I have some sad, sad news for you people. Most of us 60%ers have no idea what the hell that was about. The few of us that pay a little more attention MAY say, "Isn't that how Oliver North got his 15 minutes of fame and some books to actually sell?" We have no clue. None.

Do we care if Obama did drugs? No. Not particularly, like it was pointed out in the threads here, most of us have. Do we believe that he was or might have been a drug dealer. Maybe. We still don't care, overall, because most of us have pawned off that crappy dime bag that we got from a "friend" to anyone that would buy it. (Republican comaparison: Like a Junk Bond. I am seeing the lightbulbs going off.)

Do we care that this information came from a "fellow Democrat". No, not particularly. We shrug our shoulders and figure that it was going to come out sooner or later anyway.

So, what damage is actually being done here? The Dems have often times been associated with the legalization of marijuana, so do any of them care if O blew a fatty? Nope. The Dems have often been associated with the concept of rehabilitation and second chances. So, is Obama a drug dealer now? Nope. He has a decent track record of serving the community through public office. I don't think that I am going to catch him down on Rush St in Chicago pushing kilos any time soon. Neither does anyone else in the Democratic Party. Was this a desparate attempt by an outgoing political campaign advisor when he didn't have really good reasons why Hillary was losing position in the polls? Yeah. More than likely. So, when the Republicans bring it up on the campaign trail to the White House, will anyone listen? No. By then it will be ancient history. We, the 60%, will be wanting the next big scandal. We don't care about old news, even with a new spin.

This is the run for the President of the United States. How many careers have been completely ruined just by putting their hat in the ring. I don't even know. There are some out there that do. On both sides, at that. Every candidate is going to do everything they can within the comfort of their ability. Some will play dirtier than others. Was Hillary behind this? I have no idea in the world. Is Obama capable of doing something equally horrendous? I don't know. And truth be told, neither does anyone else that posts on this site. Being a career politician is something into and of itsself. It takes unique people to even get to some of these offices. The power corrupts some people. Others, the power corrupts, eventually. Still others don't last long enough to get corrupted.

So, bicker within your party all you want. All of us 60% already know that each candidate has a 20% vote. Now, what is your candidate going to do for us?

-A blind, stupid 60%er