Day 3: Obama and the conference calls with reporters

[illinoisprogressive]

Barack Obama just completed a conference call with reporters -- ostensibly, he was there to brag about his endorsement by Rep. Paul Hodes. "Paul overcame a lot of the predictions that he couldn’t beat an incumbent because he was a fresh new voice and spoke the truth and people appreciated that he could be an agent of change."

And then he took questions, and national reporters really only wanted to hear Obama talk about one subject. Mike McAuliffe with the New York Daily News noticed how Obama had compared Hillary Clinton's debate answer about diplomacy to the Bush-Cheney approach. Does he really believe that?

A beat.

Obama: “I don’t just believe it, I think that’s the record. The Bush administration’s policy is to say that we will not talk to these countries unless we meet explicit preconditions. And that is the question that was asked at the debate.” He continued: “You’ll have to ask Sen. Clinton: what differentiates her position from theirs?”

Obama elaborated. “If I sit down with a leader of Iran I will send them a strong message that Israel is our friend and that we will assist in their security and that we don’t find nuclear weapons acceptable… that’s not going to be a propaganda coup for Iran, but what it does do is allow us to send a message to the rest of the world that we are willing to sit down and talk. during the debate and subsequently was that she would not meet with various leaders unless certain preconditions were met. Now, if that’s not what she means, she should say so. But that was the question that was posed at the debate. You need to get clarification from her if they are walking back from the position that we stated

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/

[PinkTiger]

1. He is incredibly inexperienced. This is a rash statement.

I think I would trust someone who had been involved with this a great deal more than someone who is a first term Senator.

[Dawgs]

2. So Hillary calling him "naive" wasn't rash?

Give me a break. He's right, and some people just don't like it.

[PinkTiger]

3. No, she was right. He has no clue.

Naive is the proper word.

[Dawgs]

6. Ah, your response is exactly what I expected.

Thanks.

[TeamJordan23]

7. Naive = Giving Bush authorithy to do whatever he wants in Iraq. nm

[BeyondGeography]

10. Hillary would have us believe she thought IWR was just about clearing the way for weapons inspectors

which makes her one of the following:

a) Dumb

b) Naive

c) Terminally cynical (my personal favorite)

[WCGreen]

8. The thing is that people here on DU and other grass roots boards

and such will think this is just grand...

Love the fact that BO is pushing back at HC...

But the reality for BO will hit hard if and when he takes hold of the Government in DC...

It's then that he will realize that talking points in a highly charged primary campaign aren't always implementable when you are looking at the world through Oval Office colored glasses...

That is when we all will see what BO is really made of...

[Dawgs]

11. BS!!

Hillary saw an opportunity to go after BO in the debate, and now it is backfiring. She gave him an in to attack her as being like Bush, and he's going for it.

[BluegrassDem]

4. This stuff is backfiring on Hillary

The Clinton campaign doesn't even wanna talk about the issue anymore. Barack is standing up and not backing down. And he's absolutely right. There's nothing wrong with telling those leaders to their face what the U.S. stands for and will not tolerate.

Hillary Clinton is nothing but Bush in drag.

[TeamJordan23]

5. Hillary backed W on the war, now backs his foreign policy approach. nm

[Dawgs]

9. Exactly. This is the kind of stuff that will help Obama.

Diehard Hillary supporters are the only ones that don't care about her support of Bush.

[BeyondGeography]

12. "What makes her position different from Bush's?"

A fine bit of politicking there.