Josh at TPM on the 'race' dust-up:

[NoBorders]

I think he makes sense:

SNIP-
It is remarkable, or perhaps it's not so remarkable, how rapidly this punching match over race has escalated between the Clinton and Obama camps. Even calling it that is perhaps controversial in itself.

... Now, as I said, I have a bit of a hard time knowing what's going on here. If this is really the word the Clinton campaign wants its surrogates putting out, they're really much stupider than I could have imagined. On the other hand, 'advisor' is a notoriously slippery phrase that can mean almost anything. Campaigns have hundreds, perhaps thousands of people who in one fashion or another 'advise' them. A lot of those people aren't under any kind of real control. And if a reporter talks to enough of them one of them is bound to say something stupid. On the other hand, you have to rely on the journalist and the news outlet not to send you down the wrong path or give you the sense that this is a Clinton insider rather than just someone spouting off.
SNIP-

One issue I think both campaigns have taken liberties with is labeling some of the people that issue these statements as 'advisors' or 'spokesperson' for the campaign.

I really, really hope the campaigning between Clinton and Obama doesn't devolve into a big political conflagration about racism and sexism. It could become very ugly very quickly, with no winners in the end, except maybe the repugs.

I hope that cool heads soon prevail (and that includes DU).

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/063477.php

[1corona4u]

1. That's exactly where it's headed.

[NoBorders]

4. If it is, what a fucking waste

of an opportunity for both.

[Cha]

2. Yeah, cause I couldn't care less

if hillary is a woman or Obama is Black. I'm supporting Obama because of the issues. hillary had her chance, for 7 years to prove to me that she would make a good leader and all I saw was her following buhshit and getting us into this horror show as the War On Iraq and acting the tough cause that's what mark penn told her to do.

[Dhalgren]

3. Is Josh joking here? Is he being sarcastic or what?

"(Y)ou have to rely on the journalist and the news outlet not to send you down the wrong path or give you the sense that this is a Clinton insider rather than just someone spouting off."

He's kidding, right? As far as journalists and news outlet are concerned, this is a blood-sport! As long as someone's guts are spilled in the street they could give a good goddamn about truth, trust, or dependability...

[NoBorders]

5. good point

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HeraldSquare212]

8. I'm afraid it will go so heated that people will turn their backs

on Obama because they just don't want to deal with it. And I think that may be the Clinton's strategy. A strong statement from Clinton that she doesn't condone and won't put up with racist statements from anyone in her campaign or any supporters would go a long way to defusing this.

[NashVegas]

7. Oh Oh

Would one of Hillary's advisers really have committed the crime of being that honest?

I wouldn't chalk it up to the young, though.

I've known too many white people who don't normally socialize with black people and then when they do get into a real sit down, inevitably they'll start putting their hipster cred cards on the table by bringing up Miles Davis & Public Enemy, as an ice-breaker.

[Yael]

9. Dear TPM -- hope all you want

but this is the mud the Clintons have drug us into. Don't act surprised.

[NoBorders]

11. The hoping was on my part

I 'snipped' the article.

[Thrill]

10. Remember who started this.......The Clintons

They thought they were going to cruise to the nomination. And when they found out Barack was a viable candidate. They couldn't take it.

I would remind everyone that Barack has not yet attacked Hillary. They started piling up on him.

[TwilightZone]

12. Is "Bush-lite" considered an attack?

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/07/obama-clinton-w.html

Might want to reconsider your statement. That was six months ago.

[Thrill]

13. You call that an attack?