Richard Ben-Veniste fires back at Charlie Black

[malaise]

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Democrat Barack Obama kept up an onslaught on John McCain Tuesday after one of the Republican's most trusted aides said a terrorist attack on US soil would benefit his White House bid.

Despite an apology from the aide, campaign strategist Charlie Black, and a disavowal from McCain himself, Obama's campaign said Black's slip had unmasked Republican election tactics to be all about the "politics of fear."

Richard Ben-Veniste, a member of the official investigation into the September 11 attacks of 2001, said Black had betrayed "a candid and very disappointing glimpse into the thinking" behind the McCain campaign.

Ben-Veniste, speaking for the Obama campaign, stopped short of calling on McCain to fire Black over the controversy, which recalled President George W. Bush's powerful use of national security in the 2004 election.

But he said that like in 2004, Republicans were exploiting the threat of terrorism "for political gain."
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http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i4je2-GTPsqCc0r_2ZoQMsC0oFKw

[spanone]

1. k&r this should have happened yesterday, but i'm glad it DID happen

[malaise]

2. Yes indeed

Kerry responded last night and so did Bill Burton according to KO.
This needs to be front page from Dems today.

[KharmaTrain]

3. Black Is A Gift That Keeps Giving

People may not be seeing it now, but there's a dirty tint falling upon Gramps campaign. The corporate media is ignoring it, but voters aren't. It's becoming apparent that Gramps will say anything to get elected and the scum he has around him are going to continue to hurt him...either by the stupid stuff they say or another revelation of another sleezy client. It's a drip-drip-drip thing that is undoing any "credibility" and the longer it goes on the more uncomfortable people are with all this special interest influence.

Looks like Team Obama is gonna let Gramps continue to dirty his campaign with this slime...the more people see and hear about it, the more it hurts Gramps poll numbers. The fact Gramps openly represents the corporate interests vs. the "common guy" is the elephant in the room both the corporate media and the repugnicans hope people are ignoring. They aren't.

[Supersedeas]

11. eh, look how Chrissy the Superificial and his cast of Hardballers are spinning it

the Media Free Ride just keeps going and going and going

[Barack_America]

4. That's the response I had in mind...

Rather than the "McCain flip-flopped" response TPM had reported earlier.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6405711

[malaise]

8. GEM$NBC have the official spin as well

The Obama camp is pressing to keep the Charlie Black flap alive, but not quite asking for him to be fired. Today, the Obama campaign hit McCain and Black with a conference call with 9/11 Commission member Richard Ben-Veniste.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/06/24/1164198.aspx

[Old and In the Way]

5. Republicans want more terrorist attacks on America.

They are counting on them to occur to help their political fortunes. Sounds like Charlie is sending not so subtle messages to Al Qaeda asking for their help. Republicans obviously hate America.

[malaise]

7. From n2doc's cartoons

The plan

[Gabi Hayes]

10. Mr. Fish; he doesn't care who

spits in our face, dem or pub

and, as I said in that other thread, this story dies a sudden death, for lack of M$M coverage

today, they're in defense mode, brushing it off as an incidental remark, as did Chuck Todd, prefacing his remarks with a nice little enocomium about what a nice guy Black is, how astute he is, and how the questioner tried to fool him, or some nonsense

Black said exactly what he wanted to say, and got his fear garbage out there, once again, and will pay no price for it, other than a little slap on the wrist

meanwhile, the dems soft on terror/only GOP can protect us gets another 'subtle' nudge......

[BuyingThyme]

6. Oh, no. Ben-Veniste speaks for Obama?

[elehhhhna]

9. how bout it? Benveniste prolly doesn't wanna spend another year whitewashing another

convenient attack.

[Gabi Hayes]

12. Jay Carney called statements like this "tiresome" on that David Gregory

horrorshow

nuff said?

this story has no legs, as the media makes it so

[saltpoint]

13. Ben-Veniste has a long-standing and well-deserved reputation for

an intense interrogator.

During the Watergate era, a Republican attorney, fearful of examination of clients at the hands of Ben-Veniste, worried out loud that Ben-Veniste "will bore into you like a goddam termite."

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,879402-5,00.html


It was a rough time for Republicans. Let's do it again some time. This November, for example.

[Gabi Hayes]

14. until he participated in the 911 whitewash, I mean, commission.

and I'm not talking ANYTHING WRT alternate theories;

just the way they IGNORED the criminal negligence of Bushco, at the guidance/behest of Zelikow

he should be ashamed

[orleans]

15. agree. n/t