I read this article revisiting the primary campaign battle between Hillary Clinton & Barack Obama. Hillary's words ring as true today as they did back then.
Like long-lost companions, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama kissed, embraced, and waved to an adoring throng of 40,000 supporters during their joint appearance Oct. 20 in Orlando.
Attacking al-Qaida in Pakistan
“And this campaign, just like every other thing that happens in the United States, is looked at and followed with very great interest. And, you know, Pakistan is on a knife's edge. It is easily, unfortunately, a target for the jihadists. And, therefore, you've got to be very careful about what it is you say with respect to Pakistan.” — Democratic Primary debate, Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. 19, 2007.
“And on a number of other issues, I just believe that, you know, as Senator Obama said, yes, last summer he basically threatened to bomb Pakistan, which I don't think was a particularly wise position to take.” — Democratic Primary debate, Cleveland, Ohio, Feb. 26, 2008.
Campaign Tactics
“Stagnant in the polls and struggling to revive his once-buoyant campaign, Senator Obama has abandoned the politics of hope and embarked on a journey in search of a campaign issue to use against Senator Clinton.” — Clinton campaign e-mail, Oct. 22, 2007.
“Shame on you, Barack Obama. It is time you ran a campaign consistent with your messages in public. That’s what I expect from you.” — Campaign rally, Cincinnati, Ohio, Feb. 23, 2008.
Driver’s Licenses for Illegals
“I do not think that it is either appropriate to give a driver's license to someone who's here undocumented, putting them frankly at risk, because that is clear evidence that they are not here legally.” — Democratic primary debate, Los Angeles, Calif., Jan. 31, 2008.
Flip-Flopping
“You know, Senator Obama, as The Associated Press described it, could have a pretty good debate with himself, because four years ago he was for single-payer healthcare. Then he moved toward a rejection of that, a more incremental approach. Then he was for universal healthcare; then he proposed a healthcare plan that doesn't cover everybody.” — Democratic primary debate, Manchester, N.H., Jan. 5, 2008
“Well, you've changed positions within three years on, you know, a range of issues that you put forth when you ran for the Senate and now you have changed. You know, you said you would vote against the Patriot Act; you came to the Senate, you voted for it. You said that you would vote against funding for the Iraq war; you came to the Senate and you voted for $300 billion of it. — Democratic primary debate, Manchester, N.H., Jan. 5, 2008.
Guns and Religion
“I don't believe that my grandfather or my father, or the many people whom I have had the privilege of knowing and meeting across Pennsylvania over many years, cling to religion when Washington is not listening to them. I think that is a fundamental, sort of, misunderstanding of the role of religion and faith in times that are good and times that are bad.” — Democratic primary debate, Philadelphia, Pa., April 16, 2008.
“And I similarly don't think that people cling to their traditions, like hunting and guns, either when they are frustrated with the government. I just don't believe that's how people live their lives. Now, that doesn't mean that people are not frustrated with the government. We have every reason to be frustrated, particularly with this administration. But I can see why people would be taken aback and offended by the remarks. — Democratic primary debate, Philadelphia, Pa., April 16, 2008.
Diplomacy Sans Preconditions
“I will not promise to meet with the leaders of these countries during my first year. I will promise a very vigorous diplomatic effort because I think it is not that you promise a meeting at that high a level before you know what the intentions are. I don’t want to be used for propaganda purposes. I don’t want to make a situation even worse.” — Democratic primary debate, Charleston S.C., July 23, 2007.
“I thought that was irresponsible and, frankly, naive.” — Quad City Times, Iowa, July 24, 2007.
“So I think that, when you've got that big an agenda facing you, you should not telegraph to our adversaries that you're willing to meet with them without preconditions during the first year in office.” — Democratic primary debate, Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. 19, 2007.
“And I disagree with his continuing to say that he would meet with some of the worst dictators in the world without preconditions and without the real, you know, understanding of what we would get from it.” — Democratic Primary debate, Cleveland, Ohio, Feb. 26, 2008.
“I certainly would not meet with Ahmadinejad, because even again today he made light of 9/11 and said he's not even sure it happened and that people actually died. He's not someone who would have an opportunity to meet with me in the White House.” — Democratic primary debate, Philadelphia, Pa., April 16, 2008.
Louis Farrakhan
“It is clear that, as leaders, we have a choice who we associate with and who we apparently give some kind of seal of approval to. And I think that it wasn't only the specific remarks, but some of the relationships with Reverend Farrakhan, with giving the church bulletin over to the leader of Hamas to put a message in. You know, these are problems, and they raise questions in people's minds.” — Democratic primary debate, Philadelphia, Pa., April 16, 2008.
National Security
“It’s 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?” Clinton “red phone” ad, February 2008.
Obama’s Nuclear Stance
“Presidents since the Cold War have used nuclear deterrents to keep the peace, and I don’t believe any president should make blanket statements with the regard to use or nonuse.” — Washington Post, Aug. 3, 2007.
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright
“He would not have been my pastor. You don’t choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend.” — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, March 25, 2008.
“But I have to say that, you know, for Pastor Wright to have given his first sermon after 9/11 and to have blamed the United States for the attack, which happened in my city of New York, would have been intolerable for me. And therefore I would have not been able to stay in the church, and maybe it's, you know, just, again, a personal reflection that regardless of whatever good is going on — and I have no reason to doubt that a lot of good things were happening in that church — you get to choose your pastor. You don't choose your family, but you get to choose your pastor. And when asked a direct question, I said I would not have stayed in the church.” — Democratic primary debate, Philadelphia, Pa., April 16, 2008.
Obama’s Rhetoric
“Words are not action and as beautifully presented and as passionately felt as they are, they are not action. What we’ve got to do is translate talk into action, and feeling into reality. I have a long record of doing that.” — Democratic primary debate, Manchester, N.H., Jan. 5, 2008.
“So, I think it is clear that what we need is somebody who can deliver change. And we don't need to be raising the false hopes of our country about what can be delivered.” — Democratic primary debate, Manchester, N.H., Jan. 5, 2008.
“Now, I could stand up here and say, ‘Let’s just get everybody together. Let’s get unified. The sky will open. The light will come down. Celestial choirs will be singing, and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect.” — Campaign rally, Providence, R.I., Feb. 25, 2008.
Obama and Special Interests
“When it comes to lobbyists, you know, Senator Obama's chair in New Hampshire is a lobbyist. He lobbies for the drug companies. So I think it's important that all of us be held to the same standards, that we're all held accountable.” — Democratic primary debate, Manchester, N.H., Jan. 5, 2008.
“You know, the energy bill that passed in 2005 was larded with all kinds of special interest breaks, giveaways to the oil companies. Senator Obama voted for it. I did not because I knew that it was going to be an absolute nightmare.” — Democratic primary debate, Manchester, N.H., Jan. 5, 2008.
Obama and William Ayers
“I also believe that Senator Obama served on a board with Mr. Ayers for a period of time, the Woods Foundation, which was a paid directorship position. And if I'm not mistaken, that relationship with Mr. Ayers on this board continued after 9/11 and after his reported comments, which were deeply hurtful to people in New York, and I would hope to every American, because they were published on 9/11 and he said that he was just sorry they hadn't done more. And what they did was set bombs and in some instances people died.” — Democratic primary debate, Philadelphia, Pa., April 16, 2008.
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