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Read other letters about this article
The following information is not being included here to bash Barack Obama. I like the man and will certainly vote for him in the general election if he wins the nomination. That said, the fact that his supporters have all but canonized him I wanted inject a little perspective into the debate. Obama has not run this campaign nearly as cleanly as he tries to pretend, and no amount of Hillary-bashing will change that fact. Here is a small sampling of examples. And there are many, many more.
Senator Obama often says that his campaign is about the “politics of hope” and talks about how he isn’t running to tear anyone down. It would be nice if that were true but unfortunately, it’s not. For months, Senator Obama and his campaign have engaged in the very kind of political kneecapping and distortion that they now purport to detest. That’s not change you can believe in.
SEN. OBAMA FALSELY CLAIMED HILLARY SAID NAFTA WAS A 'BOON' TO THE ECONOMY LAST YEAR. At the last debate, Sen. Obama said "And it is absolutely true that NAFTA was a mistake. I know that Hillary on occasion has said -- just last year said this was a boon to the economy." Sen. Obama and his campaign have made the claim repeatedly, even though it is well established that she never said it. [Fact Hub]
THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN FALSELY CLAIMED THAT BILL CLINTON GAVE A PAID SPEECH ABROAD ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11. Actually, he was attending a 9/11 memorial service in New Jersey. [TPM Election Central]
SEN. OBAMA FALSELY CLAIMS HE 'NEVER SAID THAT WE SHOULD TRY TO GO AHEAD AND GET SINGLE PAYER' HEALTH CARE. There is video from a campaign appearance in 2003 that shows him doing just that. [WSJ; Fact Hub]
THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN FALSELY CLAIMED HILLARY HAD A 20 YEAR PLAN TO BECOME PRESIDENT. This is a widely discredited claim from an anti-Hillary book. [TPM Election Central]
SEN. OBAMA FALSELY CLAIMED THAT HE DOESN'T TAKE MONEY FROM SPECIAL INTERESTS. Obama told the Culinary Workers, "The time has come to tell all the fat cats and the special interests in Washington that their money and their influence don't speak louder than our collective voices. They don't own our government. We do, and we're here to take it back. Those special interests they didn't fund my campaign they will not run my White House and they will not drown out the voices of the American people, working people when I'm President of the United States of America." In fact, Sen. Obama has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from the insurance industry, the banking industry, and others. [CNN, 1/12/08; opensecrets.com]
OBAMA FALSELY CLAIMED THAT HILLARY SAID 'TOUGH AND DIRECT DIPLOMACY' WAS 'NAÏVE AND IRRESPONSIBLE.' Actually, Hillary said that she would not pre-commit to personal meetings with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea in the first year of her presidency. She also explicitly promised "a very vigorous diplomatic effort" with all nations, including Iraq. [Union Leader, 10/11/07; CNN/YouTube Debate, 7/23/07]
OBAMA CLAIMS 'NO ONE HAD AN INKLING' THAT REZKO HAD LEGAL AND ETHICAL TROUBLES DURING THE COURSE OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP. Actually, prior to his controversial land deals, prior to land deal, news reports clearly indicated Rezko's troubles, including involvement in kickback scheme. [Fact Hub]
SEN. OBAMA FALSELY CLAIMED THAT HILLARY AND BILL CLINTON SAID HE 'WASN'T OPPOSED TO THE WAR FROM THE START.' Neither Hillary or Bill Clinton has ever said that. They have noted his quotes and record after his speech opposing the war in 2002. [Fact Hub]
SEN. OBAMA CLAIMS HE HAS A 'UNIVERSAL' HEALTH CARE PLAN. Top health care experts agree that his plan leaves 15 million people out. [Fact Hub]
SEN. OBAMA DENIED THAT THE CO-CHAIR OF HIS NEW HAMPSHIRE CAMPAIGN WAS A PHARMACEUTICAL LOBBYIST. His New Hampshire co-chair, Jim Demers, was a pharmaceutical lobbyist. [The Page]
SEN. OBAMA FALSELY CLAIMED THAT HILLARY COULD ORDER THE RELEASE OF ALL HER WHITE HOUSE RECORDS. The process is actually controlled by the National Archives. [Fact Hub]
SEN. OBAMA FALSELY CLAIMED HE HAD NEVER DONE ANY FAVORS FOR REZKO. As a state senator, Barack Obama wrote letters to city and state officials supporting his political patron Tony Rezko's successful bid to get more than $14 million from taxpayers to build apartments for senior citizens. [Chicago Sun Times, 6/13/07]
