PrintMarch 17, 2008
Obama ready to take off the gloves against Clinton
Well, so much for the "politics of hope and change:"
Sen. Barack Obama is trying to air his dirty laundry -- even some items that might appear just a little wrinkled -- as he prepares a full assault on Sen. Hillary Clinton over ethics and transparency.If Obama goes after Clinton's ethics to try and distract voters from his own problems, it can only backfire.
On Saturday he invoked Robert F. Kennedy as he continued to try to distance himself from controversial statements made by his former Chicago pastor that are circulating on the Internet...
Clinton, who appeared Saturday in two St. Patrick's Day parades in Pennsylvania, has said she will release her post- White House tax returns in mid-April, perhaps just ahead of the April 22 Pennsylvania primary. Her campaign, meanwhile, suggested that many questions remain about Obama's relationship with Rezko.
First of all, he is an amatuer at that game compared to the Clintons. They will eat him alive as Hillary showed in her statement about taxes. The Clintons are the masters of turning an attack around to where it hits the opponent. Obama has yet to master this maneuver and will likely be hurt by it.
Beyond that, Obama is liable to lose some support if he goes negative. He will be seen as just another politician fighting dirty in order to get elected.
All in all, Obama may feel he has no choice but to get nasty and personal with Clinton. But the tactic will almost certainly backfire.
