No kidding...

http://thepage.time.com/clinton-on-the-today-show/

Yes, that's right. As usual the real news at TPM-EC can be found in the comments.

Cue Obama Brigade...

**Feb 5 cannot come fast enough.

Actually, I think it's a nice little jab at the Clintons. Obama is saying they are behaving like Republicans -- which they are.

The idea that the Republicans are going to be four times worse than what Obama is currently getting is Hillary's talking point. If you honestly look at everything that's been thrown at him over the last month or so -- not all of it necessarily coming from the Clintons -- it's ludicrous to say it could be four times worse than that. I'd say it'll be about the same.

I take it the Greg Sargents of the world will slide over and provide cover for Republicans that slander Obama in such ways?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Rezko probably slept in the lincoln bedroom--with Hillary. And Bill.

Greg,
thanks for telling us what "some critics" think.

The thing is, Democrats shouldn't be attacking other Democrats the way Republicans do (by lying or making personal attacks). So the fact that this is good practice for Obama tells us that the Clintons are really running a General Election style campaign akin to what we've seen from the Republicans.

"Hillary and Bill Photo Op w/ Rezko!!! wrote on January 25, 2008 11:06 AM:
No kidding...

http://thepage.time.com/clinton-on-the-today-show/

Yes, that's right. As usual the real news at TPM-EC can be found in the comments."

That is amazing isn't it. Why the obama karl rove style dirty tricks shop thought bring up obama's indicted 17 year patron and long time finance co-chair in a 15 year old grip and grin photo with the Clinton's would help is a real mystery. Seems like obama sill hasn't figured out he not running agaisnt someone like alan keyes.

A thousand bucks says Billary took boatloads of Rezko's sleazy real estate cash. You cannot make this shit up. Hillary has been hoist on her own petard. I expect every moron who perpetuated the Obama smear to apologize to him personally.

'I'd say it'll be about the same.'

For Obama's sake (if he gets the nomination), I hope all the docs from his senate career stay lost.

Adding, Matt Lauer did a good job whitewashing the nature of Obama and Rezko's relationship.

Resko and Hillary sittin' in a tree...

The Resko photo with his best buddy Billary should be on the front page of every paper in America for six months.

I completely agree with everything bob said. No one should listen to a word James Carville says and that SC ad would be hugely effective nationwide.

I also see absolutely no reason to think the Republicans will be tougher than the Clintons in the general. There is nothing they are holding back at this point.

1) True, the Clintons are indeed killing their own "vetting" argument by throwing everything they got at Obama, and still coming up with nothing but lies.

2) The Republican candidate won't have an ex-president running a full-time smear campaign against his opponent for him.

3) Obama hasn't "whined" at all, he has calmly and rationally pushed back by pointing out the obvious lies and deception the Clintons have been using against him. Calling correcting someone's lies "whining" is straight from the Republican playbook, remember Bush/Cheney vs Kerry? If I had a dollar for every time Kerry was accused of "whining" by Republicans for defending himself against outright lies I'd be rich.

4) Obama is nice enough that he won't stoop to all-out win-at-all-costs trench warfare against a candidate (and potential eventual nominee) from HIS OWN PARTY! That is a large part of why Obama hasn't been all that negative against the Clintons, and has largely stuck to defense. He understands that this kind of political cannibalism is NOT in the best interests of the party, our chances in the general election, or his own reputation. The fact that the Clintons are willing to do and say anything to destroy a fellow Democrat is not something we should be praising as "strong" it is despicable and absolutely in the worst interests of the Democratic party. The Clintons don't care what effect their attacks will have on Obama if he is given the nomination, they just want to take him down at all costs. It is a selfish, shortsighted strategy, and it shows they only care about personal power.

If you use the Clintons tactics against Obama as "evidence" that he is too weak to hold his own against Republicans, it is basically the same as blaming a soldier for being shot in the back by "friendly fire". They are on the SAME TEAM and Obama is the only one that seems to care about that fact. The whole race highlights perfectly all that is wrong with the Clintons and their kind of politics. There is absolutely NO evidence to support an assumption that Obama won't be strong against the GOP machine, and if anything the evidence appears to suggest that the Republicans don't even know how to go about attacking Obama. When they were asked about Obama at a debate, their comments were more favorable than anything, in fact they started trying to talk about change themselves!

The Republicans DON'T know how to go after Obama, whereas they spare no opportunity to go after Hillary with a vengeance. While Hillary was being "vetted" (read: while her unfavorable rating was rising to 50% nationally), the GOP attack machine against Hillary was also being fine-tuned. The Republicans won't even have to readjust their tactics against Hillary, they have experience in effectively demonizing her, the same cannot be said for Obama. So anyone who says that Hillary is immune to the GOP attack machine is willfully overlooking the facts, and anyone who says that Obama will be weaker against the GOP is simply saying what they want to be true, but it isn't based in fact.

*applauding* grover_rover

...he'd better realize that the attacks from the Clintons are nothing compared to what he'll face from the GOP should he win the nomination.

Personally, I think that's a load of crap. He'll go from facing lies from the Clinton slime machine to facing lies from the Republican slime machine. No big difference, really. Either way you're just fighting off low class gutter politicians. The Republicans will have Hillary's slime to build on, but the tactics will be largely the same as what Hillary and Bill have done: lie, distort, twist, and spin. So I agree with Obama. Fighting Hillary's dishonest bullshit is great practice.

The vaunted "fun part" Clinton vetting of Obama has turned up. . . nothing. So, I guess we can stop worrying about those mean old Republicans.

I would like to see the media covering the real story from NH and about Clinton campaign lies. Namely, that Hillary's late surge with women didn't have to do with her brief display of emotion (a notion that insults women voters anyway) but more to do with their having been intentionally misinformed by the Clinton campaign regarding Obama's record on choice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVuMYKs8iJs

If the press says you're whining, it means you're losing the battle to control the media narrative. If your opponent's surrogates say you're whining, it means you are winning the battle to control the media narrative. And that they are, in fact, the whiners.

I wonder whether this suggests that Obama is cognizant of the argument from some critics that he'd better realize that the attacks from the Clintons are nothing compared to what he'll face from the GOP should he win the nomination

How vapid. He's turned the argument against Sargent and the hack doesn't even know he's been hoisted on his own petard -

1. The Clintons are nothing more than Bush/Rove/Atwater retreads
2. They say I can't stand up to the politics of the 1990's

For 'tis the sport to have the engineer; Hoist with his own petar ...

Assumptions Trainwreck coming to an election near you.

Assumption One: Hillary will withdraw from Iraq.

Discussion: I'm amazed that people have fallen for this. The Bush Dynasty clearly sees the Clinton Dynasty as the best chance they have to see the Iraq Project through. I can already hear President Clinton telling us in the Spring of 2009 how we need to stay in Iraq to protect the oil. Do DEM supporters of Hillary really think the Hillary-Bill Administration is not connected to the global business, military, and energy complex?

Assumption Two: Hillary's election to the Presidency will be an advance for women.

Discussion: Sure, from a myopic US-based view. Of course, the rest of the world has long since passed the post of women in the leadership position of whole nations. In actuality, and HRC Presidency will trump the Gloria Steinem blather that gender trumps race as a barrier to power. Nonsense. An HRC Presidency will seal the deal instead on the truth that white women have LONG since had access to power, much more substantial than black men. Finally, DEM supporters of HRC are incorrectly thinking that the Two-fer is a good deal for them. LOL. Just wait till Bill is back in the White House!

Assumption Three: HRC is the safest bet for the DEMS to retake the White House.

Discussion: Let's be clear. The DEMS strongest opponent in the general is McCain. See the blogosphere lately? Talked to your friends? The Wall of DEMS of and Indies who will bolt from the DEMS to vote for McCain is huge. Meanwhile, the candidate the GOP fears most is Obama. The polling all support the above.

Finally, where is the TPM Hill-Bot today? Where are you?

Could you fix the typo in the title? please? I'm sure you're not making a dialect joke, but ugh.

So, can't pass up putting in a Carville comment. So much for balance.