Teh Obama camp has one of the best rapid response teams in the business.

Politico.com reports that the Clinton campaign did not deny the charges.

If this is true (and I'm suspending belief until I learn for sure), she will have sunk to a new low, which only shows how desperate her campaign is right now. For once I'm grateful to Drudge (I can't believe I just wrote that!) for posting other photos of people dressed in local garb. If this is true and her staffers did circulate this photo, what in the hell is her campaign trying to accomplish? Why are they trying to destroy the Democratic party and the chance to reclaim the White House in November, even if it isn't Her Royal Highness that becomes Supreme Ruler?

a story saying that Clinton staffers "circulated" a photo of Obama in Muslim garb

No, Drudge never says "Muslim garb." Go back and re-read it.

"Teh Obama camp has one of the best rapid response teams in the business."

Some are saying too rapid since it's only Drudge that seems to have received it. But what else can the Obama camp do but discredit as forcefully as it can, which means tying it to previous discredited smears coming from the Clinton camp?

It could be argued that they could have discredited it as among other smears, regardless of source, but I imagine they contacted Drudge and have some confidence in Drudge's assertion that this came from a Clinton staffer.

Could become Obama's version of the McCain NYT story -- reflecting back worse on the pusher of the story than on the pushee...

Seems pretty likely that a Clinton volunteer found a funny-looking picture and emailed it around to some other volunteers, having added a comment about how their candidate isn't so fortunate as to be able to keep things like that out of the media. Petty, juvenile, sure. "Shameful, offensive fear-mongering"? I wouldn't say so, certainly not if the "circulation" was internal to the campaign.

Judging by the tone at DKos and elsewhere, Obama volunteers are awfully quick to voice and "circulate" insults about Clinton. True, it doesn't tend to end up in the non-blog media.

Stay tuned for the next installment of Insult & Apologize...

With Democrats like this, who needs Republicans?

The adults in the Democratic party need to step up and punish her in a high-profile, tangible manner. If there is any justice in this world, the only story line we'll be hearing about the rest of this week is the tidal wave of superdelegates abandoning her for Obama and numerous, public, and high-profile calls for her to abandon her campaign.

This is positively disgusting.

What's interesting is the non-denial from the Clinton camp. If they had nothing to do with this at all, they'd be out in front with at the very least a statement denying it. The non-denial doesn't necessarily mean that the upper echelons of the Clinton campaign deliberately put this out there, but it does seem to suggest that they're willing to take the hit now and see if this becomes an issue in the Ohio and Texas primaries. Either that, or the state of the Clinton campaign is in even worse shape than we thought.

Expect a hasty retreat and a terse apology/denial if this one goes bad quickly.

I'm still skeptical about the provenance of the photo, but Plouffe's statement is useful in that it reminds everyone that Clinton staffers are on record as having circulated the damaging "Obama is a muslim" emails. Those staffers were fired or let go, but there's a precedent.

Note that one of the words used by Plouffe to repudiate the alleged photo-push is "shameful." Is this designed to counter "Shame on you, Barak Obama!"? Shame for shame, as it were? The word has bite, deep-down bite, which is why the Obama team is using the elder-garb flap as an opportunity to turn the word against Hillary. We're into subliminal politics now. I'm beginning to feel like an ape in an ongoing stimulus-response experiment. Crazy!

I think it is good that this stuff comes out now, it helps with the innoculation process for the fall. That said, all of this helps Dem voters to revisit the long standing narrative about Clinton character, which in this case is revealed in the desperation we are seeing as the dynastic ship goes down.

Drudge IS the media. He rules beltway journalists' world. This story is as asinine as making a big deal about Nancy Pelosi wearing a veil in Syria.

I have to say, that was actually not a bad Drudge article.

It looks to hit Clinton more than Obama...

especially with the series of photos on the bottom, with Hillary, Bush and Bill.

NET RESULT: Favors Obama.

(Clinton supporters can start the "must have been a Obama plant all along" conspiracies now)

All of these photos and such are obviously going to make the rounds during the general election campaign. So on the one hand, it's good practice for Obama to deal with them now.

But the problem when stuff like this comes from other Democrats is that it cannot be counterattacked as vigorously as it needs to be without dividing the party. Obama has been making a real effort to keep the party united, and has shown the patience of Job with some of these recent attacks. But the party needs to help him out if Clinton is determined to go out in a blaze of glory and inflict as many casualties as she can on the way out.

Right now, Clinton is on the verge of turning herself into a political suicide bomber, and someone needs to step in to prevent it. We need some Clinton supporters to switch their endorsements and get behind Obama, and remaining uncommitted leaders to say enough is enough.

Greg: JESUS CHRIST. Try to report the facts, OK? Just try. We all know you're a Hillary supporter, but this is getting ridiculous.

"It's unclear whether the Obama camp has any evidence or info as to what happened beyond what appeared on Drudge."

The Obama camp doesn't need to provide evidence. Drudge is the one who ran the story. Your candidate is playing the filthiest sort of political games. Shame on you for assisting her.

The only "counterattack" needed to to circulate that picture of Bush from the Drudge report. Can anyone tell me what country that is from? It's like a blue robe or something...

If I were Barack Obama, I'd resist the impulse to respond to Clinton silliness and drama.

The staged "outrage" yesterday, this nonsense today...these people aren't mature enough to run the country.

If Clinton pulls out a victory this is what Americans can expect for 4 years: rabid partisanship and completely political posturing.

Nothing's going to get done, but the Clintons will be vindicated and "victorious".

Stick to the game plan, Barack: don't let them draw you in. No one wins under the Clinton scenario, except Senator Clinton.

I simply don't get it. If someone says Obama's whole name, they are trying to smear him. Now, this picture is said to inject fear. This is simply part of Barack Obama. I don't see him tied down wearing these clothes. He doesn't look drugged to me. I believe he wore these clothes of his own free will. So what is the problem that someone puts it out to the general public? Did they steal the photo?? If you are going to support Obama, then you can not be ashamed of parts of his history, his life. This includes his name, the clothes he wears, the church he attends, or the admiration he draws from Louis Farrakhan. All of these things lead me to support another candidate, but its a free country.

OK, I am as troubled by this smear as the next fellow, but let's take a moment to appreciate just how TALL the other dude in the picture is. I mean, Barack is pretty lanky himself, about 6'2" or so. But the dignitary-host-guy towering over him makes him look like Dennis frigging Kucinich!

More like "Rove Lite" -- tastes fake; less thrilling.

I'd actually have more respect for the Clinton organization if it WAS going all out, tooth and fang, to smear and destroy Obama. The full Rovian monty. I think that's the kind of candidate the Dems will need this year -- instead of Obama and his Kumbaya up-with-people schtick.

But these timid, half-hearted attacks just broadcast weakness and indecisiveness -- like the time the Clinton White House tried to "punish" one Democratic Senator by denying him tickets to some stupid photo op event. The scumbag (Shelby of Alabama) just laughed and switched parties.

If the Clinton were just half a ruthless and devious as the wing nuts give them credit for, this race would already be over.

Well you Obama supporters are certainly consistent. Anything Obama does is acceptable by virtue of the fact that he's the one doing it. Now anything Drudge says is totally believable, as long as it makes Hillary look bad. Honestly, do you folks apply the same uncritical acceptance to evrything Drudge posts? Does it mean anything to you that the only connection to the Clinton campaign at this point comes from Drudge saying it? And if you read the article, all it says is if the photo was of Hillary it would be on magazine covers. It doesn't say a word about Obama being a Muslim, or anything negative about him.

As for the non-denial, perhaps the Clinton campaign wants to make sure no one in their organization sent this e-mail before denying it. Anyone can send an e-mail without it being official campaign policy. Assuming something is true because it hasn't been denied is classic demagoguery.

It's clear that a lot of you have no idea how campaigns work. I coordinated the effort for Hillary in my town on Super Tuesday. I wasn't paid, and I doubt very many people even on the state level knew my name. I could have sent out hundreds of false e-mails, which would then have been credited to a "Clinton staffer," without the campaign having any idea what I was doing. I post regularly here and elsewhere, but my comments have no connection to the campaign. The two women in Iowa who circulated the Muslim e-mail were precinct captains. That is a totally volunterr unpaid position. Theye weren't "staffers'" and everything they did can't be construed to represent the campaign. I think it's very likely that the Clinton campaign doesn't want to issue a blanket denial until they can research the issue (Drudge doesn't give them much to go on.) If they deny it now, then find out that some precinct captain in Ohio sent out the e-mail, all of the Yahoos here and elsewhere will be screamiong about their LIES and ROVIAN TACTICS.

Funny how when Michelle Obama or Jesse Jackson Jr. says something ridiculous, all of the Obama apologists are quick to point out that they're not the one who's running. But when some unnamed person who may or may not be connected to the campaign sends out an e-mail, why, there's no question that the Clinton campaign bears total responsibility for their "tactics."

And Carol Soprano, just go ahead and bash Hillary. This pretense towrds even-handedness is really annoying. readytoblowagasket had you dead to rights. Stop your ridiculous posturing.

Yes indeedy - it's silly season. The Law of Survival is now in effect: "It is not who is right, it's whose left."