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Kenya Photo Worth Several Sharp Words From Clinton, Obama Camps
Monday, February 25, 2008
http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/files/2008/02/obama_garb.jpg
The Drudge Report ran this photo of Barack Obama in Somali garb from a 2006
trip to Africa. The Web site claims Hillary Clinton's campaign provided the
photo to it.
A two-year-old picture of Barack Obama dressed in traditional Somali garb
has sparked a new war of words between the Democratic presidential
front-runner and rival Hillary Clinton, whose aides say they can't confirm
or deny whether her camp is the source of the photo.
The photograph shows the Illinois senator outfitted as a Somali elder during
his 2006 visit to northeastern Kenya that was part of a five-country tour of
Africa. It appeared at the top of Monday's Drudge Report, and was said to
have been provided by Clinton staffers over the weekend.
"Wouldn't we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were HRC,"
shorthand for the candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the unnamed Clinton
campaign staffer asked, according to the Drudge Report.
Expressing outrage, Obama's campaign suggested the purpose of the photo
release was to invoke reminders of persistent rumors that Obama is secretly
Muslim, and by extension, anti-American.
"On the very day that Senator Clinton is giving a speech about restoring
respect for America in the world, her campaign has engaged in the most
shameful, offensive fear-mongering we've seen from either party in this
election," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said.
"This is part of a disturbing pattern that led her county chairs to resign
in Iowa, her campaign chairman to resign in New Hampshire, and it's exactly
the kind of divisive politics that turns away Americans of all parties and
diminishes respect for America in the world," Plouffe continued.
A longtime member of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, Obama, who
as a child lived for four years in Indonesia, has repeatedly denied that he
is Muslim. Previous attacks have been decried by both candidates, and one
Clinton campaign volunteer was asked to step down after forwarding an e-mail
spreading the Muslim rumor.
But seeing an opportunity to refute the Obama camp's outrage, Clinton
campaign Manager Maggie Williams turned the perceived prejudice on its
head."If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him
wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed.
Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has
visited and had those photos published widely," Clinton campaign manager
Maggie Williams said in a statement.
"This is nothing more than an obvious and transparent attempt to distract
from the serious issues confronting our country today and to attempt to
create the very divisions they claim to decry. We will not be distracted,"
she said.
Indeed, the New York senator, her husband, Bill Clinton, and other past
presidents have all been photographed in traditional costume while visiting
nations abroad.
Speaking on a conference call, Obama advisers rejected the suggestion that
the candidate is shamed by the photo, but likened the incident to receipt of
an unwanted Christmas present.
General Scott Gration, who was along on the trip to Africa, said Obama was
given the outfit and encouraged to try it on during a visit with Somalis,
Gabras and other ethnic groups.
"We all have pictures of us in hats and accepting other gifts. As was
pointed out to me earlier, we try on Christmas gifts, sometimes that we may
not want to keep, but we try them on as being a grateful recipient. Senator
Obama did what any leader should do: accepted the gift, accepted the
hospitality, accepted that token of friendship and he did it in a way that
showed respect and helped build the bridges that he does so well," Gration
said.
"He's a unifier in all atmospheres and certainly that day he was somebody
who accepted a gift of friendship in a way that we would expect our
president to do," he continued.
Meanwhile, a senior Clinton staff member could not rule out the source of
the photo, but suggested that had it been Clinton dressed in such gear, it
would've been splashed across newspapers around the country.
"There are 700 people in our organization. We can't be sure that it didn't
come from us. It is not the intent of the campaign to release this picture
to tarnish Senator Obama in any way. But if someone in the campaign thinks
the Obama gets treated differently by the media, well they're right," the
senior staffer said.
GOPAC head and FOX News contributor Michael Steele said he'd be surprised to
find out the photo came from the Clinton campaign."If there is a staffer who
sort of in their own roguish way had gone out and put this out there, this
will be their last day on the job," Steele said.
"I think this is something that just kind of popped up on the 'Net and they
are attributing it to her. I'd be hard-pressed to find someone on the staff
who is wasting their time in the heat of this battle to do something like
that."
Kenya Photo Worth Several Sharp Words From Clinton, Obama Camps
Monday, February 25, 2008
http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/files/2008/02/obama_garb.jpg
The Drudge Report ran this photo of Barack Obama in Somali garb from a 2006
trip to Africa. The Web site claims Hillary Clinton's campaign provided the
photo to it.
A two-year-old picture of Barack Obama dressed in traditional Somali garb
has sparked a new war of words between the Democratic presidential
front-runner and rival Hillary Clinton, whose aides say they can't confirm
or deny whether her camp is the source of the photo.
The photograph shows the Illinois senator outfitted as a Somali elder during
his 2006 visit to northeastern Kenya that was part of a five-country tour of
Africa. It appeared at the top of Monday's Drudge Report, and was said to
have been provided by Clinton staffers over the weekend.
"Wouldn't we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were HRC,"
shorthand for the candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the unnamed Clinton
campaign staffer asked, according to the Drudge Report.
Expressing outrage, Obama's campaign suggested the purpose of the photo
release was to invoke reminders of persistent rumors that Obama is secretly
Muslim, and by extension, anti-American.
"On the very day that Senator Clinton is giving a speech about restoring
respect for America in the world, her campaign has engaged in the most
shameful, offensive fear-mongering we've seen from either party in this
election," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said.
"This is part of a disturbing pattern that led her county chairs to resign
in Iowa, her campaign chairman to resign in New Hampshire, and it's exactly
the kind of divisive politics that turns away Americans of all parties and
diminishes respect for America in the world," Plouffe continued.
A longtime member of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, Obama, who
as a child lived for four years in Indonesia, has repeatedly denied that he
is Muslim. Previous attacks have been decried by both candidates, and one
Clinton campaign volunteer was asked to step down after forwarding an e-mail
spreading the Muslim rumor.
But seeing an opportunity to refute the Obama camp's outrage, Clinton
campaign Manager Maggie Williams turned the perceived prejudice on its
head."If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him
wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed.
Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has
visited and had those photos published widely," Clinton campaign manager
Maggie Williams said in a statement.
"This is nothing more than an obvious and transparent attempt to distract
from the serious issues confronting our country today and to attempt to
create the very divisions they claim to decry. We will not be distracted,"
she said.
Indeed, the New York senator, her husband, Bill Clinton, and other past
presidents have all been photographed in traditional costume while visiting
nations abroad.
Speaking on a conference call, Obama advisers rejected the suggestion that
the candidate is shamed by the photo, but likened the incident to receipt of
an unwanted Christmas present.
General Scott Gration, who was along on the trip to Africa, said Obama was
given the outfit and encouraged to try it on during a visit with Somalis,
Gabras and other ethnic groups.
"We all have pictures of us in hats and accepting other gifts. As was
pointed out to me earlier, we try on Christmas gifts, sometimes that we may
not want to keep, but we try them on as being a grateful recipient. Senator
Obama did what any leader should do: accepted the gift, accepted the
hospitality, accepted that token of friendship and he did it in a way that
showed respect and helped build the bridges that he does so well," Gration
said.
"He's a unifier in all atmospheres and certainly that day he was somebody
who accepted a gift of friendship in a way that we would expect our
president to do," he continued.
Meanwhile, a senior Clinton staff member could not rule out the source of
the photo, but suggested that had it been Clinton dressed in such gear, it
would've been splashed across newspapers around the country.
"There are 700 people in our organization. We can't be sure that it didn't
come from us. It is not the intent of the campaign to release this picture
to tarnish Senator Obama in any way. But if someone in the campaign thinks
the Obama gets treated differently by the media, well they're right," the
senior staffer said.
GOPAC head and FOX News contributor Michael Steele said he'd be surprised to
find out the photo came from the Clinton campaign."If there is a staffer who
sort of in their own roguish way had gone out and put this out there, this
will be their last day on the job," Steele said.
"I think this is something that just kind of popped up on the 'Net and they
are attributing it to her. I'd be hard-pressed to find someone on the staff
who is wasting their time in the heat of this battle to do something like
that."