The Phoenix

Did Obama Make a Gaffe Last Night?

    The Clinton camp has gone on the attack after the debate, in the light of Barack Obama's comments last night that he'd be willing to meet with foreign leaders from "rogue nations" such as Iran and Cuba during his first year in office without preconditions. Both Hillary and Edwards responded at the debate that they were unwilling to make that pledge, with Clinton saying that lower-level diplomatic contacts should come first, to avoid having the president used by our enemies.
    Today, Hillary turned up the heat, calling Obama's comment "irresponsible and frankly naive." Clearly, the Clintonites see this as an opportunity to make their point that Obama is too inexperienced to be president.
    But did Obama really make a gaffe? Exactly what would a negative ad look like attempting to exploit his statement? "Barack Obama has foolishly said that he would meet with Fidel Castro without any conditions," the narrator might say. That's probably not what Obama meant since, of course, meetings aren't set up between foreign leaders unless there's something to talk about, but so what? The guess here is that the average voter doesn't think it's a terrible idea to leave the door open to talking with enemies; minds sometimes change and Obama's approach would certainly be a refreshing contrast to the present policy.
    A dispute over semantics and diplomatic protocol is the kind of thing the media loves after a debate but that voters hate. And by going negative, Hillary looks like the personification of the "old politics" that Obama is running against. To bolster her case, the Hillary forces called on Madeleine Albright, secretary of state during her husband's tenure. Is that really the image Hillary wants to convey?
    Call it counter-intuitive, but the hunch here is this exchange helps Obama.

Published Jul 24 2007, 09:56 PM by Importer

LorenzoJennifer said:

Barack benefits from the gaffe happening on cable and not network TV. While YouTube is a fan fave among, say, the 18-34 year old set, interest in YouTube drops dramatically among other viewer-voters. Our very own Willard Mitt Romney cast asparagus on YouTube. In anticipation of the 9/17/07 YouTube-sponsored GOP debate in St. Petersburg, FL, he indicated he would not accept questions from a snowman.

Any interest in the issue likely has the sustainability of a quick YouTube video. The statements were not widely watched and discussion seems to focus on the word "precondition." Alphabet soup. Barack can counter that what he meant was he "would consider (attending those meetings)..." and show that he, as President, would approach all meetings with an open mind. As you've observed, though, the issue's a real yawner.

Clinton's choice of Madeline Albright as spokesperson was ill-advised. The lady is no longer that prominent in the public eye and, as an announced Hillary supporter, is hardly objective. Hillary's connection to the Clinton presidency doesn't need to be re-enforced. Albright's participation may also open the door to a discussion of the Clinton administration's inability to handle threats from the Taliban militia and Al Qaeda. The September 11 attacks happened just 8 months after Clinton and Albright left office. Also, male viewer-voters may bristle at yet another female presence in the Hillary camp. Couldn't Senator Clinton have called someone else forward?

Clinton is heavily favored by the D.C. and D.N.C. establishment. Her representing "old politics", in this particular episode, fits as a description. She needs to present herself in the 21st century, not re-visit the 1990s.

As for Sen. Obama, wonder whether the issue is lack of "experience" or lack of "political maturity."

July 28, 2007 6:59 PM