Sunday, March 02, 2008

Clinton rescues Obama from blunder

Clinton rescues Obama from blunder

March 2, 2008

Supporters of Sen. Barack Obama concede that Sen. Hillary Clinton's aggressiveness rescued him from a serious blunder in last Tuesday's presidential debate at Cleveland, when he hesitated at rejecting a lavish endorsement of him by black Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan.

Obama deplored Farrakhan's record of anti-Semitic comments but indicated he could not reject his backing -- a horrible gaffe for a rookie presidential candidate. But Clinton could not let it rest at that and burst in to say that she had rejected backing for her 2000 Senate candidacy in New York from the Independence Party, some of whose leaders had taken anti-Semitic positions. That gave Obama a chance to assert that, considering her example, he indeed would reject Farrakhan.

A footnote: Supporters feel Obama did err in repeatedly referring to Farrakhan with the honorific of ''minister,'' instead of calling him Mr. Farrakhan or just plain Farrakhan.

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