Passport Hubbub, Endorsement Offer Needed Relief for Obama
Barack Obama picks up the endorsement of Bill Richardson, right, at Portland's Memorial Coliseum in Oregon Friday. (AP Photo)
Good Friday was a very good Friday for Barack Obama, as news of passport breaches in the State Department and a much-sought endorsement from New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson shifted the focus away from the racial controversies that have dogged him for more than a week.
Obama tried to put to rest discussions of race on the campaign trail Tuesday, when he gave a speech addressing his relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, whose anti-U.S. sermons dominated campaign coverage for days.
The Wright controversy proved difficult to shake, however. Obama’s speech did not immediately stop the media replay of Wright’s most heated sermons, and polls indicated the Illinois senator was losing ground because of the focus on the issue.
But as reports of high-profile passport breaches developed between Thursday evening and Friday afternoon, the presidential candidates were handed a common target: the State Department. And the endorsement from Richardson, the nation’s only Hispanic governor, also helped Obama move on.
“This is a real good thing for the Obama campaign, GOP strategist Andrea Tantaros said of the endorsement from Richardson, who called Obama a “once-in-a-lifetime leader.”
“They change the subject … it also sends a message to other superdelegates that Obama still has strength, still has power to move ahead,” Tantaros said. “This is bad news for the Clinton campaign. It’s just another crack in her political dam.”
Democratic strategist Julia Piscatelli said the endorsement from Richardson, who was the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under Bill Clinton, helps Obama with his foreign policy credentials.
And political analyst Keli Goff said the endorsement helps deflect reports that Obama is not popular among Hispanics, as well as shift focus away from Wright.
Speaking Friday at a town hall meeting in Salem, Ore., Obama referred to the Wright controversy as a “bunch of turbulence” for his campaign.
The passport flap — in which the files of Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Obama were improperly accessed — brings a new set of turbulence, and could offer at least a temporary sense of relief to Obama’s campaign, which until recently was basking in the glow of front-runner status.
Clinton is still trailing in delegates, and Politico reported Friday that un-named campaign aides were giving her no more than a 10 percent chance of winning the nomination.
A photo was also posted on The New York Times’ Web site Thursday night showing Bill Clinton and Wright shaking hands at a White House prayer breakfast 10 years ago.
The Times site said the Wright photo was provided by Obama’s campaign, and in a statement Friday morning the Clinton campaign accused Obama of straining to shift the tide.
“It’s no secret that the Obama campaign is in political hot water given the news stories of the last few weeks and is desperate to change the subject,” the memo said. It accused Obama of peddling the Wright-Clinton photo and blasted the campaign for suggesting they were involved with his passport breach.
Obama’s campaign released a statement Thursday suggesting political motives were behind the breach, but on Friday it was clear the violations were not limited to Obama himself.
But if Obama is consciously trying to steer the political discourse away from the race topic, it’s an effort he proved only partially committed to Friday, when he responded to more questions about Wright at a press conference in Portland, Ore.
Obama said again that he was not aware of the most offensive Wright statements until they were broadcast on the Internet and TV, and especially was not aware of Wright’s claims that the government was responsible for HIV.
Obama called that “completely out of line and off the wall.”
FOX News’ Bonney Kapp contributed to this report.
Every time I participate in Fox discussion, my comments do not appear. Is it because I am not supporting your news??? I can not believe Fox goes to the extend painting a picture that Mr. Obama and Mr. Wright is one among the same and both of them look alike, speak alike, think alike. Come on, he is a politician, he is a good man better than many politician. I do like McCain, I tired of War so does many people, I do not want another variation of Mr. Bush back to the White House, so does many people think. Your channel and their commentator make healthy money, saved up so much money for few generation. You do not understand or know the difficulty of the average or under poverty Americans here in th U.S. Fed Govt. Slashing interest rates will creat more debts and it is not good for the people nor our Country, Fed needs to stop printing more currency. If Mr. Obama is not going to make it, people will turn the table and vote for Mrs. Clinton, though personally I do not admire her in any fashion, I will vote for her, so that I do not have to hear about Iraq or Afghanistan, every day… It gets tired. I do not care Iraq gets better or worse, I want good things to happen here, for my people. We have lost many people in Iraq and Afghanistan, you do not feel the pain, even if you show it, it is a wash off. How many of you lost the loved ones there??? If you had lost loved ones then you would know. Mr. Bush should not have gone to Iraq in the first place, Senior bush was gentle, warned Iraq, Mr. Clinton did th same. Oil price, standard of living was good during this period. The minute Mr. Bush took over the office, the country is seeing pain nothing but for the last 8 years. Was there any happiness??? Life goes on for reporters like you, any news is nothing but a money making machine.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion…….And some of us think the Pastor issue was very important and telling of the Real Obama.
I’m sure the Obama camp will be glad of anything that will remove the spotlight from the Pastor issue.
The truth is voters did not really know who Obama was…..now that there has been some very revealing information brougth forth we have a much clearer view of Obama. Even the way he handled the Pastor situation, the Ferraro remark, the “typical white” person comment, the Nafta issue, the Resko connection……all of it makes the picture much clearer.
The fact that the liberal media has done it’s best to bury some of this, seems out of balance to say the least.
I found this in a blog and agree with it 100%.
Richardson’s racism and his Obama endorsement
SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the nation’s only Hispanic governor, is endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for president”- Washington Post
Yep some endorsement! Bill Richardson was the former Democratic Presidential candidate who thought that Alberto Gonzales should remain in the Attorney General’s Office just because he was Hispanic. Some of these guys like Richardson even don’t see their own racism. But, that may fit it nicely with Reverend Wright’s endorsement of Obama too.
Posted by BCP
Fox……………..start learning the phrase……..president Obama
Meet the man who inspired Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s now famous tirade about America’s foreign policy inciting the terrorist attacks of September 11.
His name is Ambassador Edward Peck. And he is a retired, white, career U.S. diplomat who served 32-years in the U.S. Foreign Service and was chief of the U.S. mission to Iraq under Jimmy Carter — hardly the black-rage image with which Wright has been stigmatized.
WHO IS UNPATRIOTIC NOW FOX NEWS ??????
Being intentionally deceptive and divisive…. Your (Fox News) chickens are coming home to roost !!!!!!!!!!!
Hillary is a witch. Air Force One will Broomstick One if that evil battle axe gets elected.
I have to wonder why the media sees the need to keep Rev Wrights comments circulating. The story has been heard over and over again and believe me it’s done the damage that it was intended to do. To view Rev. Wrights comments as anti-american proves to me that the injustice still stands today. Black history is just as american as white history, and because you view the Reverands comments as anti-american shows that you have the same mentality as generations before and may not even know it.
In the black community, especially for our youth, it is important to know how this great america has treated black people and for them to recognize how the injustices still apply today, in order for them to steer around them and overcome them instead of falling victim to them.
I believe in Senator Obama and I am so proud of him. I know that it has been hard to stay positive when old politics play dirty.
One question. If Clinton and McCann’s passport records were also viewed, why was this incident not brought to the media until Obama’s records were viewed? Is Clinton and McCann’s information not as important as Obama’s? Also, has Rice called and talked with Clinton and McCann? Has she assured them that everything is being done to correct this problem?
Is so, I haven’t read about it. Once again we’re pandering to the MEDIA darling, Obama!! No one else is as important. It makes me sick. And Richardson, so do you.
To Frank Ross,
Obama may be sincere but he obviously is a hypocrite refusing to condemn Wright. He’s Wrong!
Obama will work across both parties? He has yet to do that ONCE in any vote in Congress.
Sorry, give me smaller government, lower taxes, strong national defense and incentives for people to do better THEMSELVES, not dependence on the government.
Regards,
Typical White folk
Why can’t we (the American people) just have one honest election? None of this MUD-SLINGGING toward each other.
Heck, what happened years ago doesn’t help our country NOW!! Aren’t the American people suppose to vote on what or will not happen in the future?
The so-called candiates are suppose to tell us what or will not work in the future, not what candidate has the most mud on his/her face.
Somebody get real!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!