Obama adviser linked to contracting firm that breached passport files.
Filed Under: Privacy
By on Mar 23rd, 2008 at 12:56 am
Obama adviser linked to contracting firm that breached passport files.
The State Department contractor who accessed Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) passport information on March 14 worked for a company run by a man who is “a consultant” for Obama’s campaign. John Brennan, a former senior CIA official and the CEO of the Analysis Corp., “advises the Illinois Democrat on foreign policy and intelligence issues.” The State Department probe into the passport breach is focusing on the contractor who worked for Brennan’s company.
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And if he revealed anything he learned from either Senator’s file, then he should go to jail for violating the Privacy Act. Did the fired employee(s) end up working for either the Democratic or Republican National Parties, or for anyone’s campaign? These are things I’m interested in. Because if any of these fired employees went to work for any political group, it’s hard for me to believe that they would keep what they learned secret. Possible, but improbable.
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:20 amHow is it that TP suddenly mentions Obama? Nothing about his recent speeches, nothing about his primary success, but a whiff of something stinky? Suddenly Obama is grist for the mill? WTF is up with that?!!!
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:27 amI agree, Wayne. This needs to be dealt with severely.
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:29 amWell, here’s something a little more direct:
Hillary’s bald-faced lies.
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:34 amWell, violation of the Privacy Act is a serious news story. TP is right in reporting on it.
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:35 amI don’t know what to think of this story yet.
So far, it sounds like a few contractors at the State Department being really, really stupid -didn’t they realise someone would monitor who opened Obama’s files (and McCain’s, and Clinton’s), and when?
On the other hand, the reaction from management at the DOS is interesting: It took them months to admit that the breach had occurred, and take corrective action.
It makes me wonder how safe the information trusted to them actually is.
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:53 amIt makes me wonder how safe the information trusted to them actually is.
When one considers that these files contain social security numbers and mothers’ maiden names, one should worry. With that kind of information, there could be several Barack Obamas, Hillary Clintons, and John McCains running for president around the country. This is very, very serious. And in addition to knowing whether either political party was involved with these people, before or after they committed the breaches, we need to know exactly why there was such a delay in notifying the “high profile people” affected.
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:56 amWayne A. Schneider - March 23rd, 2008 at 1:56 am
My understanding is that these files also have financial information, although I am not sure what that entails (bank records, credit reports?).
I agree it is serious, what I meant is that I don’t know if there is more to this story than a few contractors being knuckleheads and management trying to keep a lid on things in order to avoid embarrassment, ie, incompetence all around.
Either way, I don’t get a comforting feeling from the way this was handled. At all.
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:05 amgummitch Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:27 am
How is it that TP suddenly mentions Obama? Nothing about his recent speeches, nothing about his primary success, but a whiff of something stinky? Suddenly Obama is grist for the mill? WTF is up with that?!!!
Yes, their bias is known, although till now has not shown through clearly. Also missing is any negative mentions about Hillary. Such as the fantasy that Zooey mentions above. My experience in the past was having my anti Hillary posts blocked.
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:19 amI agree, merlin. TP should do a thread on the story Zooey mentioned. If they want to shake this reputation they have for being pro-Hillary Clinton, then they should run stories about her falsehoods and misrepresentations. Democracy is best served when ALL sides are scrutinized with equal vigor. TP should understand that. If it’s okay to post stories about wingnuts who endorse Republicans, then they should do stories about wingnuts who endorse Democrats. We are progressives. Unlike our political rivals, we are more interested in the truth than we are in winning at all costs. And many of us have noticed how very Republican-like Senator Clinton’s campaign has become lately.
TP owes it to us to report the objective truth. That is a bedrock progressive value.
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:25 amSix degrees of separation…you would be surprised how many people that could be linked to you that would scare the crap out of you if you saw if on paper.
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:27 amI saw that comment earlier on TP, and I remembered thinking when those cables were cut, that it could very well have been a “demonstration” of their ability to cut us off.
I know what you mean.
I once met and chatted with James Earl Jones.
James Earl Jones was in “The Great White Hope” with Jane Alexander.
Jane Alexander was once head of the NEA.
The NEA once gave money to Robert Maplethorpe.
I’m not sure I’m liking where this is going…
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:32 amWayne A. Schneider
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:25 am
Thanks, Wayne.
We all know that if McCain was pulling the same crap Hillary is pulling,
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:34 amMcCain Watch BlogThinkProgress would be all over it.Correction: The wrong quote got pasted (damn ctrl-key!)
Six degrees of separation…you would be surprised how many people that could be linked to you that would scare the crap out of you if you saw if on paper.
…is what my comment at March 23rd, 2008 at 2:32 am was in reposnse to.
Sorry for the confusion. I’ll be more alert to that (for the immediate future.)
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:36 amWayne, huh?
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:36 amI see what happened now.
Oy, that’s weird — seeing my comment from somewhere else here. :D
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:46 amHi Zooey,
Are you familiar with David Corn at his blog “Bush Lies?” Here is the link.
http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/davidcorn/
His take on the Hil fantasy. Good read. I do like him;worth checking out.
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:48 amThanks, Merlin! I started out on the internets reading Eric Alterman and David Corn. Gosh, I haven’t read him in forever. I’ll check it out!
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:56 amNice post by David Corn — and his blog looks soooo much better than it did last time checked it. Much easier to read.
She really shot herself in the foot with this tall tale.
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:58 amZooey Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:58 am
She really shot herself in the foot with this tall tale.
Yes. And it really is hard to understand! This was a pure fantasy. It never happened as the real proof shows. Its like how a person “remembers” childhood events, believing them to be as real as they describe them. The demons are more dangerous and the romances more Disneyland like, (horses pulling carriages but no horse poop in sight. Like these magical horses don’t do that.)
Trouble is this event did not happen in her childhood. She was the First Lady when this happened a decade ago. Is her mind that much in fantasy that she can’t tell what is reality any more? I find it hard to accept that she did this on purpose with malice aforethought. With the express purpose of making her appear more “commander in chief” like.
And because I feel that way, I am even more troubled by the thought of her in the WH. The base issue to me is the ability of the POTUS is to be able to see reality and then to apply the correct philosophy to it. Out of that comes what is best for the country. To have a POTUS that confuses reality with fantasy is just plain scary!
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:15 am# Zooey Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:58 am
Nice post by David Corn — and his blog looks soooo much better than it did last time checked it. Much easier to read.
She really shot herself in the foot with this tall tale.
As opposed to Obama, that last week said he’d never heard Wright’s hateful comments, only to say this week he had?
You hopium addicts are completely insane! You’re so much like Bushco crazy 19%ers I’m amazed your heads haven’t exploded yet from the hypocrisy!
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:25 am# gummitch Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:27 am
How is it that TP suddenly mentions Obama? Nothing about his recent speeches, nothing about his primary success, but a whiff of something stinky? Suddenly Obama is grist for the mill? WTF is up with that?!!!
Maybe it’s because when that the Obama people accused Clinton of being behind this? The hopium addicts are completely insane! You seem like a cult following that really needs zoloft!
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:26 amFollowing on to my #20.
And that is why Obama has really come alive to me. His speech on race was monumental. He really sees reality and can separate that from fantasy and prejudice. His philosophy comes through loud and clear as you read the speech and it is right on the money. To be able to do this when dealing with the “impossible” topic of race in America, as well as confronting the campaign issue head on says a tremendous amount about the real Obama. Hillary looks like a Class A baseball player trying to match up against a major leaguer.
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:27 amYou don’t confront race by throwing your grandmother under the bus, and associating that with the choice of picking a racist minister as the person to pick the spiritual adviser to you and your family as a complete racist bigot! Then when confronted with that reality you prey on ‘white-guilt’ instead of admitting that you yourself hold more racism than they do!
I’m sorry, I almost picked Obama as my candidate, and I’m so happy now I didn’t! He lost me, and many others, who are sick of his pandering, and extremist foolishness!
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:32 amrepublicans hate facts Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:30 am
Then you’re a moron!
You certainly are entitled to your opinion. But I will ask you just this once not to call me names. This is not the first time you have done this to me. I find it offensive. I don’t call you names when we disagree, and I expect that same respect from you. Are you capable of doing that? If not from this point forward I will flag you every time you use this tactic. The choice is yours.
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:39 amMerlin Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:27 am
He really sees reality and can separate that from fantasy and prejudice. His philosophy comes through loud and clear as you read the speech and it is right on the money.
What exactly came across to you? His philosophy is that people shouldn’t be racist, yet he feels that he has the right to belong to a racist extremist church? What philosophy is that? Do as I say, not as I do? I’ve had 8 years of that, yet the so call progressives that support Obama seem clueless that he’s much more like GW, than Hillary is?
He’s overly religious, he courts racist, extremists, bigots and homophobes, while being unwilling to have his picture taken with gay rights activists?
Sorry, but you’re a complete moron if you buy into his speech as anything more than containing the fallout of his own bigotry and bad judgment! There are plenty of black and mixed churches that don’t think AIDS is the product of ‘whitie’, yet this is where Obama chose to spend every sunday (according to him) and expose his children! This is not the sort of ‘leadership’ on race relations that any SANE person values!
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:55 amZooey Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:58 am
Nice post by David Corn — and his blog looks soooo much better than it did last time checked it. Much easier to read.
She really shot herself in the foot with this tall tale.
You mean how he pointed out how stupid the Obama campaign were? And where he did mention that there were security threats against her? You think maybe she might have known what security threats were there, and maybe you didn’t? You Obama people have lost your collective minds!
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:59 amOh and Zooey, he quotes Michael Dobbs, another media hopium addict. Nice!
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:01 amrepublicans hate facts Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:51 am
You have been flagged. You should be banned from this site and have requested that you be so banned.
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:07 amrepublicans hate facts Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:55 am
You have been flagged
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:08 amI really hate these half-investigated stories and how they spread through msm and the internet like wildfire. Here is some more info:
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:40 am
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:40 am
oops I forgot the link:
http://www.dailykos.com/ storyonly/ 2008/ 3/ 22/ 23527/ 4628/ 612/ 482465
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:41 amAbsolutely shocking. Not only that these guys dont trust their own candidate by lookin in his passport data but also that they attacked McCain by sniffing in his data. Obama must stand the question whether hes able to lead. Its very dangerous to attack Mccain. Hes a Vietnam vet who rotted 6 years in jail. And he has connections. http://ccoaler.blogspot.com/ 2008/ 02/ your-strike-control-says-yo.html
March 23rd, 2008 at 6:59 amI doubt McCain will let it happen to be dragged like this thru the public, making an ass out of himself. He’ll retaliate.
TP was created by Bill Clinton
unfortunately Hillary Clintons hands are covered in enough blood to last a lifetime she is a women scorned and will offer NO change unlike Obama
Bush realises Obama can bring change but being scared of such a change for the better would rather start a war with Iran
March 23rd, 2008 at 7:39 amany vote this year for a republican will show exactly how many mental cases there are in America ,
Still 39% mentally insane . ?? eh
March 23rd, 2008 at 7:41 amAt first whiff this smells fishy to moi.
Similarly, very early on there was a “rumor” leaked from the Bush Administration that this was somehow tied to the Clinton campaign, too.
For the GOP, destroying Obama or Clinton won’t be enough to get them 4 more years of McBush because either democrat will win in the general election.
The GOP needs to destroy candidate #1 but make it look like the work of candidate #2. Candidate #1 gets smeared and candidate #2 gets the blowback.
The GOP’s only hope is to split the Democratic Party’s base.
March 23rd, 2008 at 7:59 amoops I forgot the link:
March 23rd, 2008 at 8:40 amwhat I wanted to say about this asha&dailykos crap show despite posting 3 answers for 1 stupid link: how in the world u gonna test (!) your abilities for hacking (!) working for some federal related agency/company (!) on the file of John McCain or Obama or Hillary? So this was just a test run? what do these guy do when they are serious?
Frank Rich in today’s NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/ 2008/ 03/ 23/ opinion/ 23rich.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Referring to Sen. Clinton…
She is no less bright than Mr. Obama and no less dedicated to public service. It’s not her fault that she doesn’t have his verbal gifts — who does? But her real problem isn’t her speaking style. It’s the content. Mrs. Clinton needn’t have Mr. Obama’s poetry or pearly oratorical tones to deliver a game-changing speech. She just needs the audacity of CANDOR.
March 23rd, 2008 at 8:57 amYet she seems incapable of revisiting her history on Iraq (or much else) with the directness that Mr. Obama brought to his reappraisal of his relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
But as violence flares up again in Iraq and the American economy skids, the issues consuming the Democrats are Mr. Wright and Geraldine Ferraro, race and gender, unsanctioned primaries and unaccountable superdelegates. Unless Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton find a way to come together for the good of their country as well as their party, no speech by either of them may prevent Mr. McCain from making his second unlikely resurrection in a single political year.
The State Department contractor who accessed Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) passport information on March 14 worked for a company run by a man who is “a consultant” for Obama’s campaign.
…which is unofficially supported by John Edwards, who in turn is supported by KEVIN BACON!
March 23rd, 2008 at 8:59 am>which is unofficially supported by John Edwards, who in turn >is supported by KEVIN BACON!
right..its absurd..the guy their talking about is a former CIA man, he could probably be linked to all of washington in two degree of separation or less…. CNN.com is definitely an agent for the republican slime machine, day after day i’ve seen them using quotes or other comments from obama taken totally out of context on thier webpage headlines to try and make him look bad… someone at cnn.com is feeding at Rove’s pig trough..
ps.. spread this link around…
U.S. thinks allegedly “peaceful” southern iraq needs its own “surge”
http://news.yahoo.com/ s/ afp/ 20080323/ wl_uk_afp/ britainusiraqmilitary_080323131327;_ylt=Am7tDP7K4dgMTY19qcwqKuAUewgF
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:33 am#2 gummitch,
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:47 amWhen I first clicked on this today, that was my first thought also.
As always, Frank Rich’s deep and sincere concern for the electoral prospects of the Democratic Party, is touching.
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:49 am>As opposed to Obama, that last week said he’d never heard >Wright’s hateful comments, only to say this week he had?
He may have very well not remembered hearing it at the time,then later recalled that he had…far different from fabricating a non-existent firefight. How many people who attend church regularly have a photographic recollection of everything thier pastor said,,,
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:50 amIs rhf drunk on this thread?
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:54 amHe has monopolized it throughout with his rants.
Obama never said he had heard those remarks, only that he had heard controversial remarks from time to time, which is squarely in the tradition of sermons for hundreds of years. RHF has decided that Mccain would be preferable to Obama, from the looks of it, and has once again gone over the top in his lunacy. For Obama to be tied to Wright while McCain escapes his ties to blood diamonds, murderers and the Keating 5 shows once again how the rightwing media machine is bent on destroying freedom of thought in the USA. RHF should not be assisting them.
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:54 amAs always, Frank Rich’s deep and sincere concern for the electoral prospects of the Democratic Party, is touching.
Sarcasm aside, the narative had better change from “Obama’s Electability” to “McBush III” or once again the democratic party will have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:57 amTHe best thing for the democratic party right now would be for every well know democrat and influence weilind democrat to come forward and say “before the convention, if either candiates leads in both electoral and pledged delegate votes, we will endorese that person”
Hillary is toast, shes two faced, fake, and trying desparately to pander to voters who will never vote for her by failing to renouce for vote to enable dubya to start the iraq slaughter. if shes doesnt concede gracefull i hope she’s exiled from politics forever i think she will be,,.
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:58 amThink Progress, now you really disappointed me. I have in another thread expressed my understanding, that you are concentrating on the GOP as an adversary here, however, I wondered why the Obama speech wasn’t mentioned here, because it was news as much as it was a campaign speech. Never mind, that’s up to you and I accepted it as part of your neutrality when it comes to the Democratic campaign.
By this thread you threw all the semblance of neutrality out of the window.
Of course, it is important to see, whether there is a connection between the Obama campaign and the security breach,who want to fall for another fraud in the White House. But please don’t leave out half of the truth. Ok there is Brennan and there is that contractor, a link, however feeble.
Is there a link between John McCain and the State Department? Moot question.
Is there a link between Hillary Clinton and the State Department? Like, maybe, Maura Harty: State Department Official In Charge During Breaches An Ambassador Under Clinton ?
This is at best a three-way tie, all of them have links to the State Department!
We all know the Clinton Campaign is running out of money, but please don’t try to make up for it here. I very much prefer Think Progress as it used to be, kicking some serious Republican a$$.
Thank you for not deleting this.
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:58 am> Not only that these guys dont trust their own candidate by >lookin in his passport data
Your a moron. I doubt it was his people doing it. A companies CEO is NOT necessarily implicated in the actions of all his employees. Explain to me exactly why they didnt just ask to see Obama passport if they wanted to check? Obama has been VERY forthcoming about past incidents of regular drug use, you think hes the sort who would refuse to let his own people take a look at his passport?
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:02 am> past incidents of regular drug use
I meant RECREATION, not regular.. dont think he said he ever used them much, just experimented..at least he didnt try to say he didnt inhate..
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:04 amThis is an eggregious violation of one’s privacy rights. It matters little who was affiliated with whom at this point in time since we know that people can be bought and wholly paid for by their own political foes. This stinks to high heaven of Rove’s fingerprints all over it.
Likewise, I also find it interesting that TP has had virtually zilch on Barack Obama in terms of his recent history-making speech, etc. and since his campaign is somehow dubiously linked to this breach, voila!
Let’s see some stories about Obama’s incredible charisma and following please.
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:07 amI guess I’m on the same wavelength as Wayne Schneider here. I’d like to see who actually “owns” the individuals who breached these privacy rights. I believe it’s not what it appears to be (or what the GOP would like us to believe) but quite the reverse. At the bottom of this violation probably lies a double agent - fully funded by the GOP. After all, it’s their typical MO, isn’t it?
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:08 amAnd to make it look more kosher, they violated John McNutcase’s file as well.
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:09 amWow!!! What a revelation!! I mentioned this in a post the other day!!
Do you think that idiot Bathtub Boy will make any kind of apology on his Mon show??? Yeah, right!
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:20 amI’m so confused I just don’t know which Democratic candidate to hate most so I guess I’ll have to wait for Matt Drudge or Sean Hannity to tell me which democrat in the Bush State Department is responsible for spying on the other democratic candidate.
And if recent history holds, the democratic insider culprit who is responsible for this will be confiding in Matt Drudge via another email he won’t produce.
Insight Magazine will have the full story soon!
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:20 amThe State Department probe into the passport breach is focusing on the contractor who worked for Brennan’s company.
Does this mean that the State department is focusing on this one employee? How about the other two who accessed Obama’s files, and also worked for another company. The State Department fired the two contractors before anyone had a chance to question them. Don’t you find that odd? I do.
Also, I read the other day that someone on Hillary’s team had a link to one of the firms in the earlier “sneak and peek”. Why didn’t TP put that one up? I can’t find it now but I’m sure I read it.
TP, what are you going to do when Obama is the candidate? Are you going to ignore him completely?
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:35 amAnd watch the idiocy spread!
lolol
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/185056.php
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:38 amrepublicans hate facts Says:
As opposed to Obama, that last week said he’d never heard Wright’s hateful comments, only to say this week he had?
Boy, your Obama hatred sure has warped your ability to comprehend. Obama said that he had not heard Wright say the things that were being shown on TV. He did say that he had heard Wright say some controversial things that he disagreed with, but he roundly condemned the “hateful” things that Wright had said.
You seriously need to take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror. If you do, I think you will see your bigotry showing.
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:42 amHow come no one is talking about Hillary’s association with a religious group called “The Fellowship”?
Full article: http://www.motherjones.com/new…..yer-2.html
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:45 amIs rhf drunk on this thread?
He has monopolized it throughout with his rants.
And you will notice that TP is allowing him to do it even though I am sure he has been flagged numerous times. If rhf had been railing against Hillary, he would have been gone after his second post. But since he is attacking Obama, he is allowed free rein to post his distorted lies.
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:47 amTP, could you please oust rhf? As bilbo stated, I’m sure (s)he’s been flagged many times, and I’m sure (s)he’s violating the terms of use.
I have a question for you, rhf. If Obama’s the nominee, will you apologize to posters here the insults you’ve thrown? Because if Hillary somehow becomes the nominee and loses to McCain, everyone here is going to disown you entirely. There will be no room for an apology.
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:04 amHillary is a corporate whore just like Bush…she does have some sort of social conscience which Repuks do not have. I would consider her to be Bush light at the best. I am not a huge Obama fan, but since John Edwards failed to make the cut, he is my choice for the future. Obama/Richardson ticket and John Edwards as Attorney General.
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:08 amSorry RHF, but you do sound like a bigot to me also.
Well, the rightwing’s Rovian tactics are working very well on the kneejerks like RHF. They have no possibility of winning unless they turn the Dems on each other, and they have done it through racism and fear, and Dems that buy into it are as stupid, clueless and unpatriotic as the repigs who voted for Bush in ‘04. That’s you, RHF, an idiotic and thoughtless racist. go register as a repig, you’ll feel better.
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:30 am#62 2mil
You took one of mine! Her association with this group raises flags with me as well. Also in a past thread we talked about her associations with all kinds of corporate scum. Have you read this one?:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ cenk-uygur/ is-hillary-positioning-fo_b_92904.html
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:39 amAnd the beat goes on Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:39 am
Hillary positioning herself for 2012? Creepy and all too plausible. Whether that’s true or not, it’s difficult to imagine her offering anything but a lukewarm endorsement (if that) when Obama gets the nomination. I can see her continuing to undercut him up to November.
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:50 amHere’s a good question.. McCain’s not president material, neither is Obama or Hillary Clinton. Who the heck do we vote for? Which one is the tallest pygmy. Obama is NOT who I want to see leading the country, I am uncomfortable with him as I feel he has been dishonest with us. Hilliary would saddle us with taxes that would cripple the economy worse than it is now, to pay for all the social programs that are unconstitutional, and McCain, I won’t even bore you with all the things I find wrong with him. I could probably live with Ron Paul, but there is NO WAY he is ever going to be nominated.
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:54 amThis post really annoys me. So the guy who accessed info once worked for a company owned by an Obama advisor? That is about the weakest guilt by association I have ever seen. Why even post that kind of inuendo?
I could counter that ThinkProgress is run by a company owned by Clinton campaign staff, so they have a clear bias in this Democratic campaign, despite the fact that Hillary has zero chance of winning at this point.
I’m really disappointed in ThinkProgress.
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:00 pmLooks like you clicked on the wrong shortcut. This is a progressive site and most here support social programs. Redstate is the place you oughta be.
Oh, and it doesn’t matter who gets elected, they will raise taxes. Remember read my lips bush I. We are in a much worse situation now because of the tax cuts for the rich and the war than we were then.
The only difference will be who gets their taxes raised. If mccaim gets elected then the working and middle classes of America get taxed more and will suffer more….
I think either democrat will raise taxes on those who are not paying thier fair share….the wealthy in America…..time to contribute to the cause.
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:08 pm#68 gummitch
The sad thing is it’s believable - whether it’s true or not. I can see how she had attacked Obama over and over and held up John McCain. If it is true, she is playing a dangerous game. With Iran, Supreme Court nominations, financial meltdown, loss of constitutional rights all waiting in the wings for the next president, we can’t afford to let John McCain win just to promote her personal agenda.
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:14 pmIf what he did is a criminal violation it should be referred to the Washington area U.S. Attorney who will do nothing and/or the Attorney General’s office which will do nothing. Pretty good system huh!
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:17 pmGuilt by association is applied only to Democrats — Republicans can embrace those who are outside the mainstream and there are few repercussions.
I am troubled that despite the majority of Obama supporters on the blogs in the comments sections, I see that a majority of the sites are favoring Clinton. Some sites that I have read for several years have become difficult to read any more because their headlines and topics are so one-sided that they are furthering the divide among Democrats.
Does this mean that Obama supporters must get down and dirty in order to level the playing field? I hope not.
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:33 pmClinton’s campaign managers and surrogates are undesirable in many ways - Obama’s people have had their moments as well, but the tone, the direction and the words of Hillary’s campaign, added to the nefarious implications of Bill Clinton’s remarks have done great damage to Democrats. How can she come back from this in September when she has to back Obama — I fear she will back-hand him and favor McCain out of spite.
Curiouser and curiouser!
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:43 pmHillary positioning herself for 2012? Creepy and all too plausible. Whether that’s true or not, it’s difficult to imagine her offering anything but a lukewarm endorsement (if that) when Obama gets the nomination. I can see her continuing to undercut him up to November.
What confuses me is why she thinks that she would be in a better position to win in 2012 if McCain becomes President. The Democratic party will place a McCain win at her feet (justifiably) and she will become an outcast within the Democratic party. And what does she think that Obama will do for the next four years. Does she think he will disappear?
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:45 pmdouglasg Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:54 am
You have my permission to sit this one out. People like you don’t deserve to have a vote. If you can’t vote for what is best for this country, which is right now not having another Republican in the White House, then you don’t deserve to have a vote.
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:47 pmIf what he did is a criminal violation it should be referred to the Washington area U.S. Attorney who will do nothing and/or the Attorney General’s office which will do nothing. Pretty good system huh!
You are wrong there. If it turns out that Obama’s adviser did something wrong, there most certainly will be a prosecution. If, on the other hand, it was an adviser to McCain, nothing would happen.
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:49 pmrepublicans hate facts
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:59 am
A truly desperate series of posts, rhf. We don’t have to agree on our presidential candidate choices, but personal attacks really aren’t necessary.
Flagged.
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:52 pmOut here in northern California, supposedly a liberal, progressive hotbed, the corporate San Francisco Chronicle newspaper tried to minimize this illegal spying on State Dept. passport files as merely “peeking.” Of course, the loyal Chronicle has been soft-pedaling and covering up for the worthless, lying, election-stealing, war-mongering Bush traitors for the last eight years…
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:12 pmAnd the beat goes on Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:39 am
#62 2mil
You took one of mine! Her association with this group raises flags with me as well. Also in a past thread we talked about her associations with all kinds of corporate scum. Have you read this one?
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:25 pm——————
Yeah, Ed Schultz and Randi Rhodes have had endless callers with this take on Hillary. My belief is this…
#10
Last week, I mentioned my concern here on TP that Hillary used to be President of the Young Republicans and a Goldwater girl…..then was promptly accused of being a troll.
#2 and #42
My sentiments exactly!
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:12 pmBrianFL Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:00 pm
This post really annoys me. So the guy who accessed info once worked for a company owned by an Obama advisor? That is about the weakest guilt by association I have ever seen. Why even post that kind of inuendo?
I could counter that ThinkProgress is run by a company owned by Clinton campaign staff, so they have a clear bias in this Democratic campaign, despite the fact that Hillary has zero chance of winning at this point.
I’m really disappointed in ThinkProgress.
Of course, the Obamabots seem to forget that one of Obama’s first reactions to the “passport scandal” was a FULL INVESTIGATION of the incident. Now, when it appears there’s a hint of a connection between an Obama “foreign policy and intelligence advisor” and the person who actually did the deed, suddenly there’s no need for an investigation that doesn’t directly link either the McCain or Clinton campaigns.
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:33 pmAnd, Brian, yes you COULD counter with such an assertion but that doesn’t make it true. Obama’s decision to make such a quick call for an investigation seems at the heart of this particular article (I seem to recall the investigation being demanded even before the discovery of Clinton and McCain’s passports being looked at as well–and don’t forget how THAT revelation was just more fodder for the Obamabots).
What I’ve noticed is the sheer stupidity (or maybe “sheepidity”) of the “progressive” community on the web. “Obama is the Savior of the Democratic Party while Hillary is Satan” seems the rule of thumb. Anything that Hillary says or does MUST be parsed in the most minute of detail, but St Obama must be accepted at face value and never questioned. Any accusations of racism must be true, but Obama loves women, so he can’t possibly be a sexist. Ooh, Clinton attended a prayer meeting with Lieberman so she’s TEH EBIL, but Obama was mentored in the Senate but he was forced to so that’s okay.
Obama has NEVER been subject to the slightest rough treatment by the media. Where was the media during the early primaries and debates? They were slamming Hillary non-stop (as were her “fellow” Democratic candidates), BUT that was defended as “how the media treats the front-runner” . Suddenly Obama becomes the front-runner after all the other MALES drop out(except, apparently Gravel) and NOW Obama still gets treated with kid gloves. And woe be unto any who dare cross the Obamaniacs by suggesting that their candidate’s s88t don’t stink.
I noticed how quickly certainly Obamabots on this site tried to turn the thread into insinuations against Clinton–one poster, in particular, actually posted something anti-Hillary she’s posted before on another thread in an effort to derail any discussion OF THIS TOPIC. Then, of course, there were the slams against the site itself for not being sufficiently anti-Hillary. Your sort of “progressives” have enough sites (and networks) that are anti-Hillary. If you don’t like TP’s lack of anti-Hillaryism, you’re more than free to head off over there.
But, when something that OBAMA DOES works against him in spite of all the Obama Kool-Aid being drunk (whether in the remaining primaries or general election), don’t come whining that everyone else is to blame. Obama (and his flunkies) try to play the “we’re past race as an issue” role and “the candidate of hope and change” role, yet when anyone dares to look beyond the façade (much like with the Wizard in the Emerald City), that person becomes a casualty of the Obama ambition. (And yes, the man’s ambition is every bit the equal of Hillary’s. How funny it is that the SAME people who were screaming “how dare Hillary think she’s owed the nomination” are now the ones who scream “Obama is owed the nomination” the loudest.)
Flag me if you want, Obamaniacs, I don’t care. I’ve already admitted that I’ll vote for Obama come November IF he’s the eventual nominee (I won’t do it gladly–the man’s no better and no worse on gay issues than Hillary, but Hil didn’t sign up a known anti-gay preacher and then claim no knowledge of the man’s beliefs). But there’s no way I’m going to give the man my open support. I will NOT contribute in any other way to the Obama campaign (or even to the National Democratic Party), but he will have my vote. How many of you Obamabots will make the same pledge should Hillary get the nomination?
JosephW Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Talk about your rants!!!
As I stated before, Hillary is a corporate whore,
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:47 pmrhf is a hillarybilly.
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:54 pmWhy single out Obama?
Hillary’s NAFTA Lies Kill All of Her Credibility
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:02 pmIt’s already been about forty or 50 years since then but it seems like just yesterday.
That’s hard to believe.
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:07 pmI have also been accused of being a troll here for questioning these issues:
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:29 pm* Hillary’s support of NAFTA
* she was first lady with the degreg of telecoms
* Hillary voted for the Kyle/LIEberman bill calling Iranian guard terrorist
* Hillary voted against a ban on land mines
And the biggest issue:
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:31 pmHILLARY VOTED TO GO TO WAR!
JosephW,
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:56 pmI too, used to be a Hillary supporter….I was disappointed when she did not run for pres. in ‘04.
Now in ‘08 she is full of hypocrisy and lies… something America is sick to death of. America is also fed up with the vote not counting…here we see Hillary wanting to win at all cost regardless of the will of the people.
had enough
I agree with almost everything you say…..but I will vote for hillary over any republican.
March 23rd, 2008 at 5:05 pmI agree with you, Fred. I probably shouldn’t go too far in bashing Clinton, because I don’t want to be in the embarrasing position of backtracking on my views if she ends up the nominee.
If Clinton becomes the nominee, I expect the democratic party to unite like never before. We’re in a bruising primary process, and I prefer Obama over Clinton, but I think in the end we have to be appreciative that this is a competitive race on the democratic side. The talent pool is deep within the our party.
And I don’t know about you, but rhf’s postings are uncalled for and inflammatory. It’s precisely the example of infighting Republicans want to see.
March 23rd, 2008 at 5:36 pmMcWars Says on post #89
Yes sir, I agree with everything you said in that post. In the back of my mind I keep reminding myself that none of the things that progressives want will ever be realized if a republican gets elected. With either dem we at least have a shot at turning things around…..fingers X’ed.
I think Mr. Obama is much more than a politician. I am trying not to let him achieve too high a standing in my mind until he proves it but he has my attention. I think that is one thing that has the right so scared.
March 23rd, 2008 at 5:49 pmRight on, Fred. In the end, the Republicans face the uphill battle. They’re enjoying their empty grace period right now because the dems are not yet settled for competitive reasons, which is healthy. We only have to make sure we take nothing for granted.
If your state is not yet up for voting, I wish you a good decision when the time comes. There’s nothing wrong with a reservation about Obama. I, too, am a bit shaky about pushing Hillary to the sidelines — not something I’ve openly admitted here.
Happy Easter.
March 23rd, 2008 at 6:05 pmMarie at 12:33 pm
How can she come back from this in September when she has to back Obama —
I fear she will back-hand him and favor McCain out of spite.
anyone think she might even pull a “lieberman”? run “indie”?
randi put that out there one day recently…
boy, wouldn’t THAT be a kicker for the 3rd party dreamers, huh?
…
just back from my family dinner…
i’m mad at myself… when the subject of electability came up -
“they won’t elect a woman, and sure as hell wouldn’t elect a black man” -
my daughter’s hand on my thigh was keeping me from engaging -
so now i’m mad at her too - and i let the bullshit go, with my only comment being, “what is this? the 1850s? what is racism and sexism doing in the 21st century?” … and i could feel myself getting pissed off at the ignorance…
the lone dem in a sea of repugs… stupid, bigotted ones too…
and now i’m back home and the space invaders have left, and i’m stewing…
and, hindsight being 20/20, i’m thinking of all the things i wish i HAD said…
recomendations welcome…
ah well…
it’s probably a dead thread too…
this whole passbook spying story stinks to high heaven…
and, i agree, so does TPs handling of it…
March 23rd, 2008 at 8:28 pm…
JosephW,
Obamabots? Why is it so hard for people like you to believe there are intelligent people who support Senator Obama? Why do you have to resort to this kind of 2nd grade schoolyard language?
It is fact that this website is run by Clinton campaign officials. ThinkProgress is run by the Center for American Progress, which is run by John Podesta, Bill Clinton’s former Chief of Staff. Look it up.
If you do not think Obama has gotten rough treatment from the media, I’m not sure what media you have been watching lately.
This TP post is clearly trying to suggest Obama had something to do with the leak. They try to connect an employee illegally accessing information to the owner of that company, then try to connect that owner is an Obama consultant. That is a ridiculous leap to attempt a guilt-by-association smear.
And no, before you go on another disjointed anti-Obama rant, I do not dislike Hillary, and in no way do I believe she was behind the passport leak either.
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:47 pmkaty Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 8:28 pm
anyone think she might even pull a “lieberman”? run “indie”?
randi put that out there one day recently…
There is no way Hillary can win at this point by the will of the people, yet she still hangs in there, hoping the supers will pull her through, knowing the dems are becoming split and will continue to divide unless she does the right thing. Because of this selfish side revealed, I could clearly see her run as an “I” and even do so hoping McCain would win as he would only last one term, therefore she could run again in ‘12 and not be too oid.
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:13 pm——
freedom lover Says:
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:30 am
Well, the rightwing’s Rovian tactics are working very well on the kneejerks like RHF. They have no possibility of winning unless they turn the Dems on each other, and they have done it through racism and fear, and Dems that buy into it are as stupid, clueless and unpatriotic as the repigs who voted for Bush in ‘04. That’s you, RHF, an idiotic and thoughtless racist. go register as a repig, you’ll feel better.
——
At what point will you begin to take responsibility for your own actions? No one has made libs turn on each other. You’ve done it yourselves and you bear the responsibility unless someone is holding a gun to your head. Early in the campaign, libs predicted that there would be no negative campaigning by Dems. Now that it’s happening and libs are taking sides, it’s somehow someone else’s fault. You rant, in these threads filled with hate, about the hateful right. Yet your hateful attacks on everyone who disagrees with you, even your own, are justified. The level of hypocrisy of libs on this site is the equal of any of the extreme right blogs. ;)
upright hussein left
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:19 pmupright left Says
We can thank people like you to keep that going too can’t we? I guess you think that since you can’t contribute anything positive to the discussion that you will just poke em with a stick.
Talk about a hypocrite. You guys are the masters of hate….and you come here and see one or two posters crossing some imaginary line and you want to pretend that we hate equally to the right…..nice try.
March 24th, 2008 at 12:50 am——
Fred Says:
March 24th, 2008 at 12:50 am
upright left Says
We can thank people like you to keep that going too can’t we? I guess you think that since you can’t contribute anything positive to the discussion that you will just poke em with a stick.
Talk about a hypocrite. You guys are the masters of hate….and you come here and see one or two posters crossing some imaginary line and you want to pretend that we hate equally to the right…..nice try.
——
It’s someone else’s fault that libs are attacking each other, and someone pointing out the fallacy of that statement is responsible for it continuing? So the refusal to take responsibility continues. One or two posters crossing the line? Do you think this thread is the only time it’s happened? There have been numerous threads in the last few weeks in which libs have attacked each other, even calling each other “troll” for disagreeing on one issue. And somehow that’s someone else’s fault. When libs attack their own for disagreeing, you’re going to lose some potential positive comments from libs and independents alike. Libs definitely hate equal to the right. ;)
upright hussein left
March 24th, 2008 at 1:15 am>You rant, in these threads filled with hate, about the >hateful right.
sure, but we lie alot less. alot less. hateful lies and hateful truths are in no way moral equivalence. in fact, i think its safe to say that an enormous part of the republican platform these days is built on lies and that if they didnt lie they would have very little way in which to vocalize thier hate or thier ideaology….”we care about life”..”we care about the small business owner”..etc etc
> Libs definitely hate equal to the right. ;)
please explain the brilliant mathemathical formula you used to come to that conclusion. where are the left wing swiftboaters and the left wing black baby rumour spreaders? where are the flyers from the DNC telling us effete latte sipping snobs that dumya is going to take away our contraception if he gets elected?
then again, arent you the person beleives that a clump of cells smaller than a comma making it into the nearest garbage can intact is of equal importance to the life and well-being of a living breathing child?
March 24th, 2008 at 2:15 amHas ThinkProgress officially cast its lot with Hillary Clinton now?
I thought they loved all Democrats. And aren’t they supposed to be “progressive?” Is Hillary Clinton progressive?
March 24th, 2008 at 8:35 am——
Chocolate Jesus Says:
March 24th, 2008 at 2:15 am
>You rant, in these threads filled with hate, about the >hateful right.
sure, but we lie alot less. alot less. hateful lies and hateful truths are in no way moral equivalence. in fact, i think its safe to say that an enormous part of the republican platform these days is built on lies and that if they didnt lie they would have very little way in which to vocalize thier hate or thier ideaology….”we care about life”..”we care about the small business owner”..etc etc
> Libs definitely hate equal to the right. ;)
please explain the brilliant mathemathical formula you used to come to that conclusion. where are the left wing swiftboaters and the left wing black baby rumour spreaders? where are the flyers from the DNC telling us effete latte sipping snobs that dumya is going to take away our contraception if he gets elected?
then again, arent you the person beleives that a clump of cells smaller than a comma making it into the nearest garbage can intact is of equal importance to the life and well-being of a living breathing child?
——
Ah, yes, choco. Not the best lib defender, but ok.
Since you can no longer claim not to be hateful, now it’s ok to be hateful if you believe what you say to be true? So all the hateful things being said by each of the dem camps in the campaign are true? That’s not very promising for our future president. I’m not a republican, so I feel no need to defend them. But libs need to answer for the fact that they were claiming that dems never attack each other, then when they do it’s somehow somehow someone else’s fault. I’ll allow you to determine the level of hate as long as you don’t deny it’s there on both sides. If it makes you feel better to say you aren’t quite as hateful as someone else, or that your hate is ok because others do it too, go for it.
As for abortion, yes I believe it’s murder. Although I’m sure you are one of the few pro abortionists who believe that pregnancy deserves no special consideration or care since the baby is just a clump of cells until birth.
Now, back to the topic. ;)
upright hussein left
March 24th, 2008 at 9:05 am