CNN did not challenge GOP guest who said Clinton camp "possibly" behind Obama-madrassa smear
During a discussion on the February 10 edition of CNN Newsroom about Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) announcement that he is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, Republican strategist Amy Holmes repeated the baseless smear that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) may have been behind the discredited claim in a story posted on InsightMag.com that Obama attended a madrassa in his youth. After host Fredricka Whitfield asked Holmes and Democratic strategist Jenny Backus about the "possibility that we're going to see a fight between" Clinton and Obama, Holmes answered that "the phony madrassa story seemed to have possibly originated in the Hillary campaign." Backus said, "I think that was knocked down." Holmes then said: "I think that Jenny's being a little overly optimistic. Politics ain't beanbag, and Hillary's not going to let Obama roll over her." Whitfield ended the segment, saying, "Amy Holmes, you get the last word."
Holmes' claim that Clinton may have been responsible for the false madrassa report echoed an accusation by Fox News political analyst Dick Morris, who admitted that he did not have -- in the words of Fox News co-host Alan Colmes -- "any evidence that the Clintons were behind the smear." Morris nevertheless claimed that "obviously they were." As ABC News' Jake Tapper reported, the accusation that Clinton is responsible for the smear "remains unproven and unsubstantiated."
From the noon ET hour of the February 10 edition of CNN Newsroom:
HOLMES: And he -- and, you know, Fredricka, he has a -- he has a tremendous presentation. It's an exciting presentation, but he's also going to be running into the Hillary machine that's -- as of today -- is going to start knocking him down.
WHITFIELD: Well, that's interesting you brought --
BACKUS: I think it's --
WHITFIELD -- that's interesting you bring that up because they -- we've seen their senatorial relationship. We've seen pictures of Miss Clinton and Mr. Obama together looking like they're, you know, working on the same page.
But now when you're talking about being competitors and they've been very cordial toward one another, is there a likelihood or a possibility that we're going to see a fight between the two, fighting for the spotlight?
BACKUS: I don't think so, actually. I think -- and that was sort of what was interesting and where I respectfully disagree a little bit with what Amy said earlier.
I think in primaries on the Democratic side, we traditionally have had people fighting with each other. We haven't seen the language of "let's work together," or -- not even just "let's work together," but politics is more important than Republicans and Democrats. It's all about voters.
I think that is going to be an important subtheme, like you were saying Fredricka, inside the Democratic Party.
And it sort of a little bit started with Howard Dean in 2004, his rhetoric about "this is your campaign." I think with the Internet, and you saw how Obama -- he teased the speech that he gave today to his million-person email list last night, saying, "Come to my website, use my website to build a campaign. This is your campaign and my campaign."
I think it's going to be harder for other candidates to sort of attack Barack because, in a sense, they're attacking all the people that support him.
And I don't think you're going to see Clinton and [John] Edwards and Barack and [Tom] Vilsack attack each other.
WHITFIELD: Amy?
HOLMES: I have to point out that the phony madrassa story seemed to have possibly originated in the Hillary campaign. I think that Jenny's --
BACKUS: I think that was knocked down.
HOLMES: I think that Jenny's being a little overly optimistic. Politics ain't beanbag, and Hillary's not going to let Obama roll over her.
WHITFIELD: All right, Amy Holmes, you get the last word. Jenny Backus, thank you, as well.
BACKUS: Thanks, Fredricka.
HOLMES: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Good to see both of you and I know we'll be talking a lot more over the next couple of years. Thanks again.
Why does CNN continue to allow these baseless allegations? Do they not want to challenge because they are trying to take FOX News Right wing viewing base away from them?
"...the phony madrassa story seemed to have possibly originated in the Hillary campaign."
Well, at least I give Holmes credit for publicly declaring that hte Obama madrassa story was "phony". However, if you keep repeating a baseless accusation, such that Hillary was behind the phony madrassa story, even just as a POSSIBILITY then you're still keeping the story alive in the minds of many people who wish to believe it is true. You don't think Holmes would have intentionally done that, huh? Nah... that would be entirely too conniving and so unlike the Republican Party.
I think she deserves only half credit for a half baked answer.
http://www.workingforchange.com/comic.cfm?itemid=21959
You're on the right track...see last week's "This Modern World".
Exactly... look, Sean Hannity last week was still referring to "the Pelosi plane scandal"! What scandal?
I just couldn't resist, it's been soooo long!
stupid voters out voting for the Dem's down my streetFrom my window I’m staring while my coffee grows coldLook over there, where?There, there’s a moderate that I used to knowHe likes the dems now or engaged or something so I’m toldIs he really going to vote for them?Is he really gonna give them majority rule?Is he really going to vote for them?’Cause if my eyes don’t deceive meThere’s something going wrong around hereTonight’s the night when I go to all the parties down my streetI wash my hair and I kid myself I look real smoothLook over there, where?There, the NASCAR crowd just went into the Dem party,They say that looks don’t count for much and so there goes your proofIs he really going to vote for them?Is he really gonna give them majority rule?Is he really going to vote for them?’Cause if my eyes don’t deceive meThere’s something going wrong around here
But if looks could killThere’s a man there who’s marked down as dead’Cause I’ve had my fillListen you, take your cue from fox newsI get so mean around this scene, hey, yeah, yeah, yeahIs he really going to vote for them?Is he really gonna give them majority rule?Is he really going to vote for them?’Cause if my eyes don’t deceive meThere’s something going wrong around hereWhere? Around hereSomething’s gone wrong around here
it did not look like that in the preview... Doh!
I love Joe Jackson, though it makes me feel really old to say so...
I have to point out that Holmes seems to possibly have zero integrity or self respect.
"Holmes seems to possibly have zero integrity or self respect. "
-RJC
I think that's a given.
I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it until it becomes a fact.
Nancy Pelosi was possibly behind the death of Vince Foster to cover up her relationship with Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.
Unlike Dick Morris, I actually have one bit of evidence on my side: Vince Foster is dead.
Politics ain't beanbag?? Huh? Holmes just may have qualified for stupidest metaphor of the year concerning politics. Oh, but I forgot-- the Republican party must have traded all their legitimacy for bag of magic beans. George W, go slay that evildoing giant!
Yup...I think MMFA is being a little over-critical of CNN here. I can think of a few reasons why Ms. Whitefield didn't respond:
Is there actually a game called "beanbag?" What does one do, throw 60's furniture around?
If anyone doesn't think that Clinton will mud sling you are very uniunformed. Then again so are most people who believe what they see on cnn. I would be happy if they would just report the news without everything being given such a far left slant.
"If anyone doesn't think that Clinton will mud sling you are very uniunformed."
That's not the point... Even assuming all politicians are capable of mud-slinging (which is a healthy assumption) where is the eveidence to continue associating Hillary Clinton in any way with the phony madrassa story? It's just as plausible to me that Sean Hannity started the rumor...
"far left", "uninformed". the uninformed part generally goes with the right wingers
I may be doing something illegal here but this came off of comments from David Kuo's blog on Beliefnet.
It is interesting to read his blogs and what gets posted here. The misinformation just rolls down hill and picks up hay. Sometimes I just don't know what to do with it all. How can this be cleaned up?
Sorry this is a personal reflection posting. I must stop reading all of this before I go insane.