In a December 4 entry on his Slate.com blog, Mickey Kaus cited a CQPolitics.com blog entry by Mother Jones Washington bureau chief David Corn in writing that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-NY) presidential campaign "[h]ates" Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL). Kaus quoted Corn writing that Clinton staffers “don't need any prompting in private conversations to decry Obama as a dishonest poser,” and went on to ask: “Is this just because Obama's presumptuous enough to deny her rightful nomination? Or is there another root-cause complaint that the citizens of Hillaryland can't voice because even though it's true it wouldn't help them: that Obama's an 'affirmative action baby' who's been promoted faster than his merits would ordinarily permit? If he weren't black he'd be [Sen.] Dick Durbin [D-IL]! (Or a more appealing but less experienced version of Dick Durbin).” Kaus continued: “That Hillary's cadres can't voice or even permit themselves to think about thinking this thought, of course, might tend to make them even madder,” adding: “Of course, Hillary is not an affirmative action baby. She got her position the old fashioned way -- by marrying it.”

According to the Nexis database, Kaus' blog post was republished in the December 6 print edition of the Chicago Tribune in the “What Others Are Saying” column.

From Kaus' December 4 blog entry, titled “Hillaryland Hates Obama: Is It Just Arrogance?”:

Hillary's people “despise Obama,” reports David Corn in a fine piece of schmoozalism. They “don't need any prompting in private conversations to decry Obama as a dishonest poser.” Hillary has (not uncleverly) asked, ""“How did running for president become a qualification for being president?” ... Is this just because Obama's presumptuous enough to deny her rightful nomination? Or is there another root-cause complaint that the citizens of Hillaryland can't voice because even though it's true it wouldn't help them: that Obama's an 'affirmative action baby' who's been promoted faster than his merits would ordinarily permit? If he weren't black he'd be Dick Durbin! (Or a more appealing but less experienced version of Dick Durbin) ... That Hillary's cadres can't voice or even permit themselves to think about thinking this thought, of course, might tend to make them even madder. ... P.S: Of course, Hillary is not an affirmative action baby. She got her position the old fashioned way -- by marrying it.

Corn's December 4 CQPolitics.com blog entry said that in “talking to Clintonites in recent days, I've noticed that they've come to despise Obama.” He also cited unnamed Democrats who have “report[ed] encountering the same when speaking with Clinton campaign people.” Corn also quoted an unnamed “Democratic operative unaffiliated with any campaign” discussing the Clinton campaign's attitude toward Obama. Corn wrote: " 'It's his presumptuousness,' this operative says. 'That he thinks he can deny her the nomination. Who is he to try to do that?' You mean, he's, uh, uppity? 'Yes.' " Corn's blog post did not contain any first-hand quotes from Clinton campaign staffers or anyone associated with the Clinton campaign. From Corn's December 4 CQPolitics.com blog entry:

When talking to Clintonites in recent days, I've noticed that they've come to despise Obama. I suppose that may be natural in the final weeks of a competitive campaign when much is at stake. But these people don't need any prompting in private conversations to decry Obama as a dishonest poser. They're not spinning for strategic purposes. They truly believe it. And other Democrats in Washington report encountering the same when speaking with Clinton campaign people. “They really, really hate Obama,” one Democratic operative unaffiliated with any campaign, tells me. “They can't stand him. They talk about him as if he's worse than Bush.” What do they hate about him? After all, there aren't a lot of deep policy differences between the two, and he hasn't gone for the jugular during the campaign. “It's his presumptuousness,” this operative says. “That he thinks he can deny her the nomination. Who is he to try to do that?” You mean, he's, uh, uppity? “Yes.” A senior House Democratic aide notes, “The Clinton people are going nuts in how much they hate him. But the problem is their narrative has gone beyond the plausible.”