Going Negative

Several specifics hurt Obama. Taking them in order of precedence, as I see it, this is what Obama should have done. The NAFTA issue. Austan Goolsbee, a University of Chicago economics professor and Obama's chief economic advisor, in a private conversation told a Canadian consular officer in Chicago to ignore what Obama has been saying on the campaign trail about re-negotiating NAFTA because "it's campaign talk," to paraphrase. The consular officer's memcon was then maliciously leaked by the right-wing Canadian government. Regardless whether what Goolsbee said was true Obama had to distance himself from it immediately — which, by the way, it is now too late and on this critical point Obama probably can't recover. Goolsbee should have immediately been let go, denounced, and that would've put an end to it. NAFTA, both on substantive terms and Obama's essential honesty about it, is now up for grabs.

Tony Rezko. Clinton has been suggesting for a while that Obama hasn't been properly vetted. When reporters began to chase the Rezko story recently Obama should have counter-attacked: "I made a mistake associating with Tony Rezko and in receiving donations from him." "I thought of Mr. Rezko as a kind of 'concierge' in the Chicago political establishment, an honest man who could help get things done." "I made a mistake and I've moved on." "I've acknowledged that mistake, repeatedly, and I've returned all the funds Rezko raised for me, either to Rezko or giving them to charity." "I've never been accused of anything with regard to Rezko's activities." "My name has never been mentioned in Rezko's prosecution and trial." "Moreover, I've been completely open about my finances, releasing everything to do with my personal finances and my campaign's finances to the public, for your scrutiny." "The same cannot be said of Hillary Clinton." "If Mrs. Clinton wants to engage in innuendo, in mud-slinging, then she should be careful about mud sticking to the cuffs of her pantsuit." "Mrs. Clinton has not, for example, explained the origins of the five million dollars she loaned her campaign." "I urge Mrs. Clinton to do that." "I also believe that democratic voters have a right to know more about Mrs. Clinton's record in the White House, and in particular the activities of her health care task force." "She has consistently declined to release those records." "I call on her to do that." "And I would suggest that it is also important that the public know more about the sources of funding of the Clinton library." "This is a subject of some debate but very little is actually in the public record." "If Mrs. Clinton wants to provide answers to these questions and then continue her campaign of innuendo and slur against me, she would have a better right to do so — it would be the wrong way to campaign, but at least she'd be more honest about it."

Something like that would take a lot of the sting out of Rezko.

National security experience. Hillary's three a.m. ad (hey, it's three a.m. as I'm typing this) really made a difference. As one commentator pointed out last night, Obama's counter-ad was so close in style it just conflated the issue in voters' minds. Instead of taking Axelrod's high road and talking about Obama's good judgment in opposing the Iraq war, they should've taken the Iraq war right back to Clinton. "Hillary Clinton made a mistake voting for the Iraq war." "Other Senators who voted for the war have admitted they made a mistake." "Hillary has not." "The closest she came to admitting a mistake was in our debate the other evening when she said that she wished she could take back that vote." "That's not a good enough answer." "Does Mrs. Clinton think she made a mistake with that vote: yes or no?" Odds are Hillary won't answer that question directly; temperamentally she isn't able to nor does she believe she made a mistake. But the press, sufficiently goaded by Obama, would pursue the simple version of the question. "Was it a mistake?"

More national security experience. When Hillary talked about her experience, and McCain's experience, and then mentioned Obama's "one speech" she's really out of bounds. Call her on it. "I was disappointed that Mrs. Clinton seemed to be saying that she thinks John McCain's national security credentials are better than mine." "Does Mrs. Clinton really think that John McCain would have a better national security policy than I would have, as president?" "I would call on Mrs. Clinton to clarify her remarks about John McCain's credentials on national security issues." Force her to walk back. He could.

The Muslim thing. Hillary introduced unnecessarily qualifiers in her answer when asked whether Obama is a Muslim. He should take the bait. Given an opportunity — don't, for God's sake, bring this one up himself — something like this would draw blood: "I'm offended, to be honest, that Mrs. Clinton cannot unequivocally denounce the rumors, mostly circulated by Republicans, that I'm a Muslim." "I've been in prayer breakfasts with Mrs. Clinton." "Mrs. Clinton knows that I'm a devout Christian and that I've been with my United Church of Christ congregation in Chicago for twenty years." "Mrs. Clinton owes me, and my church, the courtesy of honestly acknowledging our faith." "She should apologize."

Watching Hillary last night it's pretty clear to me she'll fight all the way to the convention. It won't be a fair fight, so Obama's going to get a workout. If he survives he'll be a better candidate for it.