Last week, Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama was not simply sparring with Democratic rivals, Republican candidates, and anyone with an anti-Obama agenda. No, last week Illinois Senator Barack Obama began dodging dangerous political bullets aimed at ending his candidacy for president. Before last week, a strategic punch or a deniable low-blow here and there was part of the campaigning gameplan. But as Barack Obama has become the Democratic frontrunner and the list of potential candidates for the presidency has basically dwindled to three or four, some have decided that the rest of the campaign season should be played for keeps and have leveled some heavy artillery at the candidate.

It began when Senator Hillary Clinton's communications director, Howard Wolfson, accused Obama of plagiarism for remarks he had made during a speech in Wisconsin. A ridiculous accusation since all candidates borrow material from other sources at some time (and some of them all the time), Obama still had to defend himself, his remarks, and enlist the help of his friend and author of the remarks, Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick. And while this topic was still a hot issue, a buzz began about some words uttered by Michelle Obama that questioned her patriotism. The Senator's wife made a comment that she was "really" proud of her country for the first time in her life, making reference to the fact that a woman and a black man were the main contenders for the Democratic nominee for president. The Obama camp spent a few days quieting down the furor generated by this nonissue and, along with combating the plagiarism issue, played both episodes off as nitpicking and grasping at straws by Obama's political rivals.

Those sniping shots were just a prelude.

After a very amicable debate in Houston on Thursday, February 21, Senator Clinton's camp decided to fire from a different position. An angry Hillary Clinton, with the governor of Ohio at her side, remonstrated Barack Obama for a couple of campaign fliers that called her to account for NAFTA and her health care plan. She called for Obama to begin running his campaign in an honest manner and to meet her in Ohio for debate, the latter of which had already been agreed upon and scheduled. She took a shot at both his inexperience and age, positioning herself as the outraged mother figure, stating, "Shame on you, Barack Obama."

The next day, Senator Clinton made headlines with speeches mocking Senator Obama. Using grandiose and melodramatic phrases, Clinton told Ohio audiences that, despite all the rhetoric and inspirational oratory, Washington would not be changed simply by another person taking the position of president. She even made reference to waving a "magic wand" to change things, perhaps attempting to reignite the "fairy tale" idea presented by President Bill Clinton (that Obama's stand against the Iraq War was significantly different from Hillary Clinton's) just before the South Carolina primary.

Then came the picture in "The Drudge Report" of a young teenaged Obama in traditional Somali dress, a thinly veiled attempt to fan the flames of fears that Obama may be secretly Muslim, a rumor that keeps having life breathed back into it every few weeks. Although "The Drudge Report" claims that their source came from the Clinton camp, Senator Clinton denied such allegations at the debate in Cleveland, Ohio on February 26. Clinton would later claim that the Obama camp was using the photo as a distraction from his weak platform.

So far, Obama seems a bit like Keanu Reeves' character in "The Matrix," subtly moving out of the way of the bullets fired at him. Shots made at his character, his wife's patriotism, his rumored religious affiliations, his inexperience, and his campaign platform have all missed their mark. He has shown great resolve and restraint when dealing with these attacks, often coming away looking more presidential than those that have attempted to bring him down. Whether he has laughed at the attacks, underplayed their importance, or evenly rebuffed them, Obama has done much in the past month to dispel any fears that he cannot handle himself diplomatically. And that just within the confines of party infighting.

Then there came a shot from the right from Republican frontrunner John McCain. His remarks came as a response to Obama's statement during the Democratic debate in Cleveland on MSNBC that "If Al Qaeda is forming a base in Iraq, then we will have to act in a way that secures the American homeland and our interests abroad." McCain told an audience the next day: "I have news for Senator Obama. Al Qaeda is in Iraq. And that's why we're fighting in Iraq, and that's why we're succeeding in Iraq." To which Obama promptly fired back: "I have some news for John McCain, and that is there was no such thing as al Qaeda in Iraq until George Bush and John McCain decided to invade Iraq."

As has been noted, Senator Barack Obama has not only been deft at dodging some political bullets but can sometimes fire a well-aimed shot himself. And he had best arm himself with bigger and better firepower if he wins the Democratic nomination, because, if history is any indicator, the GOP does not politically arm themselves for sport -- they gird themselves for war. Standing and winning against the Clinton political machine will be as nothing compared to fighting everything the GOP can and most assuredly will throw at him before November.  If he needs a grim reminder, he can always ask John Kerry to tell him a war story.


Source:

CNNPolitics.com

"McCain, Obama Clash Over al Qaeda In Iraq," USNews.com