Obama: ‘Wife talking to her husband does not make her qualified’.

November 26, 2007

With the Iowa caucuses a little more than a month away, Sen. Barack Obama has been turning up the heat, going on the offensive and making sure Iowa voters know how he differs from his main rival for the Democratic presidential nomination.

His most poignant efforts at distinguishing himself from Sen. Hillary Clinton have been on the topic of experience. In one of Clinton's most aggressive jabs yet, she made a comment last week implying that Obama's foreign policy experience was limited to the four years he spent living in Indonesia as a child.

Obama countered, downplaying the New York senator's much touted experience as first lady, equating her role in the White House as similar to that of any politician's spouse.

"There is no doubt that Bill Clinton had faith in her and consulted with her on issues, in the same way that I would consult with Michelle, if there were issues," the Illinois senator told "Nightline" co-anchor Terry Moran.

"On the other hand, I don't think Michelle would claim that she is the best qualified person to be a U.S. senator by virtue of me talking to her on occasion about the work I've done," he said.

Watch Terry Moran's interview with Sen. Barack Obama tonight on "Nightline" at 11:35 EDT.

Obama not only accuses Clinton of overstating her political experience, but also for "cherry picking" only the successful policies to define her legacy in the White House.

"I think the fact of the matter is that Sen. Clinton is claiming basically the entire eight years of the Clinton presidency as her own," he said, citing the North American Free Trade Agreement, as an example, "except for the stuff that didn't work out, in which case she has nothing to do with it."

Obama not only hopes to downplay Clinton's political experience, but to redefine what kind of experience is most important for the next president.

Life Experience vs. Washington Experience

Obama continues to paint himself as the most "authentic" candidate whose real life experiences distinguish him from his Democratic rivals.

He claims that his experience living abroad, traveling the world, witnessing poverty and even facing racism as a black man has given him a perspective that some of America's best presidents have also possessed.

"Our most successful presidents have been people who were successful not because of their wealth of Washington experience," Obama said, "but because of the life lessons and schools of hard knocks that they had gone through."

Obama often makes the argument that these "hard knocks," in addition to his outsider status in Washington, give him the unique ability to change U.S. politics.

"I think this whole argument about 'he speaks well, he's got good ideas, but he needs more experience,'" Obama said to a crowd gathered recently at a school in Western Iowa, "what they really mean is I haven't been in Washington long enough. They want to boil all the hope out of me."

Obama hammers on the theme that this hope will propel him to take on the big issues and change the status quo in Washington.

"If you think that we've got to do things fundamentally differently, restore a sense of trust in out government and have greater transparency & then I might be your guy," Obama said.

Restoring America's Reputation Abroad

Obama presents himself as the one candidate who can repair America's image abroad. "I think I can present a new foreign policy and a new way of doing business that the world will respond to," he said.

Critics disagree and believe Obama is naive for saying that he would meet with the leaders of Iran and North Korea without preconditions. Obama discounts his critics, blaming Bush and Cheney for having "shifted the [foreign policy] debate in a profoundly damaging way."

"We're still operating under an old model, we don't recognize the new threats of the 21st century," Obama said. "How the world perceives us will have a great deal of influence on how safe we are."

While Obama acknowledges that violence has decreased in Iraq, he believes the surge has failed to create the space for Iraqis to make political progress. He argues that it is in the interest of national security to start withdrawing U.S. troops.

"If we cannot execute an intelligent, thoughtful exit strategy, and the Iraqi government cannot respond in an effective, positive way, over the course of the next two years to end our occupation in Iraq, then we may be looking at a decade or two-decade-long stay in Iraq," he said. "And that, I believe, would be disastrous for our long-term national security."

Iowans' 'Extraordinary Privilege'

While Obama is leading in Iowa, he is showing no signs of relaxing. According to the most recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, 30 percent of Iowans support Obama, 26 percent support Clinton and 22 percent support Edwards. Obama continues to press hard against Clinton, reach out across party lines and convince Iowans of just how important their votes will be.

"Those of you who live in Iowa, you have this extraordinary privilege," Obama told a crowd gathered in a school in western Iowa. "You are going to decide, more than probably any other American who the next president is going to be, who the next leader of the free world is going to be. & So I hope all of you decide to take advantage of this opportunity."

Citing the compressed primary calendar and the increased influence of early states, Obama recognizes the importance of winning Iowa. "I think if you don't do well in Iowa, it's going to be hard to make up for it later," he said.

However, he believes that Clinton is under more pressure to carry Iowa because of her front-runner status and her portrayal in the media as inevitable.

"The overwhelming favorite who has been touted as inevitable over the last six months better win Iowa," Obama said. "Don't you think?"

Obama is also counting on some Republicans to help him carry Iowa. Which is why he has been spending time campaigning in the rural, more conservative, western Iowa.

"We got Democrats and independents and yes we even have some Republicans," Obama said to a crowd in Dunlap, Iowa. "I know this because when I'm shaking hands afterwards, they whisper to me. They say 'Barack, I'm a Republican, but I support you.' And I say 'thank you, why are you whispering?'"

Winning Republican votes is just one way Obama aims to set himself apart from Clinton. As the caucuses near, his offensive against Clinton will likely only heat up more, in hopes of knocking the "inevitable" candidate down in Iowa.

Source: ABC News

Posted by George · Filed Under Hillary Clinton, News

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