Oh, Robert Novak, how we’ve missed you and your douchebaggery.
Agents of Sen. Hillary Clinton are spreading the word in Democratic circles that she has scandalous information about her principal opponent for the party’s presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama, but has decided not to use it. The nature of the alleged scandal was not disclosed.
Now, granted, this is a three paragraph blurb in Novak’s syndicated column, going on to say that Clinton is taking the high road and not stooping to name calling. However, I call bunk. There is no way Novak could know something and not print it. It’s physically impossible for him. In fact, if someone told him they know a secret (say, that an ex-Ambassador is married to a CIA operative) and they do not willingly disclose what that secret is, Robert Novak will shove his fist in to their chest, rip out their still beating heart, hold it over his head and loudly proclaim I WILL EAT YOUR SECRET and have it to his editor before deadline. It is his nature.
Obama responded via Politico:
The Obama statement begins: “During our debate in Las Vegas on Thursday, we heard Sen. Clinton rail against the politics of ‘throwing mud.’ At the very same time, in Washington, Robert Novak was publishing a column in which he reported the following: ‘Agents of Sen. Hillary Clinton are spreading the word in Democratic circles that she has scandalous information about her principal opponent for the party’s presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama…’ ”
The statement continues: “The item did not identify these ‘agents,’ nor did it reveal the nature of the charge. It was devoid of facts, but heavy on innuendo and insinuation of the sort to which we’ve become all too accustomed in our politics these past two decades. If the purpose of this shameless item was to daunt or discourage me or supporters of our campaign from challenging and changing the politics of Washington, it will fail. In fact, it will only serve to steel our resolve. But in the interest of our party, and her own reputation, Sen. Clinton should either make public any and all information referred to in the item, or concede the truth: that there is none.”
Clinton’s camp feigns ignorance, as usual. Mark Ambinder at The Atlantic comes through for us again, identifying a report from
John Fund in the OpinionJournal.com:
The murmured charge is that as an Illinois state senator, Mr. Obama engaged in a real estate deal that benefited him in exchange for legislative favors. In short, what might pass for standard operating procedure in the Illinois legislature could nonetheless prove embarrassing to someone campaigning as a paragon of political virtue for president. So far, however, no proof of the allegation has been presented.
Wait — haven’t we already debunked this?
