Obama Campaign “Flattered” by Hamas Complement
From the “What was he thinking department?” comes this from Sen. Obama’s political consultant David Axelrod:
In the spin room following the debate, I asked Barack Obama’s chief strategist, David Axelrod, to respond to a report that a top Hamas official had endorsed Obama.
“I have no idea about that, I have not heard that,” Axelrod replied.
I told him that the words were spoken by Ahmed Yousef, and offered to read him the quote, which I proceeded to do from my Blackberry: “we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election and I do believe he is like John Kennedy, great man with great principle…”
Axelrod focused on the Kennedy portion of the quote, and was “flattered” by the comparison.
“I like John Kennedy too,” Axelrod said. “That’s about the only thing we have in common with this gentleman from Hamas. We all agree that John Kennedy was a great president, and it’s flattering when anybody says that Barack Obama would follow in his footsteps.”
Axelrod said this after Obama compared Sen. Tom Coburn to domestic terrorist William Ayers. I wonder what “flattering” things Ayers said to Obama in their past? The campaign had no idea how much damage happened last night. Talk about out of touch.
Axelrod did mention that Obama wouldn’t talk to Hamas until they “renounce violence, until they recognize Israel’s right to exist and recognize previous agreements.” Yet the same standard would not be applied to dealing with Iran. Obama has said he would “meet directly with Iranian leaders” if elected President. He reiterated that point to a Philadelphia Jewish weekly:
But I do believe in direct talks. I think that without direct talks, Iran will continue to pursue the strategies that it has pursued under the Bush administration.
This is the same Iran led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who has said, “Very soon, this stain of disgrace [i.e. Israel] will be purged from the center of the Islamic world – and this is attainable” and called for the “elimination of the Zionist regime.”
The Illinois Senator has failed to make the distinction between Iran and Hama. I call it “the audacity of incoherence.”
“Axelrod Reacts to Hamas Endorsement of Obama” [via Michael Goldfarb]
Good catch on another Oba-wan inconsistency. Add it to the growing list.
The true being of Obamamama has begun to spill out, finally, and what I’m hearing in casual conversations is that it’s becoming evident to more people that he is not only just another smooth talking lefty but a radical-leftist hiding in pretty pinstripes.