Vote 2008: Clinton, Obama and Nader
posted 7:00 am Mon February 25, 2008 - WASHINGTON
While Democratic candidates Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are locked in a tight and increasingly negative race for the nomination, the consumer activist is throwing his hat in the ring, and dredging up painful memories for Democrats who blame him for former Vice President Al Gore's loss to George W. Bush in 2000. Neither Democrat welcomed Nader's entry on Sunday.
Obama said it was clear that Nader "did not know what he was talking about" when he said he hadn't found any differences between Gore and Bush back then.
Hillary Rodham Clinton says Nader's candidacy won't be helpful to this year's Democratic nominee - but she adds, "It's a free country."
As for Nader, he says there's no chance that his entry into the race will tip the election to John McCain. He says Americans won't vote for a "pro-war" McCain. And he tells NBC that if the Democrats can't win in a landslide this year, they should "wrap up, close down, emerge in a different form."
Meantime, Clinton and Obama are engaged in escalating attacks.
Campaigning Sunday in New England, Clinton said the next president will have a lot of problems to clean up after eight years of the Bush administration, but that she's ready for that tough job.
She told a rally in Providence, Rhode Island, that one of those tough jobs is getting U.S. troops out of Iraq. She said as president she'd demand an immediate plan for withdrawal from military officials.
Clinton suggested that her opponent, Obama, is unrealistic and naive about dealing with the tough issues like health care reform and global warming. And she said no one can "wave a magic wand and have the special interests disappear."
Meantime, Barack Obama is hitting back against Clinton, who 'shamed' Obama for one of his campaign mailing about her support for NAFTA. Clinton said Saturday the mailing misrepresented her record.
On Sunday, Obama accused Clinton of trying to walk away from a long record of support for the trade deal that he says has cost 50,000 jobs in Ohio. But at the same time, Obama said efforts to repeal the trade deal would "probably result in more job losses than job gains."
Speaking at a factory near Cleveland, Obama said Clinton had been saying "great things about NAFTA until she started running for president."
The trade agreement has long been unpopular in the industrial Midwest.
Ohio and Texas both hold primaries next week. Bill Clinton has said publicly that his wife probably needs to win both of them in order to get the nomination.
Latest Comment on Vote 2008: Clinton, Obama and Nader
Xman
11:16 am on 02/25/08
It this Country realy wants CHANGE, we need more than a two party system. Otherwise it will be more of the same. We need a Strong Independent to shake thinks up and win, not that Ralph Nader fits the bill - not by a long shot. But I agree with what he, Perot and others set out to do in years past.
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