Maybe Hillary Would Prefer McCain as Commander-In-Chief
By Don | August 27, 2008
Hillary Clinton's speech may have eased some fears about her support of Barack Obama but it was missing one key ingredient.
From ABC News' Jake Tapper.
BILLINGS, MONT. -- At a convention-watching party at the home of Eran and Carlee Thompson in Billings, Montana, last night, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, watched the speech of his rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, intently, often clapping.
He perked up during the jabs at Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. He shouted "Yeah!" when Clinton mentioned his wife Michelle and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.
After Clinton mentioned that McCain opposed equal pay for women, Obama said, "Oh, that doesn't work."
When she concluded, Obama and the family with whom he was watching the show applauded. "That was excellent," Obama said, "that was a very strong speech -- laid out the case -- you heard her -- we gotta keep going."
After leaving the house party, Obama called Clinton and said how grateful he was for her support, telling her she gave a terrific speech.
He also told her that he loved her line "No way, no how, no McCain."
But what Clinton did not say last night -- that Obama would be a great commander-in-chief, fully prepared to take that 3 am call (as opposed to a 3 am text message) -- did not escape the notice of his critics.
“Senator Clinton ran her presidential campaign making clear that Barack Obama is not prepared to lead as commander in chief," says McCain spox Tucker Bounds. "Nowhere tonight did she alter that assessment. Nowhere tonight did she say that Barack Obama is ready to lead. Millions of Hillary Clinton supporters and millions of Americans remain concerned about whether Barack Obama is ready to be President.”
It's a concern shared by voters, less than 50% of whom say Obama is prepared to be commander-in-chief. When she withdrew from the race in June, Clinton was criticized for making a similar omission. She had to have known people were looking for her to say that he's up for the job. She didn't.
Maybe Bill can clear tis up tonight.
1 Comment | Post a Comment
August 29 at 11:21 am | #1 | Link
Hillary desperately wants McCain to win so that she can run again in 2012.