Democrats in a Do-Si-Do Over Negative Campaigning

Monday, March 24, 2008

PARSING BILL CLINTON'S WORDS

Democrats in a Do-Si-Do Over Negative Campaigning

Hillary Clinton's campaign continued its pushback yesterday against an accusation that Bill Clinton questioned Barack Obama's patriotism last week.

In a "must-read" e-mail sent Easter morning, the Clinton campaign forwarded a blog posting by National Review columnist Kathleen Parker, who called "nonsense" the idea that the former president attacked Obama at a campaign event in Charlotte. Later yesterday, Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell (D), a Clinton supporter, accused the Obama campaign of a double standard -- decrying negativity in politics and then going after the Clinton team at the drop of a hat.

The contretemps began Friday, when Bill Clinton said: "I think it would be a great thing if we had an election year where you had two people who loved this country and were devoted to the interest of this country. And people could actually ask themselves who is right on these issues, instead of all this other stuff that always seems to intrude itself on our politics."

The Obama campaign immediately pounced on the remark, and retired Air Force Gen. Merrill "Tony" McPeak, an Obama adviser, described it as reminiscent of McCarthyism. That drew indignation from the Clinton campaign.

Yesterday, even New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), a newly declared Obama backer, said he did not think the former president had accused Obama of being unpatriotic.

"I don't believe President Clinton was implying that," Richardson said, appearing along with Rendell on "Fox News Sunday." But Richardson added that "the campaign has gotten too negative -- too many personal attacks, too much negativity that is not resounding with the public."

-- Anne E. Kornblut

LESS GREEN, AND LESS GREEN

Clinton's Carbon Offsets Forced to the Back Burner

On Earth Day last year, Hillary Clinton announced that her campaign was becoming carbon-neutral.

Over the course of 2007, the campaign paid more than $20,000 to Native Energy, a firm that supports renewable-energy projects and enables companies to balance travel and office carbon emissions.

The move was well received by environmental groups. Only John Edwards had taken a similar step. Barack Obama's campaign pays a special fee to its charter air firm to offset emissions from its jet travel, but it does not offset its full carbon footprint.

But earlier this year, as the Clinton campaign's cash dried up, the campaign had to place its desire to remain carbon-neutral lower on the priority list. Reports filed to the Federal Election Commission for January and February show that the campaign's debt to Native Energy piled up until it stood at $11,834 at February's end.

Blake Zeff, a Clinton campaign spokesman, said the campaign has not wavered in its commitment to the environment. The campaign paid $6,338.52 to the firm March 13, catching up on its debt through January, he said.

Native Energy spokesman Billy Connelly said he didn't have the payment data readily available but he thinks the Clinton campaign is "doing a thorough job."

"They're taking this very seriously," Connelly said.

-- Matthew Mosk