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Politics : THE WHITE HOUSE -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (18056)	3/5/2008 5:02:00 PM
From: MJ	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25737

Squished in amongst the Vince Foster papers.

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (18056)	3/6/2008 4:49:08 PM
From: longnshort	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25737

Clinton Aide Compares Obama to Starr Mar 6 04:36 PM US/Eastern By NEDRA PICKLER Associated Press Writer Write a Comment WASHINGTON (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign compared rival Sen. Barack Obama on Thursday to independent prosecutor Kenneth Starr, the Clintons' chief nemesis of the 1990s. Clinton herself declined to comment on the comparison, made by her chief spokesman in a conference call with reporters and also in a memo distributed by the campaign. Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said Obama's statement that he plans to be more critical of Clinton's record is reminiscent of the attacks the Clintons endured during the investigations in the 1990s. "After a campaign in which many of the questions that voters had in the closing days centered on concerns that they had over his state of preparedness to be commander in chief and steward of the economy, he has chosen instead of addressing those issues to attack Senator Clinton," Wolfson told reporters in a conference call. "I for one do not believe that imitating Ken Starr is the way to win a Democratic primary election for president." Starr was appointed independent counsel in 1994 to investigate the Clintons' real estate dealings known as Whitewater. His investigation grew to include other topics, including the death of deputy White House counsel Vince Foster, a close friend of Hillary Clinton's and the Monica Lewinsky affair. Starr's findings formed the basis for Bill Clinton's impeachment. Many Democrats feel the Starr investigation was politically motivated. Injecting Starr into the debate is a way for Clinton to depict herself as a victim of enemies out to get her. She's already complained about the media being against her. After losing three out of four contests Tuesday night, Obama told reporters Wednesday that he plans to increase his criticism of Clinton's record. His campaign also has been attacking her for refusing to release her tax returns. The Clinton campaign said all the Clintons' returns since they left the White House will be made public around April 15. Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the comparison to Starr is "absurd" when Clinton has been calling for more scrutiny of Obama's record. "We don't believe that expecting candidates for the presidency to disclose their tax returns somehow constitutes Ken Starr tactics, but the kind of transparency and accountability that Americans are looking for and that's been missing in Washington for far too long," Burton said in a statement. "And if Senator Clinton doesn't think that the Republicans will ask these very same questions, then she's not as ready to go toe-to-toe with John McCain as she claims." Clinton was asked later at a news conference how she thinks Obama and Starr are alike. She said, "I'm not going to respond to that," and turned to take another question. Wolfson offered examples that he argued were similar to Starr's tactics. He cited a memo from the Obama campaign that called on Clinton to release "her tax returns, the accompanying schedules, and attachments." The memo cited a Wall Street Journal editorial that said Bill Clinton released their tax returns from 1980 forward when he ran in 1992. "But they steadfastly refused to release their returns for prior years, and only later did we learn that 1978 and 1979 were the tax years when Mrs. Clinton reported her 10,000 percent cattle-futures trading profit," said the editorial excerpt included in the memo. He also cited two quotes this week from Obama senior adviser David Axelrod. In one, Axelrod complained to Time magazine, "We still don't have the records from the Clinton library." And on ABC's "This Week" Sunday, he referenced the Whitewater land deal. "I would think that the Clinton campaign would be the last person to be wanting to characterize any real estate transaction as unusual," Axelrod said. At the news conference, Clinton cited the explosion of a small bomb in Times Square early Thursday to highlight her claim that she is the candidate most prepared to lead in a crisis. Police have not made any arrests related to the explosion; no one was harmed. Clinton said the bombing shows "that it is imperative we remain vigilant as we continue to face threats at home and abroad."