* It all stated over the weekend when Bob Novak's Sunday column
began with the following:
Agents of Sen. Hillary Clinton are spreading the word in Democratic
circles that she has scandalous information about her principal
opponent for the party's presidential nomination, Sen. Barack
Obama, but has decided not to use it. The nature of the alleged
scandal was not disclosed.
* Yikes! This is the best of all worlds. A major, major columnist
alleging skullduggery by the campaign of Hillary Clinton having
unearthed (but holding onto) double secret, but way scandalous,
info against Barack Obama.
* The Obama campaign responded the Novak report was "devoid of any
facts, but heavy on innuendo and insinuation" and called on the
Clinton campaign to affirmatively deny that any such info existed.
* Reuters reported:
The Clinton campaign denied the accusation, saying Obama's reaction
to the vaguely worded column by Robert Novak played into Republican
hands and showed the Illinois senator's lack of political savvy.
* But, Obama suggested that was a pretty lame denial in a press
conference on Saturday when he said:
Look, the Clinton campaign didn't come out and deny it initially.
Sen. Clinton's campaign, after three iterations of it, said they do
not engage in these practices and they don't have any information
that is scandalous, as was referred to in the Novak column.
* Taking that "three iterations" business as the shot that it was,
the Clinton campaign responded:
"Senator Obama knows that our campaign responded instantly with a
clear denial. Senator Obama is manufacturing an issue to distract
voters from a disastrous debate performance that revealed that his
health care plan doesn't cover every American."
* Oh, yes. That would be it. The old Health Care Coverage Dodge was
at play here.
* Here's what's really at play. As we discussed here last week
Hillary, Barack and John (Edwards - but John is such a pedestrian
first name in a campaign which includes, in addition to the afore
mentioned Hillary and Barack, a Willard, a Dennis, a Rudolph, a
Duncan, and a Freddie) are now tied in the polling running up to
the Iowa caucuses to be held on January 3, 2008.
* Hillary and Obama have raised enormous amounts of money and it
appears Clinton has spent more than Obama has.
* One of the worst things which can happen in politics is to have
lost a close election only to find there was a lot of money left
in the bank.