Byron York takes a look at the accusations, denials, and counterdenials that are Barack Obama’s first official scandal:
With the evidence we have so far, Obama appears to be in a difficult position. At first, his campaign denied that there was any contact with the Canadian government. Then, when it was forced to concede that there had been contact, it insisted that it had nothing to do with softening Obama’s position on NAFTA. And then, when the newly-released memo suggested that it had been about just that, Team Obama simply stuck with its story.
After talking with people knowledgeable about these events, it’s possible to come to a few early conclusions. One, there was a meeting. Two, the DeMora memo was a good-faith effort to record what went on at that meeting. Three, the conversation did touch on NAFTA. Four, the Canadian government’s statement was a carefully worded, diplomatic message that did not shed any light on whether the key accusation against the Obama campaign — that it privately hedged its position on NAFTA and then misled the public about it — is true. And five, the Canadian statement did say outright that Goolsbee was contacted because he was involved in the Obama campaign, not — as Plouffe claimed — because he was a university professor.
So it’s not likely that the story will go away, given the Obama campaign’s inaccurate and misleading statements about it and the Clinton campaign’s interest in keeping the controversy alive. The only question is whether it will do Obama any significant damage and Clinton any significant benefit.
Considering that NAFTA as an issue will probably come up in Pennsylvania too, I would bet we haven’t heard the last of this.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:11 am
Where is the memo? I want to see it. And if no one can produde the so-called memo, it is of no significance. Obama and Clinton both claim that NAFTA needs to be modified or changed to make it more acceptable to the USA or they will abolish NAFTA. So, why on earth are we discussing who will benefit from the memo or who won’t. Hillary is a snake and that is a fact, she wants to get into the White House and spew her problematic life all over us. I am inclined to believe that she is trying to set us up and to let us down bigtime when this is all over. Let it go, and vote for the best man, that is Obama, and we all know it.
March 9th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
As it turns out Obama had nothing to do with the NAFTA memo, that memo was sent by Hillary’s Lieutant watch the newsclip below.
http://www.youtube.com/v/OOLEK2lr3CM