Most people around Chicago kinda figure it's going negative if it's bad facts about your candidate, but setting the record straight if it's bad about the other one.
***
One of the differences between the two, and the basis in Obama's arguement that he will be 'right from day one' is Clinton's vote on the Iraq war.
Obama can make whatever statements he wants because he wasn't in the senate to vote.
He did say he wouldn't have voted for the war in 2002. That's a fact. But he also stated in repeatedly in 2002 and 2003 he wouldn't vote to fund the Iraq war.
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2970972
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2970930
There isn't necessarily a contradiction in this position; other opponents of the war vote to fund the troops so as to ensure they're as safe as possible. But there certainly seems a contradiction between this view of war funding and Obama's view just a few years ago, after the war in Iraq had been raging for more than six months.
"Just this week, when I was asked, would I have voted for the $87 billion dollars, I said 'No,'" Obama said to applause as he referred to a bill to fund troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I said no unequivocally because, at a certain point, we have to say 'No' to George Bush," Obama said. "If we keep on getting steamrolled, we are not going to stand a chance."
In a questionnaire he completed for the liberal group Council for a Livable World and in a 2003 press release he issued as a state senator, Obama suggested the Congress delay the $87 billion in funding "until the president provides a specific plan and timetable for ending the U.S. occupation, justifies each and every dollar to ensure it is not going to reward Bush political friends and contributors, and provides 'investment in our own schools, health care, economic development and job creation that is at least comparable' to what is going to Iraq."
Anyone see that last part happen???
Since he's been in the Senate, he's voted the exact same way as HC on Iraq funding.
***
Of course when he was first explaining the contradiction of the Iraq funding, he said he wasn't quite sure if he knew what the senators knew he wouldn't have voted yes for the Iraq resolution in 2002.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/05/obama_slams_cli.html
"I think what people might point to is our different assessments of the war in Iraq," Obama said at the time, "although Im always careful to say that I was not in the Senate, so perhaps the reason I thought it was such a bad idea was that I didn't have the benefit of U.S. intelligence."
***
And then I'm still not 100% sure where he stands on that issue. I think I know now, but maybe back in 2004 if you're the Democratic nom. for President it was OK to vote for the war, but in 2008 it's not??
He did give the keynote speech for Kerry (who voted for the use of force, along with HC) at the convention in 2004.
And he was on meet the press in 2004 with Russert.
Tim Russert: "How could they have been so wrong and you so right as a state legislator in Illinois and they're on the Foreign Relations and intelligence committees in Washington?"
Obama replied, "Well, I think they have access to information that I did not have."