At the top of Tuesday’s CBS "Early Show," co-host Harry Smith teased upcoming coverage of a photo of Barack Obama in Somalian dress: "Heading into the final debate tonight. Obama, the target of a photographic smear." Compare that to how Smith introduced a New York Times hit piece against John McCain last week: "This bombshell report that Republican front-runner John McCain may have had a romantic relationship with a lobbyist who was a visitor to his office and traveled with him on a client's corporate jet."
Later on Tuesday’s segment, reporter Jim Axelrod described the Obama campaign’s reaction to the photo: "His campaign says Clinton staffers put it out and that that's shameful." Smith then asked Axelrod about the photo:
SMITH: Jim here's the thing though, because it ends up on the front page of so many papers all around the country. Here is this morning's New York Daily News. It's on the Post too. Why is the Obama campaign so upset about the picture?
Story Continues Below Ad ↓AXELROD: Well, I'm not sure if they're as upset about the picture or if they continue to reinforce the idea that the Clintons are playing dirty, and it just keeps the whole image perhaps that Hillary Clinton is just going to do anything that is possible out there to keep playing whatever tone as negatively as she has to, to try to gain some kind of traction, some kind of footing, because as we say, it's now or never.
Here is the full transcript of the segment:
7:00AM TEASER:
HARRY SMITH: Heading into the final debate tonight. Obama, the target of a photographic smear. This as a new CBS News poll shows there's only one Democrat who can trounce McCain.
7:08AM SEGMENT:
HARRY SMITH: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton hold their last debate tonight before next Tuesday's critical Ohio and Texas primaries. For Clinton, tonight's meeting in Cleveland may be a last chance to slow down the surging Obama. CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Jim Axelrod is in Cleveland with more. Good morning, Jim.
JIM AXELROD: Well, good morning, Harry. And you're right, you can expect a much more contentious debate than we've seen so far. The Clinton campaign knows Hillary Clinton runs the risk of looking negative, but there's also a feeling inside the campaign that it's now or never. A harsher tone during the debate would match Clinton's tone on the stump. Discrediting Obama's foreign policy more sharply than ever.
HILLARY CLINTON: The American people don't have to guess whether I understand the issues or whether I would need a foreign policy instruction manual to guide me through a crisis.
AXELROD: She's also been mocking his speech-making.
CLINTON: Now, I could stand up here and say, let's just get everybody together. Let's get unified. The sky will open. The light will come down. Celestial choirs will be singing. And everyone will know we should do the right thing, and the world will be perfect!
AXELROD: Obama's pushing back by going right to his supporters.
BARACK OBAMA: But the basic idea, the basic argument is that if you talk about hope and if you're engaging the American people in thinking hopefully, that somehow you're duping them, that you're playing a trick on them.
AXELROD: The latest CBS News poll suggests one reason why Obama's been surging. In a general election match-up Obama runs stronger against McCain than Clinton does. Obama beats McCain by 12. Clinton and McCain are deadlocked. Clinton reads the polls, too. While she's got a clear but shrinking lead in Ohio, it is tied in Texas. And it's not either/or. She needs both states, which is why she may well go after Obama tonight.
CHRIS LEHANE: A year's worth of a campaign is now coming down to one decisive election in Texas. And you're in a phase where the campaigns can literally feel their hot breath on the back of one another's necks.
AXELROD: Now, that picture. An image of Barack Obama in a robe and turban during an African visit has been making it's way around the internet. We want to show it to you. His campaign says Clinton staffers put it out and that that's shameful. Clinton aides say it wasn't them, although they wouldn't rule out the possibility of an employee acting independently. The Clinton aides point is that there's plenty of pictures of the Clinton's, the Obama campaign was just being divisive. So now they're not just taking shots at each other, they're taking shots at each other about whether they're taking shots at each other. Harry.
SMITH: Jim here's the thing though, because it ends up on the front page of so many papers all around the country. Here is this morning's New York Daily News. It's on the Post too. Why is the Obama campaign so upset about the picture?
AXELROD: Well, I'm not sure if they're as upset about the picture or if they continue to reinforce the idea that the Clintons are playing dirty, and it just keeps the whole image perhaps that Hillary Clinton is just going to do anything that is possible out there to keep playing whatever tone as negatively as she has to, to try to gain some kind of traction, some kind of footing, because as we say, it's now or never.
SMITH: Jim Axelrod live in Cleveland this morning, thanks so much.
—Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.
















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Considering his Middle name....It casts a shadow
February 26, 2008 - 17:03 ET by JayTeeIf Obama's middle name wasn't Hussein, if he had not lived in Indonesia, if he had not gone on Record on his Senate Flag pin, It would not be a Story.
I'm not sure it's a story now.........It's a curiosity....
It's Sorta like McCain's NYTimes article on his "Appearance" of inpropriety with a Lobbyist.
B-HO wearing that Garb has an "Appearance" akin to McCains....and that's not a NYT's stretch at all.
Let me get this straight.
February 26, 2008 - 17:04 ET by motherbeltLet me get this straight. Obama goes to Somalia, willingly has his picture taken wearing traditional Somali dress, and now is claiming that the publication of this photo is a smear???? Exactly HOW???
Was it photoshopped? Why is he embarrassed about it? Why is he acting like they did something terrible? His best response would have been "So, what's your point?"
See
February 26, 2008 - 17:05 ET by PommeThat's the thing. I think this "photographic smear" was put out by the Obama campaign to pull the "dirty politics" card again on Clinton. If he had said "So what?" it would have played better.
Yes, the proper response
February 26, 2008 - 18:45 ET by JasonCYes, the proper response would have been "so what?" No doubt about it. But the reason it is a smear is because whomever released it knows that it will freak out the kind of retard who sees Obama's middle name as the most compelling reason not to vote for him.
It's a particularly sneaky move though, because of course Obama can be made out to be the racist for getting upset about it.
it will freak out the
February 26, 2008 - 20:00 ET by Mr. KafirIts not the MOST compelling. But it is compelling. Guess I'm retarded...LOL!!!!
Let's see... Muslim
February 26, 2008 - 20:31 ET by JerryLet's see... Muslim heritage.. Muslim schooling.. Muslim name.. ringing endorsement by Farakhan.. refuses to wear a flag pin "on principle".. calls those who wear flag pins "hypocrites"... retarded indeed.
When asked if he went to war with Iraq to derail the impeachment vote: “I don’t think any serious person would believe that any President would do such a thing." - President Clinton (Dec 1998).
Imagine
February 26, 2008 - 17:03 ET by PommeWhat if this whole "photographic smear" thing is a result of the "unification" of everyone behind McCain to try to get the same result?
I know, I know, conspiracy theory!
Pomme....Talk to Lame cherry it's a Cartel
February 26, 2008 - 17:06 ET by JayTeeIt's the Cartel...It's the Democrats...It's..It's uh..A Funny looking picture for sure.
He certainly doesn't look Comfortable in it.
For the facts JayTee
February 26, 2008 - 18:23 ET by Lame CherryThe Rothschild family owns the operational banks in England and France. The Warburgs operate the German banks.
The Rothschilds started the funding of the major American banks which includes Morgan and Chase.
They in turn hold the gatekeeper banking structures from what is now Russia to Japan. George Soros is implemented by them to consolidate those different currencies into 3 regional currencies so money laundering will be easier and they will not loose money on currency exchanges.
Those banks form a cartel which owns and operates the Federal Reserve which prints money and loans it at price to the United States government which you pay for.
It is called fractal lending and operates in the red to make money or in layman's terms it enslaves the public in debt to make profit.
That is a cartel. This cartel if you are ignorant of the financial facts runs America's educational system, took over the medical system in the 1930's, places all of it's foreign and domestic policy wonks in key government positions and indeed funds all candidates.
If you bothered to look I posted on here the entire funding of Obama on here and it was all cartel, including their lawyer establishment designed to form laws to control the American citizen.
Snotty ignornant remarks do not refute the facts. I use the word cartel as it is simpler for most ignorant people to grasp as they can not sort out the names, places and historical connections to understand what this international group of bankers and money launderers place upon the public.
The cartel influences people and events and does not have dictatorial control yet. People though like yourself making jokes about things you apparently do not understand only aids the cause of disinformation unless that was your purpose to make people think the cartel dresses Barak Obama.
To quote President Sarkozy, if you don't have anything to add to the information except insults it adds nothing but insults.
God bless and keep you and may His Spirit guide you to the Truth. In His Name. Amen
PS: If the information is bogus, you had better ask Joseph Farah of World Net Daily, Newsmax and David Rockefeller, because they are the one's saying it too.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
LC...I'n not being snotty...Cartels exist
February 26, 2008 - 18:38 ET by JayTeeLots of people believe in Cartels, the influence of $$$'s on Events around the World....Certainly Osama used $$$'s to start his little Band of Brothers...Ditto for Soros...I've been waiting for Bill Gates to start throwing around his Millions, other than his obvious charities...he's sort of a Cartel in Waiting.
I happen to believe that nobody's in control of anything....sort of a chaos Theory. I didn't slam your use of the word, I merely tried to bring someone away from a "Conspiracy" theory label.
While pleading innocent of "Snotty" I will plead guilty of Ignorance. Some things I just don't know enough about...I learn more from NB'ers, than I inform.
You should feel privileged
February 26, 2008 - 22:35 ET by general companyI know I am not much better, but I have never seen LC reply to anyone before, is this a first? Congratulations,,,,,,,,,both of you.
"Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest". Mark Twain
B. HUSSIEN O.
February 26, 2008 - 17:10 ET by upcountrywaterIt' just a nice 1/2 family photo, looken like a native?!.
Lets get some photos from his other half family life in JAVA , Indonesia, this country has the largest muslum population on the earth.
Someone over there has a photo, 9 months to go!
Iranian uranium; Iranian ICBM's; Iranian satellites..CHANGE is comming BELIEVE in that!
Obama Turban Head Fashion Model
February 26, 2008 - 18:06 ET by Lame CherryI find it more racism and bigotry in Smith concluding a half white half black man dressing as an African and a Muslim is in Smith's judgment a smear.
Why would Smith jump to that conclusion unless he knew INSTINCTIVELY the Letterman cocktail crowd was already making jokes about Obama which Smith was laughing at.
A smear can only happen if a bias is ALREADY PRESENT IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF RACISTS AND BIGOTS.
Republicans can care less except laugh at an Oprah moment in Africa as Obama looks out of place and the GOP does not vote for Obama.
Thanks Hare Smith for pointing all of this out.
PS Could it not be that Obama instead of flying to Paris for fashion flies to Nairobi. Not exactly a smear unless one thinks flying to Hong Kong for cheap Rob Roddy silk suits was a smear on him too.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
B Hussein Obama
February 26, 2008 - 18:21 ET by ScrapironThat is only one of the (Associated 'with terrorists' Press) photos out there and they also show him wearing traditional tribal "Islamic" dress. I have to believe that if my Father, Step Father, Brothers, Aunts, Uncles, cousins and assorted other relatives are Islamic I would also be Islamic not matter how hard I lied about it.
AXELROD: The latest CBS
February 26, 2008 - 18:34 ET by MidAmericaAXELROD: The latest CBS News poll suggests one reason why Obama's been surging. In a general election match-up Obama runs stronger against McCain than Clinton does.
The messiah is polling ahead of McCain? Big deal. A few weeks ago hillary was unstoppable because the polling said so.
The picture doesn't bother me so much
February 26, 2008 - 18:45 ET by c5thenBut THIS does!
As a junior State senator, this might be overlooked as a youthful mistake. However, for someone wanting to be elected the President of the USA, it can not be overlooked and must be vetted.
IMO, I do not trust him.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
c5... Excellent
February 26, 2008 - 18:53 ET by bigtimerc5...
Excellent link....thanks.
Like I said somewhere else today...they had better start digging on this guy and his wife.
The msm will protect him as long as they can, the other party being the repubs had better start digging and getting the info out...one way or the other...
You guys with your BDS...
February 26, 2008 - 18:57 ET by JasonCYou guys with your BDS...
Is it me, or does he look
February 26, 2008 - 19:05 ET by USA4freedomIs it me, or does he look like Aunt Jemima in that get up????
Ronald Reagan, 1962: I did not leave the Democratic party,the party left me.
Insert: your name, 2008, and the Republican party.
JasonSi....hey dude, after 8 years of it, we BELIEVE
February 26, 2008 - 19:06 ET by JayTeeBDS is real and present and Keeping Keith Overbite employed, and it's a MSM Syndrome that keeps on giving.
Bush Lied, Impeach Bush, The War is Lost, has to border on the Insane after a few years of Constant repetition.
Now that the Iraq War is going away, it has been Quiet lately...
Well now BDS... The "B" has been swapped for BARACK ,ACK
February 26, 2008 - 20:46 ET by upcountrywaterIranian uranium; Iranian ICBM's; Iranian satellites..CHANGE is comming BELIEVE in that!
What's good in 2006 is bad in 2008?
February 26, 2008 - 22:02 ET by CobraManLet me get this straight; Obama's supporters insist that a picture from his 2006 Kenya trip is, somehow, a smear against him? How can that be? He DID make the trip, right? He DID meet with tribal elders in Kenya, right? He DID have his photo taken in customary clothing, right? So how can any documentation of that trip, like a photo, be considered a smear? That would be like saying that the release of a photo taken during a debate of Hillary in a pantsuit is, somehow, a smear.
It looks to me that Obama’s supporters are trying to create a “smear” scandal where none exists, just to garner sympathy for him and his campaign. Very transparent, and very childish!
An AP smear?
February 26, 2008 - 22:23 ET by CobraManBy the way, the photograph in question is an Associated Press photo, so I guess they’re in on the “smear” too.
"The Associated Press photograph portrays Obama wearing a white turban and a wraparound white robe presented to him by elders in Wajir, in northeastern Kenya."
Link