Monday, March 03, 2008

Obama Problem #1   [Byron York]

Hillary Clinton commented this morning on new stories that an internal Canadian government memo supports allegations that a top Obama adviser told the Canadians not to be too concerned about Obama's anti-NAFTA rhetoric — that it was just being done for political effect:

I don’t think people should come to Ohio and you both give speeches that are very critical of NAFTA and you send out misleading and false information about my positions regarding NAFTA and then we find out that your chief economic advisor has gone to a foreign government and basically done the old wink-wink, don’t pay any attention, this is just political rhetoric.

The memo, first reported by the Associated Press, was written by a Canadian official who attended a meeting with Obama adviser Austan Goolsbee and later wrote:

Noting anxiety among many U.S. domestic audiences about the U.S. economic outlook, Goolsbee candidly acknowledged the protectionist sentiment that has emerged, particularly in the Midwest, during the primary campaign. He cautioned that this messaging should not be taken out of context and should be viewed as more about political positioning than a clear articulation of policy plans.

Goolsbee disputes that he said anything about political positioning, but this is a question Obama will have to answer, whether or not he wraps up the nomination tomorrow.

03/03 10:41 AMShare