Shaheen Steps Down

BIly Shaheen's statement:

“I would like to reiterate that I deeply regret my comments yesterday and say again that they were in no way authorized by Senator Clinton or the Clinton campaign. Senator Clinton has been running a positive campaign focused on the issues that matter to America’s families. She is the best qualified to be the next President of the United States because she can lead starting on day one. I made a mistake and in light of what happened, I have made the personal decision that I will step down as the Co-Chair of the Hillary for President campaign. This election is too important and we must all get back to electing the best qualified candidate who has the record of making change happen in this country. That candidate is Hillary Clinton.”

Comments

Seizmic!

Posted by Democrats Against Hillary | December 13, 2007 4:15 PM

Ah, that's a shame.

Let's get back to the real fun moment of the day: this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nKHBSFSosY

Posted by Jack | December 13, 2007 4:17 PM

Glad to see that old Clinton loyalty that treated Lani Guinier so well.

Posted by Adam B. | December 13, 2007 4:17 PM

It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!

Posted by Angry NH Voter | December 13, 2007 4:20 PM

All debate coverage will be saturated with Hillary calls Obama a crackdealer coverage!

Posted by Democrats Against Hillary | December 13, 2007 4:24 PM

Glad to see that old Clinton loyalty that treated Lani Guinier so well.

Hey, at least she didn't shoot him in the face...

Posted by J.B. | December 13, 2007 4:45 PM

From the moment Shaheen's comments went online I was confident the Clintons would cut him loose. Billy is (was) a big fish in NH - the HuffPo told the blogosphere the day before the Obama drug whispers would start soon - and a man of his stature could only get his orders from on high, but he botched his mission bigtime by bringing race into the equation.

Ironically, Billy's comments will solidify Obama's previously softer support in NH and weaken Hillary's stronger support. Friends and family, fellow NH voters, have told me they absolutely will no longer ever consider voting for Hillary - some of them now former Hillary supporters. We'll now have to see if Jeanne Shaheen will have to answer for her husband's missteps in her US Senate race - the NH grassroots, netroots and independents are furious.

To non-NH readers, please don't attribute Billy's views to our state. We may be whiter than the nation on the whole, but we're fiercely inddpendent, libertarian and tolerant ... we grow up with the primary, we cherish it. Live Free or Die.

On behalf of this NH Democrat: Bye-bye Billy ... and bye-bye Hillary.

Vote Hope.

Posted by Manchester United | December 13, 2007 4:52 PM

Axelrod statement:

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/12/13/514942.aspx

NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan reports that Obama strategist David Axelrod just said in the spin room that at meeting between Obama and Clinton, Obama said that leadership on negative attacks has to come from the top down.

Posted by Democrats Against Hillary | December 13, 2007 5:31 PM

Mark Penn was just on Hardball, whining about how the Obama campaign pushed first.

And earlier today, I noticed the Washington Post op-ed section. Remember that Novak claim that he was approached by the Clinton campaign with "scandalous" information about Obama? The same one dismissed by the Clinton campaign as a Republican dirty trick? Well, Novak filled in the details.

In a pretty convincing manner, he cites who from the campaign, who else they contacted, and the nature of the "scandalous" information.

It was the "slush fund." You know, that PAC that contributed to other Democrats' campaigns. That one. The same one that contributed to Clinton's campaign for the Senate. That one. That's the most scandalous information the Clinton campaign has on Obama. I'm shocked, shocked that a Democrat would run a PAC to raise money for other Democrats.

Sheesh, are these Clinton guys amateurish or what?

Posted by Paul | December 13, 2007 5:40 PM

This whole thing is contrived. He's only stepping down to prolong the coverage of his initial comments for another media cycle. All of the coverage will include why he stepping down. Thus the Clinton camp milks it for another day.

Posted by bob | December 13, 2007 5:57 PM

Such BS. The Clinton campaign is so nasty and this is so predictable from them. Can you say desperation. It is only a few more days and a few more drops in the Iowa and NH polls before someone else in her campaign starts using Obama's middle name publicly again. They are as low as the GOP and she will govern just as she runs her campaigns...by the polls..not by conviction, intellect and judgement.

Posted by Barbara Solomon | December 13, 2007 6:07 PM

Bob:

I know you are an Obama supporter, but you are sooooooooooo dumb. If you can't realize that this whole drugs thing helps Obama, then you really need to stop commenting on political blogs....

Posted by Democrats Against Hillary | December 13, 2007 11:27 PM

Democrats Against Hillary, that's not quite fair towards Bob.

I agree with you that this is helping Obama, and I hope Clinton keeps it up through the holidays.

But there are some who are wondering if it isn't hurting Obama. Apparently Penn thinks it hurts him, thus helping Clinton, because he sure seems willing to keep it going.

Posted by Paul | December 14, 2007 7:09 PM