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NYT: Obama Lied to Iowa Voters


Way back, when the NYT was writing well-researched, respectable political coverage - as opposed to vacuous hit pieces culled from Daily Kos,  they came out with this shocking piece about Obama.What is interesting is how within days after this article appeared, the NYT began began a smear campaign against Clinton that goes until this day.The same way Daily Kos wrote an article supporting Clinton and Edwards, but not Obama, then overnight converted into an Obama spam mill.The way Chris Matthews completely exposed the Swiftboaters one night, and on the next night began advertising their message.It makes the mind wonder.But back to the point.  And the link.If you can't access the link, this is thefirst few paragraphs.  And trust me, the article gets into much more potent slime:

Mr. Obama scolded Exelon and federal regulators for inaction and introduced a bill to require all plant owners to notify state and local authorities immediately of even small leaks. He has boasted of it on the campaign trail, telling a crowd in Iowa in December that it was “the only nuclear legislation that I’ve passed.”

“I just did that last year,” he said, to murmurs of approval.

A close look at the path his legislation took tells a very different story. While he initially fought to advance his bill, even holding up a presidential nomination to try to force a hearing on it, Mr. Obama eventually rewrote it to reflect changes sought by Senate Republicans, Exelon and nuclear regulators. The new bill removed language mandating prompt reporting and simply offered guidance to regulators, whom it charged with addressing the issue of unreported leaks.

Those revisions propelled the bill through a crucial committee. But, contrary to Mr. Obama’s comments in Iowa, it ultimately died amid parliamentary wrangling in the full Senate.

“Senator Obama’s staff was sending us copies of the bill to review, and we could see it weakening with each successive draft,” said Joe Cosgrove, a park district director in Will County, Ill., where low-level radioactive runoff had turned up in groundwater. “The teeth were just taken out of it.”

The history of the bill shows Mr. Obama navigating a home-state controversy that pitted two important constituencies against each other and tested his skills as a legislative infighter. On one side were neighbors of several nuclear plants upset that low-level radioactive leaks had gone unreported for years; on the other was Exelon, the country’s largest nuclear plant operator and one of Mr. Obama’s largest sources of campaign money.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/us/politics/03exelon.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin


20 Comments

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Also interesting how the NYT didn't come out with
this piece until weeks after the Iowa election.
Kinda sad.

Quit grousing losers

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Some of us have an addiction to reality: Obama did that and it's not a pattern I want in the White House. I'd feel safer with McCain in the White House proposing bad things and the Democrats fighting them rather than Obama there giving away the farm while so called Democrats are rolling over to have their tummies rubbed.

Notice that "Present" is actually Slumlord.

Two racist creeps in one.

When you're dumb, and are too lazy to learn anything
about the opposing candidate to even know whether
or not you oppose them, it's ok. Just call them racist.

(( YAWN ))

We've been through this issue already. A few times, actually.


Old news that has been debated ad-infinitum.

Old news that you agree is basically true?

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Has anyone noticed that "present" has somehow managed to disable his reply button. His profile url shows that notorious troll "slumlord" at the end.

While I am not into censorship in any way, I do think the management needs to look into this. If he can disable is reply button and change his name without changing his url, what other kind of meta damage can he do?

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Wait, the "scandal" is that this was reported after Iowa? If memory serves (and it does seem like it was 15 years ago, doesn't it?) Iowa was the first state in the primary election. There have been plenty of states since then. If AJM and Lullvull and the author of this post thought this was so incredibly newsworthy and potentially daming to the Obama Compaign,, why weren't they flogging it incessantly since then?

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And didn't the NYT endorse Hillary? Why weren't they boosting this story the way the boosted the warmongers in the Bush Admin?

maybe you should read what I wrote, and
then comment.
otherwise you look foolish.

I am not flogging this cause its part of the legislative process. The point to me is that he is simply a Politician trying to get things done. You gotta stop placing expectations and dreams on a man that probably isn't going to live up to them. Its unhealthy as an electorate to do that. Your only going to be disappointed because he came from the same clay that we all came from. Then in typical fashion you'll turn on him which is completely unfair. He is who he is.....not the Second Coming.


Which is what separates the two sides in the campaign. Reality versus fantasy. WE know who Hillary is. Unapologetic about that. She isn't perfect and we all know that. But, we know she is capable of greatness at times as well. Its the light of day.

If that is how you see Obama then that is fine as well. Just don't see that much level-headedness with the typical Obama supporter.

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Being a sore loser is so unattractive.

That optimism went away fast there hr

There's also an article in the NYT about Obama's "present" votes and how they are a legitimate strategic move in the Ill legislature, and how Obama was asked to vote "present" on certain bills that he sponsored by, like, NARAL. Hillary is, of course, fully aware of it, but it hasn't stopped her from trying to exploit the issue for political gain.

The NYT is hiring low budget writers for their
political commentary.
They have stated that they can no longer afford to
really follow the elections now. One reason they
are now in bed with General Electric's puppet
Tim Russert. They have teamed with NBC for
coverage.
A reason their political coverage is slanted to get
a weak candidate elected in November.
'Corporate America likes our president's weak. It
keeps us happy to work for low wages in unhealthy
work environments.
It allows the Coal Companies to continue Mountain Top
Removal.
It allows the health industry to rip us off.
The NYT is doing its thing for corporate wealth, and is
being rewarded for their service.l

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YOU, NOT OBAMA, IS THE LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIYER:


You misrepresented the article, especially Obama's response to the charges. Here is what the campaign is reported to have said by the author of the article you reference. It might be helplful to actually hear directly from Obama on this matter. But here's what the decidedly anti-Obama, hit piece offers on Obama's side of the ledger.

The Obama campaign said in written responses to questions that Mr. Obama “never discussed this issue or this bill” with Mr. Axelrod. The campaign acknowledged that Exelon executives had met with Mr. Obama’s staff about the bill, as had concerned residents, environmentalists and regulators. It said the revisions resulted not from any influence by Exelon, but as a necessary response to a legislative roadblock put up by Republicans, who controlled the Senate at the time.

“If Senator Obama had listened to industry demands, he wouldn’t have repeatedly criticized Exelon in the press, introduced the bill and then fought for months to get action on it,” the campaign said. “Since he has over a decade of legislative experience, Senator Obama knows that it’s very difficult to pass a perfect bill.”

Asked why Mr. Obama had cited it as an accomplishment while campaigning for president, the campaign noted that after the senator introduced his bill, nuclear plants started making such reports on a voluntary basis. The campaign did not directly address the question of why Mr. Obama had told Iowa voters that the legislation had passed.

Nuclear safety advocates are divided on whether Mr. Obama’s efforts yielded any lasting benefits. David A. Lochbaum of the Union of Concerned Scientists agreed that “it took the introduction of the bill in the first place to get a reaction from the industry.”.

You are what you're accusing him of being. Of course, passion gets the best of us. I'm imagining that you have many reasons for being so intensely against Obama. I would like to know what are the top items on your list, things that you believe mark him as a less than adequate candidate.

You got that from the campaign site? As others have told me ....They don't count.

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