Shaheen Out As Clinton Advisor over Obama Drug Comments
December 14th, 2007 at 01:03pm Matt Margolis
Clinton campaign advisor Bill Shaheen has resigned following his comments that Democrats should be worried about nominating Barack Obama because his illegal drug use during his youth could come back to haunt him in the general election.
But, really, should he have resigned? Was it such a bad thing for him to suggest that it could become a liability for the Democratic Party if they nominated Obama? Because, let’s face it, it would and should be.
Some on the left praise Barack Obama for being honest about his prior drug use, which included smoking marijuana and snorting cocaine, as if his honesty today make his past drug use okay.
If Democrats want to pretend that Obama can turn anything shady in his life or his record into a positive by being “honest” about it, then by all means they should continue thinking that…. Because no matter how you try to dress it up, past issues with drug and alcohol won’t help you in a general election. President Bush’s past problems with alcohol was not only seen as a liability from the left, but it was something they exploited and tied to endless jokes at Bush’s expense during his first run for president.
So, I believe Obama’s past drug use is fair game. But, I’d be more than happy to wait for the general election have that discussion.
UPDATE: Israpundit points out something else that speaks a lot about Obama’s character — and nothing good.
Entry Filed under: Campaign 2008, Democrats
17 Comments
1. Sunny | December 14th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
I am not surprised at how quick you are to judge the past of another - especially if that person is running for President of the United States on the Democratic ticket. Rather than admire (or at least respect) a man who grew up without his father’s presence and turning his life into something very positive, you would rather focus on his youth when he made some bad choices. Yet, I have never seen you write about the bad choices made by our present president - which included alcohol and drugs well into adulthood. Based on your statements, I guess Bush’s past problems with drugs should still be an issue, since you clearly believe that Barak Obama’s past drug use should still be an issue. Never mind that he earned a college degree and then a law degree from Harvard accomplishing much since that time. Please keep in mind that he did these things on his own, and did not rely on his father or father’s friends to set him up in business and bail him if he was unable to make a go of it. But hey, we are talking a rather poor kid from an interracial marriage, divorced parents, making it on his own merits - not one from a wealthy family with a well known last name and father who was an important Republican lawmaker. Must be so satisfying to know you have never made a mistake or bad choice in your life.
2. TiredofLibBullShit | December 14th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Looks like Shaheen did what so many others have done for Lady Clinton…..he fell on the sword to protect the leader.
The damage has been done and is now part of the debate which is what Lady Clinton wanted without getting her hands dirty. Just like the others who has leaked memos and emails regarding Obama and other opponents.
“First” of many……
3. Huck Fillary | December 14th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
I’d like to see what Shaheen has to say after the primaries are over and Hitlery loses to Earbama, the former doper.
I’ll bet Shaheen will spill his guts about the lying Hitlery, who approved of the attacks on Earbama, the former coke snorter.
But Hitlery’s better than Earbama, the former pothead, because Slicky Blue Dress didn’t inhale…
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6. Mark Noonan | December 14th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Sunny,
Thing is, all stories of President Bush’s drug use are unsubstantiated…and yet you come here and speak as if they were an established fact. Even the accusations of alchohol abuse go beyond the known facts - for the left, President Bush is, at best, a former drunk; a former alchoholic, that is. But from the known facts, you can’t even begin to make such an accusation - President Bush, once upon a time, drank too much…so did I; but I’m not an alchoholic.
Obama’s admitted drug use is something else again - kudos to him for getting past it, but the plain fact of the matter is that for a man with nearly zero resume like Obama, everything else in his life has a much larger impact - including his drug use.
7. Joe | December 14th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
How hard is it going to get in the next 10-20 years to find someone that DIDN’T do some kind of drug in their high school/college years of the 80s and 90’s?
8. Sunny | December 14th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
I don’t believe it would take a rocket scientist to realize that this man does not have a problem with drugs. For you to make the assumptions regarding Bush and his alcohol use if pretty neive. But, I understand that you will defend bush to the death, however, Obama must have a serious drug addiction since he experimented with it as a teen-ager. I wonder how on earth he made it through law school - at Harvard no less - with such a serious problem. And to be President of Law Review at any law school, but Harvard . . . no small feat. Some common sense would be nice for a change.
I never understood exactly what was in Bush’s resume that was so outstanding. Being elected govenor of Texas was not that big of a deal considering his last name is Bush. There have been some pretty lack-luster govenors elected in this country. He was one of them.
9. Mark Noonan | December 14th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Sunny,
Elected and re-elected in a massive landslide…ineffective governors aren’t re-elected in massive landslides. In 2004 he also became the first man to win a majority of the popular vote for President since 1988.
Obama was a State legislator, and has now been a Senator a little less than three years…
10. Mark Noonan | December 14th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
Joe,
Not too hard, if you know where to look - unfortuantely for the left, the people who are going to have a clean bill of health on the drug issue are going to be orthodox Jews, Evangelical Christians and conservative Catholics (not to say that all such have never done drugs, but taking one thing with another, such are less likely to have ever taken drugs than any other group in the United States).
11. Tractatus | December 14th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
So, I believe Obama’s past drug use is fair game.
You also believe, then, that your past drug use is fair game should you run against Harry Reid, yes? After all, we know you’ve smoked weed and hit the sauce.
12. Joe | December 14th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
Mark,
I am not saying we would have to find someone who never used drugs. I’m saying that if they used drugs, then people shouldn’t have any problem with it.
Think about this… say someone was 18yrs old in say… 1970. That would make them 56yrs old next year… right about the age of the usual Presidential candidates. If they did drugs back in the 70s, who in their right mind would hold that against them???
If they did drugs more recently… maybe in their 30s or onward, then you have a right to question their intelligence.
13. KCJ | December 14th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
so, if you were young in the 70s you must have been a druggie?
You can hold anything against anyone if you want. Will I hold it against Obama that he did drugs as a teenager? Prolly not. But it doesn’t mean I can ignore it.
14. phnx | December 14th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
I doubt that Obama’s admitted drug use will hurt him in the primary. Heck it will probably help him with the under 30 crowd. The general election is another story however.
And…
the rumor is that Hillary has some evidence that Obama actually SOLD drugs. Just the allegation will be enough to crush Obama.
Just watch, if Hillary gets desperate…don’t expect her to make the allegation. It will come from one of her attack dog minions.
15. Huck Fillary | December 15th, 2007 at 8:28 am
How hard is it going to get in the next 10-20 years to find someone that DIDN’T do some kind of drug in their high school/college years of the 80s and 90’s?
Probably almost as hard as finding a Donkaroach campaign that doesn’t make it an issue.
I am not saying we would have to find someone who never used drugs. I’m saying that if they used drugs, then people shouldn’t have any problem with it.
Exactly my point, Josie. So why do the Donkaraoches have such a problem with it? Hell, in leftist circles, drug use should be a resume enhancement. Earbama, a former coke snorter, should win the Donkaroach nomination in a landslide…
16. FmrMarine | December 15th, 2007 at 8:53 am
“I never understood exactly what was in Bush’s resume that was so outstanding. Being elected govenor of Texas was not that big of a deal considering his last name is Bush.”
Lets see; Busch
Graduated from HARVARD!
Masters degree YALE!
Air force- CAPTAIN!
Air force -JET FIGHTER PILOT!
Baseball franchise OWNER!
Oil company OWNER!
Governor TWICE ELECTED !
POTUS - TWICE ELECTED !
I’d take that resume over any donkroach alive.
The best you guys can do is….
al = college dropout, army private, FAKE environmentalist.
skerry navy lieutenant dishonorable discharge
murtha USMC, FAKE medal winner = LIAR
breck boy = ambulance chaser, FAKE slip and fall atty.
hilda beast FAKE lawyer, married to a cocaine/sex addict, rapist, perjuring,convicted,disbared,impeached LIAR.
ear bama FAKE Christian/muslem, never employed outside govt.
17. Sunny | December 17th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Masters Degree from Yale?? Don’t think so. He barely got out with an undergrad degree. As to his business dealings . . .probably not wise for you to go there. Jet fighter pilot???? Now that is damn funny. What war did this fighter pilot fly in? Your argument is soooo weak!