Why is Barack so unable to resist engaging in "old politics"?

One moment Barack is so high and almighty about how is offers something much better than "old politics" and then the next moment he feverishly engages in "old politics." First he decries "smear tactics" and then he vigorously and unrepentantly engages in smear tactics himself.

Most sane people are able to see that Hillary is not even close to the foreign policies of President Bush or John McCain, but Barack insists on lumping her in with them, and doing so every chance he gets. Supporters of Barack -- his cult -- refer to Hillary as a "Bush Democrat." This is truly incredible, that a Democrat would engage in such a blatant smear campaign. AND in the same breath suggest that he is far above "old politics." Absolutely incredible. Really, he has no credibility on this score whatsoever.

There is an article in The Los Angeles Times by Johanna Neuman entitled "Obama intensifies attacks on Clinton's, McCain's plans for Iraq" which tells us that:

"Sen. Clinton, Sen. McCain and President Bush have all distorted and derided this position, suggesting that I would invade or bomb Pakistan. This is politics, pure and simple," Obama said. "The same three individuals who now criticize me for supporting a targeted strike on the terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks, are the same three individuals that supported an invasion of Iraq -- a country that had nothing to do with 9/11," he said.

To be brutally clear, a politician engaging in criticizing his opponents and lumping a member of his own party with members of the opposing party rather than focusing on his own, positive solutions simply has no credibility claiming to be far above "old politics", or in this case seeming to claim to be far above even "politics" itself. What on earth is "This is politics" supposed to mean? Well, we know what it is supposed to mean, an approach that is not political, but the reality is that Barack's tactics are every bit as political and in every negative sense of bad politics as the "old politics" that he claims to be above.

The article quotes Barack:

"Sen. Clinton has tried to use my position to score political points, suggesting that I am somehow less committed to ending the war," Obama said. "She makes this argument despite the fact that she has taken the same position in the past. So ask yourself: Who do you trust to end a war -- someone who opposed the war from the beginning, or someone who started opposing it when they started preparing a run for president?"

Amazing. How can this guy credibly even IMAGINE that the tactics that he himself is engaging in are not designed 100% "to score political points"? Does he really think that people are that stupid and blind that they cannot see exactly what he is doing? Apparently he actually does have faith that his supporters -- his cult -- really are that gullible.

To be clear, Barack was not in Congress to "oppose the war" back in 2002 and 2003, so his so-called opposition is truly meaningless. Besides, a reading of the legislative record shows that Hillary was in fact opposed to war, and voted for "the use of military force" only as a last resort. Barack should be ashamed of the way he is distorting and spinning and outright misrepresenting Hillary's record solely for... his own political gain. So much for being opposed to "old politics."

Barack refers to Hillary as having "supported an invasion of Iraq", when the record shows no evidence of such "support." At no time was she a "supporter" of invasion. Yes, she supported the use of military force as a last resort, but the record shows that her primary focus was on strengthening of weapons inspections and diplomatic efforts. And there is certainly no evidence of any support on her part for a unilateral invasion.

In truth, Barack's criticisms would be far less noteworthy if it were not for the fact that he has been insisting that he is somehow above "old politics" even as he engages in the kinds of smears all so typical of "old politics as usual."

-- Jack Krupansky