Trailhead: A campaign blog.

Lanny Davis Goes Off Message

Lanny Davis, former special counsel to the Clinton White House and a high-profile fundraiser/surrogate for Hillary's campaign, circulated an e-mail a few days ago from Rear Admiral David Stone (Ret.), a Clinton supporter who has visited other veterans across the country. Stone's message includes this passage:

Of note, Senator Obama has zero—repeat zero—traction in the VFW and American Legion Halls. Veterans cite his refusal (until recently) to wear the American Flag pin, the photo where he is shown not saluting the Flag with his hand over his heart, ... his alleged MoveOn.Org relationship and that organization's innuendo (in an ad) of General Petraeus as a traitor, his relationship with Rev. Wright (who once said "God Damn America" in a sermon), Mrs. Obama's comment about only recently being proud to be an American, and Senator Obama's recent comment that some people were "bitter" about their economic situation and thus "cling" to guns and religion as a result. ... 

Surrogates can't always be on message, but this is particularly far astray. Obama has not "refused" to wear a flag pin, and the flag-saluting photo has been fairly thoroughly debunked. Instead of correcting these misperceptions, Davis is spreading them, even after the Clinton camp has pointedly toned down its rhetoric on Obama. But attacks on Obama's patriotism have been verboten among Dems for some time now. Most references to the lapel pin or saluting the flag or Michelle Obama's "proud to be an American" comments come from the RNC. Apparently that memo didn't reach Davis.