NBC's First Read: Hillary Camp Pulled Out All the Stops in New Hampshire

[flpoljunkie]

*** Pulling out all the stops: Hillary’s win last night will be something pundits and political junkies will remember for a long time. To win, however, Team Clinton pulled out all the stops: calling Obama a flip-flopper on Iraq and the Patriot Act, accusing Obama in a mailer of wanting to raise a trillion dollars in Social Security taxes, and playing the 9/11 card. (Question to liberal bloggers: Who is using the GOP talking points now?) Obama said last night, per NBC’s Ben Weltman: “And we will never use 9/11 as a way to scare up votes, because it is not a tactic to win an election. It is a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the 21st century.” That line seemed to be a direct response to Clinton warning about Al Qaeda targeting new world leaders like Gordon Brown in London. And then there was Bill -- the bizarre cellphone display, selectively quoting Obama in 2004 on Iraq, the “fairy tale,” saying he couldn’t make Hillary taller or change her gender. And what about the supposed shakeup? The knives were out; folks were cutting each other in background chats with reporters all over New Hampshire and Washington. So now what? Are the knives gone? Does the shakeup continue? Are Maggie Williams and Doug Sosnik enough change? Morale is good, but does the Clinton team leave New Hampshire with trust in each other?

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/09/563117.aspx

[ellacott]

1. I like Chuck Todd