RNC Hiring Rove Protege To Dig Oppo Research On Obama

[democracy1st]

RNC Hiring Rove Protege To Dig Oppo Research On Obama by Greg Sargent

The Republican National Committee is hiring one of the party's toughest oppo-researchers -- former Karl Rove protege Tim Griffin, who was also at the center of the U.S. Attorney scandal -- to dig into Barack Obama's past and unearth info to damage his general election candidacy, a senior Republican operative confirms to me.

Griffin played a lead role in the GOP oppo operation during the 2004 campaign, unearthing info that damaged John Kerry's presidential bid. According to the senior GOP operative, who's familiar with Griffin's past work, he was instrumental in unearthing a videotape of a 1971 interview that Kerry did in which he appeared to confirm that he renounced his medals to protest the Vietnam War.

The video was subsequently used in an ad by the Swift Boat Vets, whose work was renounced by McCain. The McCain campaign -- and the RNC -- declined to comment on Griffin's hiring.

"Griffin is basically going to consult for the Republican National Committee on working out Obama's vulnerabilities," the senior Republican said, somewhat euphemistically. "The hope is to do to Obama what folks successfully did with John Kerry."

Griffin tends to describe his own work in fairly bellicose terms. "We think of ourselves as the creators of ammunition in a war," Griffin once said. "We make the bullets."


Regular TPM readers will know Griffin from another prominent role, one that's central to the U.S. Attorney scandal. After his 2004 oppo service, Griffin went to work at the White House as an aide to Karl Rove. In December 2006 he was quietly installed as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas in what later was revealed to be part of the Attorney Purge. Griffin later withdrew his nomination.

Robert Novak had a one-line mention of Griffin buried in his column today, but only reported that his hiring was imminent, with no sourcing.

More on this soon.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/05/republican_national_committee.php


I'm so ready to kick their ass,it's not even funny

[Occam Bandage]

1. ...so? All sides do oppo research.

[The Magistrate]

7. It Will Be, Sir, One Of Those 'I Love The Smell Of Napalm In the Morning' Elections, No Question

"To a bloody war and a sickly season!"

[Occam Bandage]

13. Undoubtedly. What we've seen so far--

declarations that terrorists outright support Sen. Obama, met with declarations that Sen. McCain is senile, followed by invocations of the ghosts of the second World War, met with invocations of the ghosts of all great Presidents past--have been as bitter and as bombastic as anything in the 2004 election, if perhaps a bit quieter...

...and that was only blowing the tuning whistle.

[SoonerPride]

2. Why don't they just call up Hillary?

If she won't give it to them, I'm sure she'd sell it.

She needs money badly.

[NatBurner]

4. lol

beat me to it

[democracy1st]

5. no they will try and make up BS

[SoonerPride]

11. Well they already got caught digging in his passport records for intel

And came up empty handed.

Jeremiah Wright was and remains their last best hope.

And some of the Hussein means he's a scary Muslim bit might work on the 70 IQ crowd.

But seriously, with gas at $4.50 by November, Obama will win 42 states.

[FrenchieCat]

3. So they still haven't found anything on Obama yet?

Guess they will continue to make shit up. :shrug:

[dchill]

10. I don't understand why they want to spend big bucks...

on oppo research when making shit up has already proven to be a sure-fire vote-getter among the bitterly clinging.

[Binka]

6. W/O Doing One Bit Of Research On Tim Griffin I Know Everything I Need To

He is a nasty, cowardly, sniveling, bullying, Repuke fuckwittage.

Oh Gawd I just did a google. Yuck, just what I expected. Pasty white DORK.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

15. He's a piece of shit.

And if he's so good at what he does, then why does everyone know what he was up to with the US Attorney thing now? That shows he's kinda sloppy, actually.

[seafan]

16. Please allow me....

Tim Griffin's 2004 involvement in caging Jacksonville, FL minority voters now under investigation, June 20, 2007


This is a criminal of the first order.




RNC Hiring Rove Protege Tim Griffin To Dig Oppo Research On Obama, May 22, 2008

[LordJFT]

8. why aren't we doing the same thing?

[SoonerPride]

12. We have.

[Forkboy]

18. Oh, I'm sure many on our side are ready to go.

;)

[my3boyz]

19. We are! Obama just does not leak it to the press. The RNC is just trying to scare the Super Delegate

s into thinking they have something on Obama. They are hoping that SD's will take it away from Obama.

[CK_John]

9. IMO,This story is just a cover for their illegal wiretapping of all members of Congress. n/t

[cliffordu]

14. Sky is blue, rain is wet!! FIlm at 11...

[AndyTiedye]

17. The RNC Also Has the *NSA* Doing Oppo Research For Them

[BonnieJW]

20. Why isn't this guy in prison?

[blogslut]

21. Bring it on, Timmy

We'll bake a cake.

[VolcanoJen]

22. Ooooooh scary

:eyes:

Bring it. Rove and his minions were "The Architects" of the disatrous 2006 Congressional Midterms, as well as President 23%.