Clinton, RNC tee up attacks on Sen. Obama

By Alexander Bolton
The Hill
Posted: 03/10/08

As first lady and then junior senator from New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) has long been at war with the Republican National Committee (RNC). But the two adversaries have recently found some common ground: attacking Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

Clinton has launched assaults on Obama made by the RNC over the past year, while the Republican Party has used lines of attack developed by Clinton to soften Obama for a possible general election contest match-up against Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Clinton’s intensifying attacks have spurred Obama to promise tougher campaign tactics. He has also taken advantage of GOP arguments to criticize Clinton by raising implicit questions about her ethics.

For example, at the end of January, Obama’s campaign manager accused Clinton of being willing “to do or say anything to win an election,” repeating a similar statement RNC Chairman Mike Duncan made a week earlier.

But Clinton has taken the more negative approach, and at times has found an ally in the RNC’s opposition research department, much to the satisfaction of Republican officials who have battled her for years.

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