Hill: David Geffen, You Make Me Ill
Dreamworks executive and former Clintonite David Geffen lit a political fire this morning, when his hard-hitting interview with Maureen Dowd made its way on to the pages of The New York Times.
Explaining his support for the presidential bid of Illinois Senator Barack Obama, Geffen called Clinton, and her hubby, ahem, liars.
“Marc Rich getting pardoned? An oil-profiteer expatriate who lef the the country rather than pay taxes or face justice?” Geffen told Dowd. “Yet another time when the Clintons were unwilling to stand for the things that they genuinely believe in. Everybody in politics lies, but they do it with such ease it’s troubling.”
The Clinton camp wasted no time hitting back – calling on Obama to dismiss Geffen as his finance chair, and labeling the senator’s refusal to do so an embrace of “slash-and-burn tactics.” Check out this link for the campaign’s first press release on the subject. (The later one hasn’t been posted yet.)
Who’s winning this feud? So far, Obama, who was showered with $1.3 million by his nearest-and-dearest in Hollywood last night at a bash co-hosted by Geffen and his Dreamworks colleagues Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Clinton is scheduled to attend a major California fundraiser next month at the home of supermarket tycoon Ronald Burke, a longtime friend and fundraiser for Bill. While Geffen and Katzenberg have endorsed Obama, Spielberg appears to be still playing the field.
Update: Here’s the response from Camp Obama, from communications director Robert Gibbs:
“We aren’t going to get in the middle of a disagreement between the Clintons and someone who was once one of their biggest supporters. It is ironic that the Clintons had no problem with David Geffen when was raising them $18 million and sleeping at their invitation in the Lincoln bedroom. It is also ironic that Senator Clinton lavished praise on Monday and is fully willing to accept today the support of South Carolina State Sen. Robert Ford, who said if Barack Obama were to win the nomination, he would drag down the rest of the Democratic Party because he’s black.’”
Score Two for Obama. A good jab, while still appearing above the fray.
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