WikiLeaks: 2008 Clinton Campaign Was Focus Testing Obama’s Muslim Ties

A series of emails released over the weekend by WikiLeaks addresses the notion that a single operator within Hillary Clinton’s inner circle was “pushing” President Barack Obama’s ties to Islam.

In the first email, dated Jan. 4, 2008, titled “McCain Survey- Draft,” Kristi Fuksa, an analyst with the Greenburg Quinlan Rosner Research political consulting firm, wrote her firm was about to begin a poll. She had sent several Clinton staff members a draft of the proposed questions for the survey.

A back-and-forth ensued over whether or not to use comments from then-GOP front-runner U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) that U.S. troops could be in Iraq for “millions and billions of years.” Judging from the conversation, the poll in question was likely meant to be a “push poll”—one that is meant to influence voters’ opinions with their wording.

A separate push poll was being developed for then-Sen. Obama. Here are the questions that were to be included, according to Fuksa’s second email:

• Obama was the only candidate at a recent event not to cover his heart during the national anthem and he has stopped wearing an American flag pin.
• Obama benefited from a land deal from a contributor who has been indicted for corruption.
• Obama would personally negotiate with the leaders of terrorist nations like Iran and North Korea without preconditions.
• Obama voted against allowing people to use handguns to defend themselves against intruders.
• Obama plans to raise taxes by 180 billion dollars a year to pay for his government-run health care plan.
• Obama voted repeatedly against emergency funding bills for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Obama’s father was a Muslim and Obama grew up among Muslims in the world’s most populous Islamic country.
• Obama is ranked as one of the 10 most liberal members of the Senate because of his support of issues like gay adoption.
• Obama voted against requiring medical care for aborted fetuses who survive the procedure.
• Obama supports giving driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants.
• Obama described his former use of cocaine as using “a little blow.”

The subject matter suggests the Clinton campaign was all too willing to “go low” to defeat the Obama camp. Some might even seem hypocritical, given Hillary’s current positions on many of these issues.