Fear Of Obama Has Clinton, Conservatives Slinging Mud

Anyone who thought Sen. Barack Obama was getting a free ride in his quest for the White House needs to think again. His Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, along with many Republicans, have started the mudslinging and body blows. That's because they are scared of the man who seems to be generating interest across party lines and throughout the country.

Clinton stomped her feet and cried foul about something Obama said concerning her support for NAFTA in the 1990s. He said that as first lady, when her husband was a big promoter of free trade, that she also supported it. For some reason his statement enrages her now. That's strange, because she never mentioned anything against NAFTA before.

Of course, Republicans were just as supportive of NAFTA. They knew free trade would make huge profits possible for big businesses when they closed down American factories and moved them out of the country.

The most conservative Republicans are hammering away at Obama by saying he's unpatriotic. Others are making a big deal about a statement from Obama's wife saying she's finally proud of her country. Rabid radio talk show and TV commentators are loving this, and blowing it out of proportion.

Any thinking person knows that wearing an American flag pin on your lapel does not make you patriotic. Wrapping yourself in a flag and carrying a Bible doesn't make you patriotic either. What makes a person patriotic is whether love is felt for his or her country. It's not about someone's view on immigration, war, economy or anything else.

The nastiness has been cranked up in the last few days towards Obama, but that's because people are listening to his message. Whether he can withstand the barrage of punches is yet to be seen, but so far it hasn't hurt him much.

If he's still standing following all the crack pot remarks, then his political opponents have a lot to fear. If it doesn't faze him, and he wins his party's nomination for president, the fight will just get tougher. Of course, mudslinging cuts both ways. We just hope it doesn't come to that. Unfortunately, it will.