Smear

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has been forthright in his autobiography about his mid-teen drug use and his regrets over that abuse. It's not a story in his run for the Democratic Presidential nomination...unless his leading rival for that nomination, or her highly placed advocates, decide to resurrect the story for flagrant and desperate use against him:

A co-chairman of Mrs. Clinton’s national and New Hampshire campaigns, William Shaheen, raised the question in an interview with The Washington Post. He said voters should study Mr. Obama’s background as they chose a candidate, warning that Republicans would scour for new details about a period of Mr. Obama’s life more than 20 years ago when he admitted using marijuana and cocaine.

According to The Post’s Web site, Mr. Shaheen said, “It’ll be: ‘When was the last time? Did you ever give drugs to anyone? Did you sell them to anyone?’ There are so many openings for Republican dirty tricks. It’s hard to overcome.”

This is not some slightly connected wannabe. This is her national campaign co-chairman! So while the Clinton campaign has disavowed the remarks (while not condemning them) and Shaheen himself has apologized, it's cold comfort. Per BarbinMD on DailyKos, it looks like the sign of a deep problem -- and not in the Obama campaign:

So, the comments were not authorized or condoned, but then again, they weren't condemned, were they? And will Billy Shaheen, who is no political innocent, pay any price for his comments? Or was this a directed hit from a floundering campaign?

What's going on with the much-vaunted Clinton Presidential election machine? Is it rot at the top?:

On the eve of the final Iowa debate before the Jan. 3 caucuses, Clinton campaign insiders are increasingly questioning the cautious, poll-driven approach taken by Mark Penn, Hillary Rodham Clinton's top political aide, sources familiar with the situation say.

With Clinton barely holding her own against Barack Obama and John Edwards in Iowa, dissatisfaction is growing with Penn, who some say has mistakenly run Clinton as a de facto incumbent.

"There are two people who have come up with this strategy -- one Hillary Clinton and one Mark Penn," said a top Clinton ally, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Mark wanted to run her, basically, for re-election, and we are seeing what happened."

If she does not come in first in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, expect a campaign shake-up.

Meanwhile, the Obama campaign responds in a rather devastating fashion:

“Hillary Clinton said attacking other Democrats is the ‘fun part’ of this campaign, and now she’s moved from Barack Obama’s kindergarten years to his teenage years in an increasingly desperate effort to slow her slide in the polls. Senator Clinton’s campaign is recycling old news that Barack Obama has been candid about in a book he wrote years ago, and he’s talked about the lessons he’s learned from these mistakes with young people all across the country. He plans on winning this campaign by focusing on the issues that actually matter to the American people."

I'm not saying I'm for one or the other, and at this point am still most in agreement with former Sen. John Edwards. However, for those arguing that Obama most represents change, this is great fodder.

Shaheen and, if involved, any other leadership from the Clinton campaign behind him, have taken a page from the Karl Rove playbook, albeit clumsy in execution. Americans, and Democrats above all, are starving for change.

Based on the series of attacks by her campaign this past week or so, it's hard to see how Clinton brings it.