Spin Cycle

In an item yesterday, we noted that the Clinton campaign was spreading a claim that the Obama campaign was engaging in push-poll-type dirty tricks, but without much evidence. Today, in an exchange on the Daily Kos, roles seem to be reversed -- with the Clinton campaign admitting that one of her volunteer county chairs was spreading nasty e-mails about Obama being a Muslim.

First, here's the Kos entry that started it:

"Over the past week or so, I have received two of the most hateful hit pieces on Obama parroting right wing talking points. One was forwarded to me from a Clinton county chair. The other was from a person who claimed to be a former Obama supporter, but a little work with Google revealed she had been posting pro-Clinton comments for several months on websites covering the campaign.They both repeat the Obama/Osama cr*p, andand the "madrassa" charges. And there is the conclusion that Obama is a mole whose intention is to make a Muslim revolution in the US."

Here's Clinton intenet director Peter Daou, quoting campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle:

"There is no place in our campaign, or any campaign, for this kind of politics. A volunteer county coordinator made the mistake of forwarding an outrageous and offensive chain e-mail. This was wholly unauthorized and we were totally unaware of it. Let me be clear: No one should be engaging in this. We are asking this volunteer county coordinator to step down and are making it clear to every person involved in our campaign that this will not be tolerated."

More here and here and here.