Barack Obama to Hillary Clinton: You're No Annie Oakley

And Other Comparisons by Candidates to the Greats of History

By Mark Whittington, published Apr 14, 2008
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Barack Obama, still reeling over the scandal caused by his remarks at a San Francisco fund raiser in which he seemed to insult small town Pennsylvanians, launched a counter attack against Hillary Clinton.

Besides criticizing her alleged stance on numerous free trade agreements, Barack Obama mocked Hillary Clinton for a new found interest in firearms. Senator Clinton reminisced about learning to shoot during summer vacations. "She is running around talking about how this (meaning Obama's remarks in San Francisco) is an insult to sportsmen, how she values the Second Amendment. She's talking like she's Annie Oakley," Obama said.

One wonders when Obama will be called upon to apologize for mentioning Annie Oakley in the same sentence as Hillary Clinton.

This incident is not the first time a politician has been compared to some famous, historical figure and then had that comparison disputed by an opponent. The most famous example was when Dan Quayle, then running for vice president, was debating Lloyd Bentsen, also running for vice president. When Quayle, trying to answer attacks on him because of his youth, tried to make a comparison to John F. Kennedy, Bentsen responded with the following zinger:

"I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."

Senator Quayle, at that moment, learned that comparisons to John F. Kennedy are reserved solely to Democrats. On the other hand, considering President Kennedy's sexual peccadilloes, Ms. Quayle was probably relieved.

Comparisons to John F. Kennedy has been an old tradition in Democratic politics. The most famous was one used by Bill Clinton, who even had a picture of himself at age 16 shaking hands with President Kennedy. Other Democrats who have used the gambit have ranged from Gary Hart to even Jimmy Carter. Most Democrats who want to be the second coming of JFK would not dream of supporting his agenda, which included tax cuts and an aggressive foreign and defense policy.

Even Barack Obama has tried out the Kennedy aura. He has been compared to both John and Robert Kennedy, as well as Dr. Martin Luther King.

 
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Annie Oakley in 1922. Hillary Clinton's official Senate portrait.

Credit: World Telegram staff photographer; United States Government

Copyright: Wikimedia Commons

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There is not a single candidate that I could sleep comfortably, knowing that they were in the oval office. I say we hand the White House over to Petraeus, whether he likes it or not!

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Posted on 04/27/2008 at 2:04:50 PM

 
Mr. Campbell ,,Gun control is NOT the answer, we have more gun laws the law enforcement to enforce then. I live in a area that every household owns guns. Never in my 55 years of life have we had shooting in the streets at night or anytime. The problem is not legal guns but illegal guns. Mr Campbell take all the legal guns from us and you will still have the same problem..Every hear of the black market, that's were your guns are coming from .You or me can't walk into a gun store and buy a gun and walk out.

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Posted on 04/17/2008 at 7:04:34 AM

 
People who think they know too much about Hillary Clinton forget they know too little about Barack Obama.

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Posted on 04/16/2008 at 8:04:04 PM

 
Excuse those of us whose urban communities are plagued by weapons fire and dead children to be too busy grieving over their loss than to grieve over the gun rights of a minority of persons which might be lost through more efficient gun control. That is a truth which is, yes, bitter.

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Posted on 04/16/2008 at 6:04:13 PM

 
Its seems that Naz def is a anit -American just like all the libs. Never in my life time have i seen Hate for the Untied States from its own people. People like you wouldn't fight for this country on this soil...

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Posted on 04/16/2008 at 8:04:32 AM

 
Obama told the truth and everyone knows it. $109M Hillary the champion of gun-toting, racist inbred cretins? Now that's precious.

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Posted on 04/15/2008 at 11:04:25 PM

 
Barack is an idiot and would be the worst President for the US right now. A President who looks down his nose at half the country is not someone we need in the White House and if he's the Democratic Party's candidate, I'll be voting for Nader.

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Posted on 04/15/2008 at 12:04:50 PM

 
Obama and Clinton don't want to cut taxes, both along with the Democrats want this Country to be Soc list. People would get along better without Government in our lives so much. Take our money and spend it like we have deep pockets, that we don't have . Removing the gun from Americans, the Government will do as they please, Hitler did that to the people in Germany look what happen .

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Posted on 04/15/2008 at 9:04:47 AM

 
What scandal? Obama told the truth: That white working class voters don't like him as he's black, and they have let their frustration be channelled into racism that Hillary Clinton is exploiting. This is a poor article. The gist of Obama's comment is that Clinton is a liar. She has never been pro-gun. She panders to the racists that moved from the New Deal coalition Democratic Party to the GOP and are not going to vote for her anyway. Your comment about John Adams is a non sequitur. The Alien & Sedition Act has never been repealed, and in fact, is evocative of PAATRiOT ACT. Adams is not popular but David McCullough, a popular best-selling historian, wrote a book about him. He is the epitome of the President as Unelected King that George W. Bush has made himself out to be, quashing dissent. Why didn't you expand on that? Why limit yourself to writing an inadequate Associated Content-style 2-pg article to merely serve as a platform for Google Ad-Sense ads. Why not write somethi

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Posted on 04/15/2008 at 3:04:32 AM

 
You made a great point about JFK--he cut taxes, cut spending, and expanded the military. Why don't Democrats every talk about that?

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Posted on 04/14/2008 at 5:04:26 PM

 
one wonders when ANYTHING will stick to Obama and he have to answer for it. Please see my piece, Teflon Obama, under my content. This was a good read thanks!

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Posted on 04/14/2008 at 3:04:46 PM

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