Obama Launches New Level of Tacit Attacks

Previously, Barack Obama's victory speeches have focused heavily on inspiration. For example, his Iowa victory speech, which will go down as one of the great speeches of this election cycle, focused on how his campaign overcame tremendous odds and is aiming to change politics:

"They said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. They said this country was too divided; too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose.

But on this January night – at this defining moment in history – you have done what the cynics said we couldn’t do; what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days; what America can do in this New Year. In schools and churches; small towns and big cities; you came together as Democrats, Republicans and Independents to stand up and say that we are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come.

You said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger that’s consumed Washington; to end the political strategy that’s been all about division and make it about addition – to build a coalition for change that stretches through Red States and Blue States. Because that’s how we’ll win in November, and that’s how we’ll finally meet the challenges we face.

The time has come to tell the lobbyists who think their money and their influence speak louder than our voices that they don’t own this government, we do; and we’re here to take it back." (soruce)

When Obama took the podium from Chicago around 11pm EST on Tuesday evening (and interrupted John McCain's speech and live TV coverage), I noticed that Obama focused much more on policy and attacked Clinton far more than before. But, the attacks were subtle and utilized some spin. Notice, especially, that Barack never attacks Clinton by name. This gives the attacks a softer feel, something that is extremely important for the candidate who is running as an agent of a new type of politics. With a stump line attacking "Scooter Libby justice, Brownie incompetence, and Karl Rove politics," Barack Obama cannot afford to attack his opponent extensively by name on national TV (source). Consider the following examples:

• "And while Washington is consumed with the same drama and divisions and distractions, another family puts up a “for sale” sign in their front yard, another factory shuts its doors, another soldiers waves goodbye as he leaves on another tour of duty in a war that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged…" (source). Implied Attack: Hillary had bad judgment to go along with Bush to authorize a "war that should have never been authorized."
  
• "This isn’t about me and it’s not about Senator Clinton. As I’ve said before, she was a friend before this campaign, she’ll be a friend after it’s over. I respect her. I respect her as a colleague. I congratulate her on her victories tonight. She’s been running an outstanding race. But this fall — this fall, we owe the American people a real choice. But ... we owe the American people a real choice. We have to choose between change and more of the same. We have to choose between looking backwards and looking forwards. We have to choose between our future and our past." (source). Implied Attack: Hillary is not a change from the old politics and broken Washington system.
• Democrats face "a choice between going into this election with Republicans and independents already united against us or going against their nominee with a campaign that has united Americans of all parties, from all backgrounds, from all races, from all religions, around a common purpose. It’s a choice between having a debate with the other party about who has the most experience in Washington or having one about who is most likely to change Washington, because that’s a debate that we can win." (source). Implied Attack: If democrats nominate Hillary, many Americans will rule out voting democratic and the republican will win.
• "It’s a choice between a candidate who’s taken more money from Washington lobbyists from either Republican in this race and a campaign that has not taken a dime of their money, because we have been funded by you. You have funded this campaign."(source). Implied Attack: Hillary is part of the corrupt Washington system but the Obama campaign is a grass roots movement of average Americans.
• "And if I am your nominee, my opponent will not be able to say that I voted for the war in Iraq, because I didn’t, or that I gave George Bush the benefit of the doubt on Iran, because I haven’t, or that I support the Bush-Cheney doctrine of not talking to leaders we don’t like, because I profoundly disagree with that approach. And he will not be able to say that I wavered on something as fundamental as whether or not it’s OK for America to use torture, because it’s never OK." (source). Implied Attack: Hillary supported George Bush on many foreign policies and will be weak in a general election.
• The people of South Carolina "said that maybe we don’t have to be divided by race" (source). Implied Attack: Bill Clinton's race-based attacks failed.