The Clintons are doing damage control, but don't be fooled -- while Hillary's comment may have been innocuous (as I noted earlier, it simply reflects her Washington-centered worldview), judge for yourself whether Bill's comment about "the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen" referred only to the Iraq war: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLDx4NZr2u4

The Clinton campaign moved Friday to try to quell a potentially damaging reaction to recent comments by Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton that have drawn criticism from African-Americans just as the presidential primary campaign reached Southern states with significant numbers of black voters.

In a call on Friday to Al Sharpton’s nationally syndicated talk radio show, Mr. Clinton said that his “fairy tale” comment on Monday about Senator Barack Obama’s position on the Iraq war was being misconstrued, and that he was talking only about the war, not about Mr. Obama’s overarching message or his drive to be the first black president.

“There’s nothing fairy tale about his campaign,” Mr. Clinton said. “It’s real, strong, and he might win.”

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January 12, 2008

Clintons Move to Tamp Down Criticism From Blacks About Recent Comments

By CARL HULSE and PATRICK HEALY

www.nytimes.com/2008/01/12/us/politics/12clinton.html