Everyone Has Secrets, So Quit Bothering Hillary

Obama wants Clinton to reveal her past, but his remains murky. He boasts that he has a longer history in elected office than Clinton or Edwards. Yet Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times notes a litany of things Obama hasn't done himself: Nowhere can his records of his time in the Illinois Senate be found; he hasn't disclosed his earmarks prior to 2006; he hasn't made it clear who his biggest campaign donation bundlers are; and he's claimed he would announce all of his meetings as president, even though he failed to do this as a U.S. senator.

Edwards went negative on Clinton long before Obama, questioning Clinton's integrity and her role as a Washington insider. Edwards' campaign has made statements like: "After seven years of George Bush, the American people deserve better; they deserve the truth." They consistently conflate Bush and Clinton.

Edwards' history, however, hasn't been particularly consistent. In 2004, he notably presented himself as a nice guy and refused to attack his fellow Democrats. I guess that pledge is gone.

Edwards has often chosen not to release information when silence suited his purposes. In the 2004 race, he was one of the few candidates not to disclose his bundlers. More recently, he refused to disclose how much money he was paid by Fortress Investments until required to do so by law. Nor did he come forward with information about the $800,000 he was paid for his book by Rupert Murdoch's publishing house.

Edwards has made poverty a big issue in the campaign. In 2005, Edwards founded the Center for Promise and Opportunity to study poverty. The center raised $1.3 million dollars that year. A New York Times analysis reported that the center benefitted Edwards by reimbursing him for travel and hiring his political staff. Donors had no monetary limits and could remain anonymous, unlike in a presidential campaign.

I'm most surprised by the negativity of the two campaigns before the Iowa caucus, which will be Jan. 3. The negative spats between Howard Dean and Dick Gephardt in 2004 brought their campaigns down just a few weeks before the caucus. Gephardt withdrew after a disastrous finish there, and Dean wasn't far behind after a poor third-place finish and the scream speech.

Obviously Clinton isn't a "perfect" candidate. But it is clear that both the Edwards and Obama campaigns may have made a mistake bringing up the past, rather than focusing on how they offer America a better future.