Obama blames staff for memo

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Sen. Barack Obama yesterday blamed his campaign staff for crafting an opposition research document aimed at rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a memo that prompted accusations he is practicing the kind of negative campaigning he regularly assails.

It's the latest in a string of incidents in which the Illinois Democrat has distanced himself from actions taken by his staff, while his opponents say Mr. Obama's campaign is obviously employing tactics that top campaign officials and the candidate himself have said they wouldn't use.

The memo -- given to reporters Thursday -- outlined some of the disclosures filed on financial forms for Mrs. Clinton, New York Democrat, and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and highlighted the couple's ties to India and Indian-Americans.

The memo "was a screw-up on the part of our research team," Mr. Obama told the Des Moines Register yesterday. "It wasn't anything I had seen or my senior staff had seen."

The Obama campaign declined to comment further, but the senator issued a statement yesterday addressed to the Indian-American community, whose leaders took offense at the contents of the memo. Mr. Obama apologized and said he considers himself responsible.

"Our campaign made a mistake. Although I was not aware of the contents of the memo prior to its distribution, I consider the entire campaign -- and in particular myself -- responsible for the mistake. We have taken appropriate action to prevent errors like this from happening in the future," Mr. Obama said in the statement.

"Your concerns with the memo are justified," Mr. Obama said, adding it "did not reflect my own views on the importance of America's relationship with India" and noting its "caustic tone" was "potentially hurtful and, as such, unacceptable."

The initial memo, an opposition research document, referred to Mrs. Clinton as "D-Punjab," a twist on a joke she made in March 2006 that she has such a good relationship with the Indian community that she could be elected as the senator from the Indian state. The memo also suggested the Clintons are too closely tied to companies that outsource to India.

The document was first given out by Obama staffers only on background as from a "rival campaign." A Clinton staffer got a copy of the memo and sent it to reporters, forcing the Obama campaign to acknowledge its origin.

For many politicians, these types of memos are considered business as usual, but since Mr. Obama began his 2008 White House bid he has promised a "different" kind of politics with an elevated message of bringing people together.