From Hillary Clinton's web site:
Eleven Salmon Press Weekly Newspapers Endorse Hillary Clinton for PresidentShe must break recent tradition, cast cronyism aside and fill her cabinet with the best people, not only the best Democrats, but the best Republicans as well.. We’re confident she will do that. Her list of favorite presidents - Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln, both Roosevelts, Truman, George H.W. Bush and Reagan - demonstrates how she thinks.
Now her research team is splitting hairs, arguing with the choice of the word "favorite" which they included in their own press release.
In an effort to divert attention from Senator Obama’s comments about President Reagan and his assertion that the GOP has been the "party of ideas," the Obama campaign circulated an item this evening from the Salmon Press in New Hampshire that asserts that Senator Clinton listed the former President as one of her favorite presidents. In fact, Senator Clinton only complimented President Reagan’s communications skills – an attribute of his that has been widely praised by Americans of all ideological stripes – and did not list him as one of her favorite presidents. She also noted that she respected George H.W. Bush.David Cutler, the co-owner of Salmon Press Newspapers, released the following statement:
"The question posed was originally what portraits would you hang in the White House if you were President and as the dialogue progressed, who are the presidents you admire most?
She listed several presidents that she admired and mentioned she liked Reagan’s communication skills. She did not say Reagan was her favorite President. She didn’t say anything close to that."
This does not excluse Barack Obama in the slightest, but it does serve as a reminder that John Edwards is the single best choice as the Democratic nominee in 2008.
© Jed Lewison