The Significance of Senator Kirk Watson's Obama Flub

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Hardball Way Too Hard for Obama Supporter Kirk Watson

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IOWA CITY  - When asked by MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews to name a single legislative accomplishment of Senator Barack Obama Tuesday, Texas senator and Obama surrogate Kirk Watson could offer nothing more than dead air.

Matthew's intentions in exposing the Obama supporter's ignorance, however, is not altogether clear.  Is this meant to be a reflection of Obama's service record?  Hillary Clinton surrogate and congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs, also featured on the broacast, seemed to think so. 

"I think that's the point that we're making in the Hillary Clinton campaign, that Senator Clinton has a record of accomplishments and solutions," Tubbs said.  "She's offering solutions, not just inspiration."

More likely, this is a reflection of the Texas state senator's own ignorance, not of Obama himself.

• In Illinois, Obama sponsored a law to include the working poor under the umbrella of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
• Obama sponsored an act that called for the state to examine new means of providing universal healthcare to Illinois residents.
• In light of coerced confessions, Obama proposed and strongly pushed through a bill requiring police interrogations to be videotaped, making Illinois the first state in the nation to do so. 
• Obama holds assignments on the Senate Committees for Veterans' Affairs, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and Foreign Relations. 
• While serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Obama has visited Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Russia to discuss strategies in controling the world's supply of weapons of mass destruction. 
• Obama has also visited South Africa, Ethiopia, Chad, Kenya, and Djibouti to discuss problems of corruption and ethnic rivalry. 
• The "Democratic Republic of Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act," of which Obama was the primary sponsor, was signed into law in December 2006.
• Obama introduced the "Iraq War De-Escalation Act," which sought to cap troop levels in Iraq and begin a phased redepoloyment of our troops. 
• The Illinois Senator sponsored a climate change bill that sought to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2/3 by 2050.  
• Obama worked to push through the "Honest Leadership and Open Government Act," requiring the disclosure of bundled campaign contributions and prohibiting lobbyists' gifts of travel on corporate jets.
• Obama went on to sponsor a bill prohibiting deceptive federal election processes, including fraudulant fliers and automated phone calls.

To paint Watson's ignorance as a reflection of the inadequacies of Obama's own accomplishments is to mislead the public.  Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have significant records of serving this country.  To suggest otherwise weakens the Democratic Party as a whole.  

After the Watson interview, MSNBC co-host Keith Olberman asked Chris Matthews to name an accomplishment of any U.S. senator in the last several years.  Matthews could not.  

Update:  Kirk Watson has since posted a response on his website.

 http://www.kirkwatson.com/media/whats-new/2008/02/20/msnbc-and-me/