Clinton, Edwards Heard Discussing Excluding Rivals |
Newsroom America
Friday, July 13, 2007
Following a debate during Thursday's Democratic candidates forum at the NAACP convention, news agency microphones picked up comments by Sens. Hillary Clinton and John Edwards as they discussed limiting future debates to only "serious" candidates.
"We should try to have a more serious and smaller group," Edwards, a former U.S. senator from North Carolina, was heard saying as his comments were picked up by a Fox News microphone.
Agreeing, Clinton, D-N.Y., responded, "We've got to cut the number . . . They're not serious."
At that point, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio walked by, with Clinton thanking them for attending. The, turning back to Edwards, she said she believed their campaigns had already attempted to limit candidates in the debate and "we've gotta get back to that."
Kucinich did not respond well to the comments. "Imperial candidates are as repugnant to the American people and to our democracy as an imperial president," he said.