Continuing our Odds and Ends segment, here are some of the things Obama said during the news conference where he accepted the endorsement of former Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd:
- Asked for his reaction about the now-infamous picture of himself in traditional African garb, Obama downplayed the issue, foreshadowing his handling of it during tonight's debate.
"Certainly I don’t think that photograph was circulated to enhance my candidacy, I think that is fair to say," Obama said. "Do I think it is reflective of Senator Clinton’s approach to the campaign? Probably not. And so at this point, my interest is just moving forward and talking about the issues that are going to be helpful for the people of Ohio." - When pressed to comment on the increasingly strident and combative tone between Hillary Clinton's camp and his own staff, Obama again sought to diffuse any controversy by talking in broad terms about the toll tough campaigns take on the personal and professional lives of campaign staffers, acknowledging that even he was responsible for, at times, employing a "tone" that contributed to the ramp-up in rhetoric.
"I think things have gotten a little hotter over the last couple of days,” Obama said, “but these things have gone in sort in ebbs and flows. There have been tensions if you recall in South Carolina, and we had a pretty hot debate in Myrtle Beach. And I have to just speak for myself, when I looked in retrospect at that debate although I think there were some legitimate differences that were put out there. I'm not sure that my tone was always the one that I'd like to communicate. And I think it's important for me and for Senator Clinton to communicate to our staffs as well.
”We're both trying out for quarterback, but we're on the same team," Obama said.
