Obama, the Legend : Obama Great Skillful Political Attacker : Secret Mission : to tear down Romney without getting a single smudge of dirt on his own shirtfront — a trick he has performed deftly in previous races. Nobody is more experienced than Obama for Political Attack

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From POLITICO.COM :

Obama has a Chicago Past of being skillful and adroit in Political Attacks. The President attacks in a dexterious manner. The former Illinois senator’s career is littered with the husks of fallen candidates

"Few have managed to attack with the stealth Obama has displayed, leaving in his wake bitter rivals who felt their complaints of foul play were falling on deaf ears as Obama moved forward not just as victor, but as avatar of a new politics of hope."

“It’s a lot like his foreign policy — leading from behind but with a high body count,” said a top Republican. “Rarely is Obama himself the tip of the spear in an attack. He’s much more likely to let liberal allies and the media initiate the attack and keep it alive.”

"David Axelrod has always been skillful at creeping into your room in the middle of the night and slicing out your heart, somehow without leaving behind a single fingerprint or drop of blood that ties him or his candidate to the crime," said Obama biographer David Mendell of Obama’s top political aide."

POLITICO.COM
Barack Obama’s campaign style: Go negative, stay clean
By BEN SMITH
November 3, 2011

Barack Obama’s campaign style: Go negative, stay clean


Some excerpts :

The early salvos are also familiar moves in a strategy that has worked in each of the four federal campaigns Obama has run: disqualifying character attacks from aides or outsiders, executed brutally as Obama himself floats above the fray.

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One 2004 a challenger against Obama imploded when unsealed filings revealed abuse allegations and another met his political doom when similar records revealed seedy sexual claims.

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"“Obama in 2008 achieved the rare distinction of running a negative campaign without being called to account for it,” said a former top Clinton aide. “Will they be able to pull that off again? A lot less likely.”"

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