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Hillary team releases Obama turban photo

— Photo: AP

HEADY ROW: Barack Obama (right) is dressed as a Somali elder during his visit to Kenya in this August 27, 2006 file photo.

Washington: Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s campaign team on Monday accused Hillary Clinton’s beleaguered staff of mounting a desperate dirty tricks operation by circulating a picture of him in African dress, feeding into false claims on U.S. websites that he is a Muslim.

Aides for Ms Clinton, who is fighting a last ditch battle to keep her hopes of the White House alive, did not deny distributing the picture but claimed it was not designed to be a smear. However, Mr. Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe, described it as “the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we’ve seen from either party in this election”.

Mr. Obama has had to spend much of the campaign stressing he is a Christian not a Muslim and did not study at a madrassa. Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton next go to the polls in the Texas and Ohio primaries next week. If Ms. Clinton loses either, her bid for the Democratic nomination could be over. The picture showing Mr. Obama in a turban during a visit to Kenya in 2006 first appeared on the Drudge Report website on Monday. The site said it was circulated by Ms. Clinton’s staffers and quoted one saying: “Wouldn’t we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were [Clinton]?”

The picture was taken when Mr. Obama went on a visit to Africa as a Senator. Mr. Obama, whose father was Kenyan, visited Wajir in the Kenyan north-east, close to the Somali and Ethiopian borders, and was dressed by locals as a Somali elder. The Clinton team hit back at the criticism on Monday, saying Mr. Obama’s team had turned the picture into a row to distract attention from a foreign policy speech she gave on Monday.

The Obama campaign has repeatedly claimed it has been the target of dirty tricks by the Clinton team. A senior member of her staff, Bill Shaheen, had to resign last year after raising Mr. Obama’s admitted use of marijuana and cocaine as a youth. A junior staffer resigned in December after forwarding an email suggesting Mr. Obama is a Muslim.

Mr. Plouffe described circulation of the picture as part of “a disturbing pattern”. “It’s exactly the kind of divisive politics that turns away Americans of all parties,” he said.

The Obama team wheeled out Scott Gration, a retired air force general and Obama supporter, who was with the Senator in Kenya, to explain the picture. He said: “Senator Obama was given an outfit and as the guest that he was, the great guest, he took this outfit and they encouraged him to try some of it on. It was a thing we all do.”

Maggie Williams, campaign manager for Ms. Clinton, played down the significance of the picture. “If Barack Obama’s campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed.” — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

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