The Gaffe Maker Strikes Again

Sen. Barack Obama has established a Vice Presidential search committee. It was made up of three people, Eric Holder, James Johnson, and Caroline Kennedy.

Of the three, it appears that only Kennedy was vetted for the search committee in any way that makes sense. Johnson was a chairman and chief executive officer for Fannie Mae. However, it appears that Johnson received millions of dollars received by Jim Johnson in sweetheart loans from Countrywide Financial Home Mortgages. You might have heard of Countrywide before, as it is one of the lenders central to the subprime mortgage mess.

Yet, Obama wants you to believe that Johnson is not only tangentially related to the campaign, but that Johnson doesn't actually work for Obama.

At a press conference in St. Louis, Obama defends his choice of Jim Johnson to lead his vetting team, calling reports into Johnson's ties to the mortgage company Countrywide "a game."

"Johnson has a very discrete task," he said, dismissing the notion that he'd "hire vetters to vet the vetters."

The fact that his staff made similar tactical attacks on Clinton, on very similar issues (actually, nobody on in Clinton's orbit was ever accused of getting a special deal from Countrywide) makes it harder for Obama to take cover on the high road here.

Who exactly does Johnson work for if not for the Obama campaign? I'd like to know who is signing his expense sheets. For that matter, how exactly is selecting the Vice President only tangentially related to the campaign.

At this point in the process, the selection of a vice president is a key task as it can help with demographics, help secure votes in various regions around the country, and shore up support among Independents or moderate Democrats. There is no more important task, and yet Obama considers this tangential?

Don't you find that the slightest bit curious? I do.

And Johnson isn't the only one with issues, as Eric Holder was the Justice Department attorney in the Clinton Administration responsible for green-lighting the Marc Rich pardon. He was also deeply involved in the Elian Gonzales mess, which could see Obama lose votes among the Cuban-American community.

Sen. John McCain is right to say that this situation is preposterous, but I'm thinking that doesn't go nearly far enough.