Clinton and "party activists"

Talking big to her supporters at a closed-door fundraiser, Hillary Clinton said:

Moveon.org endorsed [Sen. Barack Obama] -- which is like a gusher of money that never seems to slow down. We have been less successful in caucuses because it brings out the activist base of the Democratic Party. MoveOn didn't even want us to go into Afghanistan. I mean, that's what we're dealing with. And you know they turn out in great numbers. And they are very driven by their view of our positions, and it's primarily national security and foreign policy that drives them. I don't agree with them. They know I don't agree with them."

Obama was forced to clarify and explain remarks taped in a fundraiser of his own. But Clinton, apparently, doesn't think party activists are owed an explanation.

There was a significant dose of stonewalling on Monday's conference call with aides to Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Asked to explain what areas of disagreement the senator had with the Democratic activist group Moveon.org -- which Clinton said she had clashed with -- Howard Wolfson, the senator's chief spokesperson, declined to even broach the question.

"I appreciate your effort to extend your exclusive story but we've said all we are going to say about that, and I say that as a proud member as Moveon.org," he told The Huffington Post.

But when it comes to answering questions about Clinton's comments, they haven't really said anything at all. Indeed, when asked about the story on Sunday, the campaign's new top strategist, Geoff Garin declined to specify areas of disagreement between the group and the senator. And when pressed to discuss when, as Clinton claimed, MoveOn had "flooded" caucuses and "intimidated" voters into supporting Obama, he cited his short time with the campaign in sidestepping the query.

My suspicions? We disagree with her on her decision to grant Bush authority to invade Iraq, and her subsequent refusal to atone for that mistake. We also disagree with her on her decision to grant similar authority to Bush to attack Iran -- a step I'm convinced became the beginning of the end of her candidacy, reminding party activists that Clinton wasn't just refusing to apologize for her Iraq vote, but refusing to learn from it.

That's what I suspect she's talking about. But why is she so afraid to tell us those things to our face? Why talk trash behind our backs at closed door meetings with her fat cat donors, rather than clearly and unambiguously tell us those things to our face?