WASHINGTON — Sen. Barack Obama scrambled Monday to soothe hurt feelings among some of his strongest supporters after they complained that a memo distributed by his presidential campaign was offensive to Indian Americans.
Obama telephoned several Indian American activists to express his regret for the memo, which poked fun at the ties between India and his chief rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York. He told the Des Moines Register editorial board that the document was "stupid" and "caustic." And in a letter widely distributed to Indian American supporters, Obama said their hard feelings were "justified."
"Our campaign made a mistake," he wrote. "Although I was not aware of the contents of the memo prior to its distribution, I consider the entire campaign -- and in particular myself -- responsible for the mistake."
The memo, headlined, "Hillary Clinton (D-Punjab)'s Personal Financial and Political Ties to India," was prepared by Obama's opposition research department and distributed to reporters last week in exchange for a promise that they not reveal where it came from, a common practice by campaigns. The memo documented relationships between Indian Americans and Clinton, and noted that her husband, former President Clinton, had accepted speaking fees from Cisco, a firm that has been criticized for moving U.S. jobs to India. It noted Sen. Clinton's ties to a consulting firm that assists U.S. companies in moving jobs to India and other countries.
The reference to the northern Indian state of Punjab alluded to comments in which Clinton joked with guests at a 2006 fundraiser held by an Indian American supporter that her popularity meant she could "certainly run for the Senate seat in Punjab and win easily."
The memo, which became public after it was obtained by the Clinton campaign, drew criticism from Indian American groups who complained that it played on stereotypes. One group with close ties to Obama's campaign, South Asians for Obama, posted a scathing note on its website late Sunday saying its members were "shocked and dismayed."
"The main thing people have a problem with is the implication that having ties to the Indian American community, that fundraising from Indian Americans in the United States, is a problem," group spokesman Dave Kumar said. "It goes against the inclusive nature of the campaign."
