Campaign Memo on Clinton’s Ties to India a Mistake, Obama Says

WASHINGTON _ Sen. Barack Obama said Monday that it was “a mistake” for his presidential campaign to issue documents raising questions about Sen. Hillary Clinton’s ties to India and to Indian Americans.

The memo’s “caustic tone” and its focus on contributions by Indian Americans to the Clinton presidential campaign were “potentially hurtful,” Obama said in a letter posted on the Web site of South Asians for Obama.

It was the first time Obama spoke publicly about a flare-up last week. The situation was triggered by the distribution of documents to the media, offering a harsh analysis of Clinton and her husband.

One appeared under a headline that said, “Hillary Clinton (D-Punjab)’s personal financial and political ties to India.”

“In sum, our campaign made a mistake,” Obama said in his letter. “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.”

Also on Monday, Obama told editors and reporters with the Des Moines Register that the memo was a “screw-up on the part of our research team,” according to the newspaper’s Web site.

One political supporter said the statement allayed his concerns.

“Many Indian Americans support Sen. Obama precisely because he personally embodies the opportunity America offers to people of diverse backgrounds to live up their talents,” said Subodh Chandra, an Indian American lawyer who is hosting a fundraiser for Obama in Cleveland on Tuesday. “We appreciate him reaffirming that his campaign’s memo did not reflect his values.”

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(Christi Parsons reported from Washington, with John McCormick in Chicago.)

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