Furthering the sentiment I expressed yesterday ABC News provides some video evidence that Bill Clinton’s attacks on Barack Obama are working. ABC News reporter Sunlen Miller asked Obama “Are you allowing President Clinton to get in your head?”

Obama responded that he was simply responding to attacks. Zeleny asked a follow-up.

Update: The original version of this post noted ABC’s charecterization of the exchange as “testy”. However as some other blogs have noted, watching the video, now included, might not represent the view of ABC news that the exchange was all that “testy”. The rest of it I stand by, I do think Clinton is getting into Obama’s head and this does continue that line.

From the article:

When Zeleny yelled a follow up question suggesting the Illinois senator had not answered the question, Obama fired back angrily, “Don’t try cheap stunts like that.”

Obama then walked away and shook hands with the mass of voters that surrounded him.

A few minutes later, Obama came back and confronted Zeleny again.

“I will answer your question though off the record, would you like to talk off the record?” Obama asked. Zeleny refused to go off the record and then motioned toward the gaggle of TV cameras gathered around him.

My quick thought? I said it aloud during the debate and I think we are seeing further evidence. The Clinton’s are effectively drawing out Barack Obama and changing him from the candidate of “hope and change” to an angry candidate. The angry candidate is what many in the grassroots who feel like the last two elections were ripped from Democrats who had all the sentiment of voters but none of the fire or the issues. However the new crop of Obama supporters, young people, ivy leaguers and white voters who don’t like the fire of Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton but like the message of voting for an African American President that would represent unity, are not turned on by the old politics of division and anger.

So did Clinton get into Obama’s head? I think he did! Will it pay off for the Clintons? I don’t know that we can be 100% sure about that, he may have just turned Obama into a complete candidate, a realistic candidate who might learn how to defend himself. So far though, it isn’t working out well for Obama.