A Boycott By Any Other Name Is …

Tue, March 25, 2008 - 11:38 AM

When is a boycott not a boycott?

According to one of Hillary Clinton’s senior campaign advisors, it’s when a presidential candidate is part of an agreement to not campaign in certain states for breaking political party rules, like Florida or Michigan.

“It wasn’t a boycott,” said Harold Ickes, during a conference call this morning with reporters.

“It was an agreement reached among the four early states and the presidential campaigns,” Ickes said.

Ickes was referring to Nevada, Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the only states authorized by the Democratic National Committee to hold their primaries or caucuses before Feb. 5. When Florida and Michigan scheduled their contests earlier than allowed, the four states teamed up to demand that the Democratic candidates not campaign in those two states.

“We didn’t boycott Florida; we adhered to an agreement…,” said Ickes.

-- Billy House