海角大神

Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker is a rising star in the Democratic Party, portrayed as heroic recently for rescuing a woman from a burning building in his neighborhood. And he's a big fan of President Obama, who he鈥檚 done some campaigning for.

But he had tough words for the Obama reelection campaign Sunday when he pronounced himself 鈥渧ery uncomfortable鈥� with its recent attacks on Mitt Romney鈥檚 business record at Bain Capital.

"I have to just say from a very personal level, I'm not about to sit here and indict private equity," Mayor Booker said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "To me, it's just we're getting to a ridiculous point in America. Especially that I know I live in a state where pension funds, unions and other people invest in companies like Bain Capital. If you look at the totality of Bain Capital's record, they've done a lot to support businesses, to grow businesses."

Quick as a flash, the Republican National Committee had on its website with the headline: 鈥淭hey Said It! Mayor Cory Booker Hits Obama Campaign For Attacks On Private Sector.鈥�

Monitor political pundit Peter Grier reported on the Obama attack ads this past week:

On Monday, the Obama campaign released an ad accusing Mr. Romney鈥檚 former firm听Bain Capital听of sucking cash out of a听Missouri听company named GST Steel, driving it into bankruptcy. Tuesday, a pro-Obama super political-action committee, Priorities听USA听Action, released an ad that focuses on Bain鈥檚 ownership of GST Steel, which closed in 2001, throwing more than 700 people out of work.

鈥淗e promised us the same things he鈥檚 promising the United States. And he鈥檒l give you the same thing he gave us. Nothing. He鈥檒l take it all,鈥� says a former GST worker named Pat Wells in the听Priorities USA spot.

On Romney鈥檚 record at Bain, the Obama ad campaign and Vice President Joe Biden have been double-teaming.

"They made $12 million [on GST], but taxpayers and other healthy companies paid for the loss of all those jobs," Biden said while campaigning in Ohio Thursday. "It costs every company in the country when you raid a company loaded with debt, walk out with money.鈥�

Traditionally, the vice president goes on the attack in a reelection campaign.

But Booker, who might have been expected to voice a similar message, apparently has had it with the level of political discourse in this year鈥檚 presidential race 鈥� including the rhetoric from both campaigns.

鈥淭his kind of stuff is nauseating to me on both sides,鈥� Booker said Sunday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nauseating to the American public. Enough is enough.鈥�

鈥淪top attacking private equity,鈥� he said. 鈥淪top attacking [Obama鈥檚 former minister] Jeremiah Wright. This stuff has got to stop, because what it does is it undermines, to me, what this country should be focused on. It鈥檚 a distraction from the real issues. It鈥檚 either going to be a small campaign about this crap or it鈥檚 going to be a big campaign, in my opinion, about the issues that the American public cares about.鈥�

By Sunday afternoon, Booker had taken to Twitter to clarify his remarks on 鈥淢eet the Press.鈥�

First, 鈥淚'll always prioritize my nation over a political party. & right now crass divisive partisan politics is not serving the citizens of my city鈥�

Then this: 鈥淪o I'll clarify my comments on MTP. Yes, Obama must be re-elected. But we as a Nation owe it to him & ourselves 2 reject politics as usual鈥�
听