In a release that just hit the wires, Robert Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television and prominent supporter of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, apologized to Barack Obama for recently implying that while the Clintons were fighting for civil rights, Obama was taking drugs.

With Hillary looking on at an event in Columbia, South Carolina, on Jan. 13, Johnson said:

“I am frankly insulted that the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues since Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood –­ and I won’t say what he was doing, but he said it in the book –­ when they have been involved.”

Obama admitted experimenting with marijuana and cocaine in his book “Dreams from my Father.” Johnson’s comments caused quite a stir. He initially defended them, saying he was referring only to Obama’s time as a community organizer – an explanation that neither Obama’s campaign nor many hosts of many black talk radio shows accepted. At the same event, Johnson compared Obama to Sidney Portier in “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” At Tuesday’s debate here in Las Vegas, Hillary Clinton first defended Johnson’s explanation but also said his remarks were out of bounds.

Today Johnson released the following statement:

“I am writing to apologize to you and your family personally for the uncalled for comments I made at a recent Clinton event. In my zeal to support Senator Clinton I made some very inappropriate remarks for which I am truly sorry. I hope that you will accept this apology. Good luck on the campaign trail.”

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Race question right out of the blocks. Hillary says she and Barack Obama called the truce. Obama called for it on camera, Hillary followed with a statement — not exactly the same thing and important since Hillary’s camp often accurately points out Obama follows Hillary’s lead on some issues — health care and economic stimulus to name just two.Obama tries to rise above the race issue and get back to the terrain that has been safest for him all along — that of transcending race and seeking to build a bigger coalition. Edwards weighs in tangentially on the side of Obama by highlighting role of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  and those who conducted lunch counter sit-ins, not the legislative dexterity and power of former President Lyndon Johnson.On Tim Russert’s question of his campaign’s involvement in pushing the race story by highlighting comments from Clinton surrogates that had a racial component, Obama appeared to concede the point that his camp bore some responsibility and pledged to set a non-racial tone going forward. Obama also rejected the theory that in New Hampshire the difference between the polls and the final result had something to do with whites lying to pollsters about supporting Obama but voting for Clinton in private.  Obama’s comfort level can be described as minimally comfortable. He tried mightly, again, to steer it back to the change dynamic.Russert’s question to Clinton about Robert Johnson’s reference to what Obama was “doing in the neighborhood” that he wouldn’t described, Clinton said his comments were out of bounds but said in the campaign it mattered less what someone “none of us have ever heard of” said, but what the candidates themselves say. Johnson, one of the most successful media moguls (white or black) in American history, might be surprised to hear Clinton refer to him in that way. Johnson’s comments were widely interpreted as a reference to Obama’s admitted drug use (marijuana and cocaine) as a teen. Johnson later said he was referring to Obama’s work as a community organizer, an explanation neither the Obama camp nor many black talk radio hosts accepted.

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JOHNSTON, Iowa — Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman , Terry McAuliffe wants all those concerned to know all is well in camp Clinton.

“You know, you hear this in campaigns all the time, McAuliffe said, referring to persistent reports of turmoil, panic and back-biting as Hillary’s numbers slide in early primary and caucus states. “We are the front runner, everybody’s been going after us. We feel very good about where we are. I’m chairman of the campaign and I can tell you we are happy. Everybody’s working together. We’re all focused to get people to the polls on election day and getting them to vote for Hillary Clinton, the candidate of choice and the candidate who can bring change.”

Without prompting McAuliffe named names in how integrated things are in the Clinton campaign, and sounding very much like a general manager of a sports team, made sure to send a vote of confidence to campaign manager Patty Solis Doyle: “There could be 5 or 6 polls out on a day and Hillary could be up in four, but if we’re down in one, that one gets played. And then all of a sudden the campaign is in trouble. Everyone outside the campaign likes to make circular firing squads. I talk to the president every day, I talk to Hillary every day and I talk to Patty Solis almost every day. We’re all focused and working hard. People on the outside like to chatter, but you know that’s not going to get us off our mission of getting Hillary Clinton elected.”

As for Iowa, where Clinton climbed into a hard-fought lead this summer, but has seen her rise plateau and begin to erode, McAuliffe began the all-important task of managing expectations.

“You do the best you can, you lay it out. You can’t look at one state as being determinate on who’s going to be the nominee” McAuliffe said, responding to my direct question “Can Hillary afford to lose Iowa?”

“Iowa, great state, but if you remember, Bill Clinton did not campaign there in 1992 because Sen. Tom Harkin from Iowa was in the race. So with Hillary out there it’s actually the first time the Clinton operation actually is out there campaigning.”

Which brings us to New Hampshire: “It’s very important for us. New Hampshire is different. President Clinton did very well in New Hampshire, he was the come back kid. We have great roots there. The president was just there. Hillary’s been there many, many times. Obviously it’s a very important state for us, we’re going to do very well there.”

McAuliffe spoke to me before Clinton New Hampshire co-chair Billy Shaheen told The Washingon Post that Barack Obama’s past drug use (marijuana and cocaine) would cause electability problems because Republicans (not Democrats, mind you) would exploit the issue for political gain.

Interestingly, I asked McAuliffe about the long-running Clinton camp dialogue with reporters that there’s much more that voters need to know about Obama and that his electability once all these matters were known would look different than it does today. McAuliffe would have none of it.

“I don’t go out and attack other Democrats. It’s just not my nature. I’ll let the other candidates think for themselves but you know what? I gotta winner on my side, i got Hillary Clinton and you know what she’s got a lot of people counting on her and she is gonna do great when she ultimately gets elected to be president.”

McAuliffe didn’t hesitate, though, when I asked him if Hillary would run negative or “comparative” TV ads against Obama in New Hampshire on the issue of universal health care.

“We’re clearly going to talk about Hillary’s plan versus the other democrats, absolutely. Because health care, you know the Iraq war obviously is a top issue for folks, but on the domestic front I believe its health care and probably disposable income and the economy. On heath care, no one knows more about health care than Hillary Clinton. She has laid her plan out, she covers every single American. And the other Democratic plans don’t cover every single American (Garrett editorial insert: Obama’s plan doesn’t, John Edward’s plan does). Everybody gets covered under Hillary Clinton’s plan. That is a debate that you know we’ll engage in, gladly engage in that debate.”

So, on the eve of a crucial Iowa presidential debate, let’s review.

Clinton’s campaign is not panicked and there is no in-fighting; Iowa is a great state but “you do the best you can,”; New Hampshire made Bill Clinton and can make Hillary because it is “different” from Iowa because “we have great roots there”; there will be no attacking of Obama (by McAuliffe), but the campaign will atack on health care and that will be on TV and will probably wait until the race gets to New Hampshire.

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