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Clinton campaign chair resigns over Obama remark

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday accepted the resignation of a top adviser who a day earlier suggested voters should ask rival Barack Obama if he was a drug dealer.

Bill Shaheen, a national co-chairman for the Clinton campaign, raised the issue during a Wednesday interview with the Washington Post.

"I made a mistake and in light of what happened, I have made the personal decision that I will step down as the co-chair of the Hillary for President campaign," Shaheen said in a statement released by the campaign. "This election is too important and we must all get back to electing the best qualified candidate who has the record of making change happen in this country. That candidate is Hillary Clinton."

Shaheen, an attorney and veteran organizer, said much of Obama's background is unknown and could be a problem in next year's election if he is the Democratic nominee. He said Republicans would work hard to discover new aspects of Obama's youth and his acknowledged drug use.

"It'll be, `When was the last time? Did you ever give drugs to anyone? Did you sell them to anyone?'" said Shaheen, whose wife, Jeanne, is a former governor and is running for the US Senate next year.

"There are so many openings for Republican dirty tricks. It's hard to overcome," Shaheen said.

Clinton's campaign said it had nothing to do with his comments, and Shaheen said later he regretted them.

"I would like to reiterate that I deeply regret my comments yesterday and say again that they were in no way authorized by Senator Clinton or the Clinton campaign," Shaheen said in a statement on Thursday. "Senator Clinton has been running a positive campaign focused on the issues that matter to America's families."

Obama's campaign declined to comment on the resignation.
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