Bill Clinton: Hillary-McCain Would Be "Most Civilized Election In American History"

Bill Clinton just staged a passionate defense of his wife here, after a voter asked how Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton could unite this country when it is so split, politically and racially, and when she is such a polarizing figure.

The question unleashed an attack against the Republicans and an unusual assertion that Mr. Clinton had somehow escaped those attacks (has he forgotten so quickly?); he said he understood the right-wing bullies because he grew up with them. And he said that when they "didn't have me to kick around anymore," they went after his wife...

... He also said that Mrs. Clinton had worked with Republicans, including Senator Lindsay Graham, Republican of South Carolina.

And then he painted this scene: "She and John McCain are very close," he said. "They always laugh that if they wound up being the nominees of their party, it would be the most civilized election in American history and they're afraid they'd put the voters to sleep because they like and respect each other."

Read the full article here.

Comments

[Jeanio]

If Hillary versus McCain is the best we can do, I probably won't even bother to vote. It will be "civilized" all right. Nothing will change. The corporations and warmongers will run the country, and the rich will keep getting richer.

[Boadicea]

LOL!

And we should believe Bill Clinton why?

[ajax2]

To paraphrase Gandhi, for Hillary and McCain to be civilized would be a good thing.

[NoMoreDrama]

Here will be the appetizers from the right. Civilized my ass.....

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/arkansas/docs/recs.html -Rose Law Firm. -PBS Frontline (real right wing wackos)

http://www.wnbc.com/politics/4063107/detail.html -
Hillary Clinton's Former Campaign Finance Director Indicted. NBC

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200709/POL20070903a.html
-New Clinton Scandal Mirrors 'Chinagate,' Say Analysts.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/980427/archive_003776.htm
-Cattlegate and beyond. USNews (really untrustworthy)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton_pardons_controversy
-140 Pardons, some benefiting Hillary and the Rodhams. Wikipedia (you just know it isn't true!)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=HillaryScandals
-More Scandals.

Whitewater.

Castle Grande.

Vince Foster.

And who can forget all the bimbos. Rupert Murdoch will remind you just in case. Every day, Every hour, every channel, every newspaper......

YAY Hillary!! I can't wait to talk about your baggage for FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS! YOU GO GIRL!!!!.

[GhostOfSchlesinger]

Did anyone else notice Chuck Todd (MSNBC Political Director) on the panel with Tim Russert a few minutes ago.

He gulped and looked away as he struggled through a sentence containing "now that Barack Obama has moved from a presidential candidate that happened to be black to a black candidate for president . . ."

Please do me a favor if you were recording that and run it back and forth a couple times.

I've suspected it, but Todd has been VERY heavy-handed on this, running this script over and over and over. "Just don't know if he can recover . . . now that it's all about race, and the country is divided along its ethnic boundary."

And we all know what it means when we start hearing the same script, the same phrases . . .

I've been loathe to SEE this. I've done a Google news search and noted the shift in coverage and language post Iowa.

But, I don't like to think that a few high wattage talking heads could really work to alter the way we conceive of the candidates.

I guess I'd ask everybody a favor. Check out the coverage and see if I'm reading this correctly.

[EyeWantOneNation]

Anyone notice on the four pictures on this story...look on main page, it's clearer...

Lower right hand picture...Is Hillary flashing McCain ????

Brings more meaning to the "lovefest", hey ??

[fearwig]

But I thought Hillary was "the fighter"? I thought she was the one who would run an opposing Democrat through the mud for saying the name "Ronald Reagan" in some context other than describing his hatred for him?

Considering how weak Sen. Clinton looked in the 11/07 matchup poll versus McCain, I don't think that running a lovefest campaign will do the trick.

[Janus]

PART TWO**************************

This guy started out a year so so ago sucking up to the religious rightwing nuts and to Bush (at one of Bush's appearances before a selected audience, Bush embraced McCain on stage, at which time McCain laid his head on Bush's left shoulder, a most nauseating and disgusting display for McCain who had suffered the political mayhem committed on him and his family members in South Carolina in 2000 by Bush's thugs including Rove, Ralph "Jack Ambramoff pal and former Falwell-Robertson Stooge" Reed. As far as I'm concerned he is talking himself right out of being elected as he grovels before the superrich and evangelical loons, pretending to concerns for average Americans. If you choose to listen to him, you'll need a barf bag (unless you are a Dupe or a genuine Plutocrat). McCain is not the same man he was in 2000 when he drew so many supporters, including me, among Independents.

(If Nit Romney or Rambo Giuliani are the nominees, God help us).

Now, as to the Clinton choice, read this:
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/26/6641/

Nader has been bashed for splitting the vote and giving us the Puppet Bush, but not even his critics especially among the corporate fatcats call him a liar. His research and argumentation are devastating against those persons and institutions whom he opposes politically, economically, and legally.

[Janus]

PART ONE********************

If it comes down to Clinton and McCain, the voters will once again have, as Nader always said, the choice of electing the least worst of the two. Wasn't it Henry Adams who wrote an American history early in the 20th century in which a chapter was devoted to why the best men do not seek the presidency. In other words, except for a few outstanding incumbents, our presidents have been pretty much a succession of ordinary and sometimes mediocre men (we now have one) in office.

McCain is already saying all the right things the Plutocracy wants to hear: Bush tax giveaways become permanent; cut corporate taxes; cut/remove capital gains; cut/remove dividends as income; reduce the size of government and put FEMA into private hands; abolish the "death tax;" reform our tort law; bigger and better military; cut spending (except corporate bailouts and subsidies of course); and of course the real rouser for the chickenhawk war profiteers endorsing him, the old slander that the Democrats wanting to withdraw from Iraq are waving the white flag of surrender

[Tankan]

And McCain Obama would not be a civilised election?

Bill's been chewing on his Karl Rove tablets again!

[Independent voter]

Bill wouldn't know civilized if he stuck his wiener in it.

[kevenseven]

Off topic, but I don't care, regarding Telecom immunity and warrantless wiretapping:

BREAKING NEWS!

There IS hope! From Greenwald at Salon:

UPDATE V: There was some significant, and apparently unexpected, obstructionism on the part of Republicans this afternoon, whereby they blocked votes on any of the pending amendments and then filed a Motion for Cloture (i.e., to force a vote on the Senate Intelligence Committee bill as is), the vote on which will occur on Monday at 4:30 p.m. Supposedly, the obstructionism angered Reid and other Democrats and now Reid will not only support Dodd's filibuster but urge his caucus to do so as well.

I'm still trying to understand exactly what occurred procedurally and what the implications are, but for now, both Marcy Wheeler and McJoan have good explanations. The essence is that 36 Democrats already voted against the SIC bill (and in favor of the Judiciary Committee bill). To sustain a filibuster, they need 41 Senators who refuse to vote for cloture -- meaning they would need to convert 3 Democrats who voted for the SIC bill, plus Obama and Clinton (who are scheduled to be in DC on Monday for the State of the Union address). This is where Obama and Clinton's leadership could really make a genuine difference. More on this later.

UPDATE VI: Tim Tagaris, recently of the Dodd campaign, has much more analysis and information about what occurred today.

There were three embedded links in the text:

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/01/24/what-ever-happened-to-upperdown-votes/

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/1/24/18101/4412/844/442586

http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3410

Act NOW or don't come on this board pissing about the Dems caving again! We only need to turn three votes.

Send a petition to Obama and Clinton at:

http://act.credomobile.com/campaign/wiretapping08

E-mail Reid at: http://reid.senate.gov/contact/email_form.cfm

[Mapleave]

Here's an interesting idea bounced among pals ( white So. CA women babyboomers-- Obama supporters) : McCain/Obama.

IF Hillary wins nomination --- Hold noses and vote McCain '08 with promise of Obama 2012 if McCain agrees to one term...........

Hillary's nightmare, one would think. But then again, McCain would probably not go for this.(?)

[bradio1]

It will stay civilized until she starts, and she will start, to lose. Then, let the mud start flying.

[Kungfublood]

Thats right bill don't touch that dial only the most civilized white race nation of geeks could have a election that so completely depended on your high tech preprogrammable computer voting machines! Gosh And gee golly aren't we proud of you rich white men and your so complected machines. (panting and sighing) They are so big and have shiny lights that go beep! beep! ha ha ha cool so cool. Tell me Billy what this bottom thingy does again ..no not here, in the back room with the key and screwdriver like before...