HE'S BACK: Bill Clinton's Campaign Remarks

The New York Times reports that a top aide to Barack Obama accused former President Bill Clinton of employing "divisive attacks" to promote his wife's candidacy:

As Senator Barack Obama folded his arms and looked on, one of his leading military advisers forcefully defended Mr. Obama's patriotism here Saturday and accused former President Bill Clinton of trying to employ "divisive attacks" to promote his wife's presidential candidacy.

Mr. Clinton, in a speech to voters in North Carolina on Friday, said "it would be a great thing if we had an election year where you had two people who loved this country and were devoted to the interest of this country."

At a town meeting here Saturday, retired Air Force Gen. Merrill A. McPeak, who is a co-chairman of Mr. Obama's campaign, read the quote from Mr. Clinton. A few members of the audience gasped and hissed at the former president's words.

"Let me say first, we will have such an election this year because both Barack Obama and John McCain are great patriots who love this country and are devoted to it -- so is Hillary Clinton," General McPeak said, speaking over loud applause. "Any suggestion to the contrary is flat wrong."

Mr. Obama, on his first trip to Oregon before the state's primary on May 13, did not address the comments from Mr. Clinton. He stood a few feet away from the retired general as he made his remarks before a crowd of more than 1,500 people in a Medford community center.

Keep reading the New York Times report.

The Clinton campaign has reined in the former president in the past after he made other similarly divisive remarks, including:

Calling Obama's Iraq War claims a "fairy tale":

"Give me a break. This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen," Clinton had said in accusing Obama of distorting his stance on the war.

Telling Charlie Rose that a vote for Obama would be like "rolling the dice":

In a hard-changing interview with Charlie Rose tonight, Bill Clinton said Americans who are prepared to choose someone with less experience, are prepared to "roll the dice" about the future of America. "It's less predictable, isn't it? When is the last time we elected a president based on one year of service before he's running?"

"What do you want to do -- whether you think it matters that, I mean, in theory, no experience matters," Clinton said. "In theory, we could find someone who is a gifted television commentators and let them run. They'd have only one year less experience in national politics..."

Comments

[MNDADDY]

NEWS FLASH

Keith Olberman and MSNBC are going to make HUGE apology to Obama supporters everywhere.

Andrea Mitchel, you stay on that phone will you?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/22/passport.files/index.html

[AguynamedWayne]

What are they apologizing to Obama supporters for? They've been Obama's biggest and most biasaed supporters.

[frappe]

How much have you donated to McCain's campaign?

[andyboy]

Well my fellow Americans. It looks like the campaign got dirty enough for Bill to get back in.

Quick, ask him about that photo of him glad-handing Rev. Wright!

Shaking the Devil himself's hand! Oh Bill Clinton. Woe is thee. Having to campaign for your shrew of a manly looking wife. I feel sorry for Bill. HIs coattail draggers aren't of a very high caliber.

Hillary does have all that experience though. Gotta give her that.

Flailing away with her rubber stamp approving virtually everything Bush has wrought on this country may be neo-con. It may look patriotic. It might seem tough. But in reality it was just a sell-out. A sell-out of principle. A sell-out of morals. A sell-out of justice.

The racist smear campaign being implemented by the Clintons is so disgraceful. Just so she doesn't have to face her REAL RECORD.

Were we supposed to be surprised by Rev. Wright's rhetoric? Is it a secret that there is alot of anger and resentment that lingers in the black community towards priviledged white bigotry? Or is racial discrimination a thing of the past and we can all just proceed with the "getting along"?

All the shock and outrage registered by lilly white Republicans AND Hillary Clinton supporters is totally fake..... Fabricated­.......... Manufactured.

I think I figured out what is standing in the way of racial conciliation in America.

White Guilt.

Whites have an extremely hard time trying to confront the record on race relations over the history of our country and the negative effects black people STILL suffer today as a result. The discrimination, bigotry and prejudice was and is coming from whites. If your a conservative white American you aren't exactly chomping at the bit to talk about these issues.

So when someone starts talking about race relations and starts acknowledging that white hate for blacks is what has caused the problems in the first place and the only way to "fix" race relations is for whites to start treating blacks as equals instead of dangerous mutants, it's like lifting up a rock and looking underneath to find the maggots and rot that have been thriving there undisturbed away from the light.

Same thing with Islamic extremism. Hatred, exclusion and discrimination breed anger, resentment and violence.

You can't blame the wronged for being angry.

[Shannon2008]

Look, I'm not so easily spun by the media to think that this is the vilest thing Bill Clinton could have said. Let's face it. Barack Obama could say all day that John McCain is a patriot and that he looks forward to having an honest debate with him.

But, the Clinton's have got to know that there is a political consequence to sucking the enemy's weewee. They lost the right to say anything positive about John McCain when they said that he had passed the Commander and Chief threshold. John McCain failed the Commander and Chief test.

If the Clinton's continue to press arguments that have failed with Democratic voters, i.e. experience and patriotism which are right out of the Republican playbook, they must know that they will not only lose the support of a MAJORITY of Democrats (e.g. those that think John McCain is not fit to be Commander and Chief) but they will ultimately lose the support of a majority of Independents and Republicans that think John McCain trumps her in experience (she was only a ceremonial figure) and in patriotism (he's a former POW).

Stupidity should have political consequence. After you finish sucking the weewee, it's time to own up to the fact that you stained a blue dress.

[AguynamedWayne]

Childish rants like this show the maturity level of most Obama supporters. "sucking the weewee"? Are you 12 years old?

[frappe]

Why? Do you want someone to play with?

[BrooklynLager]

Did you even bother reading the post, or did your eyes just latch onto "weewee" and you couldn't take them off? Because that would be typical of most Clinton supporters.

I am absolutely not serious about the last part.

[strifeknot]

Stop sucking Hillary's weewee, Wayne. If must continue doing so, spit that nasty stuff out onto your blue dress and don't swallow.

[anticon]

Someone should make a bobble head out of dirty Willies index finger.

[RButler]

Obama IS a bobble head. Why does he tilt his head to the side during an interview? Is that what a person does when they're telling the truth? That, and the the uh, uh, uh. every other word.

[AguynamedWayne]

THE CEO OF THE COMPANY TIED TO THE PASSPORT BREACH OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES IS THE FORIEGN AFFAIRS ADVISOR TO

THE BARACK OBAMA CAMPAIGN!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/22/passport.files/index.html

So much for blaming Hillary (though I'm sure you Obamatrons will find a way)

[MNDADDY]

I know is this amature hour in American politics or what. John Brennan has donated how much to the Obama/Wright campaign?

HAHA!!

It may be easter, and happy easter to all my Catholic friends, but I will not let this story die. I, as a concerned American, want a full congressional and FBI investigation into John Brennan's association with Barack Obama and his campaign.

[BrooklynLager]

There were three breaches.

Two of them were performed by a company whose CEO is a major Clinton donor.

[AguynamedWayne]

One person gave a contribution of slighty more than one thousand dollars. And you are spinning that as a "Major Clinton donor". Pathetic. The CEO of the company is Obama's top foriegn Affairs Advisor. BIG DIFFERENCE!

[MNDADDY]

He is the CEO of the contractors, and ex CIA official, who employs dirty trick passport spies, Obama and pastor Wright style, at the State Department.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/22/passport.files/index.html

[BrooklynLager]

Who breached his passport file the first and second time? Was it, or was it no, a Clinton donor?

[Jaxxon]

As an Obama supporter, I'm not convinced that the breach of either John McCain's or Obama's passport was not politically motivated. Simply because you WORK for someone supporting a candidate does not mean that you, as the employee, support the candidate. That leap in logic is silly. The investigation needs to go deeper.

I would be relieved that neither Clinton or the GOP was responsible for such breaches.

[unenrolled]

Hillary's claim to fame, i put my only child in the line of gun fire. No need to say more!

[CTmom13]

Here's a WHITE preacher talking about Bill Clinton and what he is saying
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ec_um8cts0

[TRex86]

It's amazing how far Bill has gotten off his game unless his strategy is to run Hillary in the Lieberman party this fall. He's been so consistently bad that at some point one must conclude that his statements aren't gaffes but intentional. I'll cede the fact that no ex-president's spouse has run for the office. There isn't an established playbook. I think his deeper motivation has to do with his strange marriage. Instead of dealing with his addiction he "repented." Instead of dumping him Hillary stayed married for reasons that are reminiscent of Lady MacBeth's overwhelming, displaced ambition. He's trying to heal their relationship by getting her elected the first woman president. It's a scary psychodrama.
Nonetheless, away from the curbside psychoanalysis, during his triangulating presidency he never had trouble being a Republican lite. I suspect that's how he wants the race to go between Hillary and McCain: hang Bush's record around McCain's neck and run another Gore-Kerry timid, tepid, middle-of-the road bore-a-thon, Compare the current Clinton style, shrill, bitter, sarcastic with Obama's uplifting, healing message. It's all about their resentment that Obama's taking away something they took for granted. Bill needs a refresher. Start looking like a statesman not like James Carville. The Clintons cannot win the nomination fairly. They must not win it with a backroom deal. The party will go down in flames and he will get a large share of the credit.

[MNDADDY]

Trex86, you want to bash spouses supporting their spouse?

How about Michelle and her decision to allow her little girls listen to those hate filled sermons by pastor Wright?

Those sermons are at least PG-13, many R.

What has Michelle ever done for this country? I can tell you what Bill has. Come on . . . what has she done for America?

[robodweeb]

The preacher who married me and my (ex) wife in 1972 told my mother-in-law that Jesus wouldn't hear my prayers because my hair was too long.

They're all whackjobs.

[Valkyrie]

Hey, MNDADDY. If you're trying to make Michelle Obama into a bad mother because she took her kids to church where a pastor made controversial remarks (which are no less controversial than what every other preacher in America has said at one time or another), then you're calling a LOT of church-going mothers . . . bad mothers.

I'm not so sure that's a good way to get people to like your candidate, especially after HILLARY TOOK HER OWN DAUGHTER INTO HEAVY SNIPER FIRE IN BOSNIA.

Or is she completely lying about that too? Of course she is. But even the lie, if taken as the truth, ,makes Hillary just about the worst mother in America. I mean, really. What mother takes their child into heavy sniper fire (after saying it was too dangerous for Bill to go?) I'd say that's a wee bit worse than taking her kid to a PG 13 sermon. But I digress.

God I love Hillary Supporters. They're so Republican in their thinking, nowadays. It's amazing, really. The change one election cycle can have on people's mindsets.

[newunderground]

Take 7 minutes out of your life to watch Rev Wright. In context his statements though a cbrasive and could be considered innsulting, are not that crazy. He was talking about god's moral standards vs rule of law. God does not change. Slavery,Jim Crow, Indian eradication, Japanese Internment, were once condoned by the government. But Governments change....
He goes on to praise Bill Clinton, despite his welfare reform, But governments change. Then he makes his fiery comments. You act as if the church was nothing but hate whitey.

I am secure in my whiteness. It doesn't bother me at all that Black americans have a different cultural tradition. Rev wright isn't burning downs schools, he's building them. He isn't just tlaking the talk about helping the under priveledged and underserverd, he's actually doing something. He's not at all about hate, he is about uplifting his people and his congregation. His remarks were not intended to a nationwide audience, but to his family, his flock. His manner and remarks may be inflamatory in 30 second sound bites, but in the context of the love and uplift he's really preaching, his inflamatory remarks are like a grain of sand on a beach. I would take my white children to his church, and I'm not even religious. I see the appeal of Rev wright. My sense is that on the whole, he is a good man. I don't think he really hates white people. I don't hate him. Open your ears, your mind and your heart.

[julescator]

First of all, like in most churches, do NOT have the children in the main santuary for the sermons. They are usually in Sunday School. Second, as usual, the media did the same hatchet job on Michelle Obama as they did on Re. Wright. They intentionally left out the word "REALLY" in front of proud. NOw when you look at her whole statement and the Context, she said THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I AM "REALLY" PROUND OF THIS COUNTRY. She was talking about the political process that had brought out many new voters and people were enthusiastic. She is absolutely right. We are Americans have been woefully uninvolved in the political process. We get all these bad people and then we whine like we are hopeless. Thanks to her husband, he has made us see that this is our country and we are taking it back from the bottom up. This is the Keyston of his candidacy. Like it or not - OBAMA has changed the political landscape of America and we all fell hopeful (unless you are a clinton or mccain supporter). So let's do our homework and stop letting the media spin cloud the "FACTS" ... go to FACTCHECKER.COM and get the truth!

[TRex86]

Bill is supporting his spouse in a way that is destructive to his reputation, her reputation, and the USA. I challenge you to produce the evidence of the "hate filled sermons" beyond the two minutes of endlessly looped stuff on Fox. Moreover, the Rev. Wright thing is McCarthyism, guilt by association. It's a hoary tactic to make a candidate defend something he hasn't said, done or believed in. MN, you know better than that. I've read your posts.
Michelle isn't running for office. Bill was a good president; he's turning into a lousy ex-president. He has the stature to elevate the tone of the campaign. Now is a good time to start. On its face the Clinton strategy is campaigning for McCain. They will destroy the party if they can't get their way.

[bluescat47]

President Clinton continues to diminish his legacy by his absurd and vicious comments on behalf of his wife. Moreover, it reflects the utter lack of ethics, and concern for the party, of his wife. I voted for HRC in the New York primary - but now regret it. I hope the superdelegates take note of how many former HRC supporters are totally disenchanted with her revolting campaign tactics. First the race card and now an attack worthy of Joe McCarthy.D­isgusting.

[terraprieto]

I listened to George McGovern discuss his endorsement on "Democracy Now!"

He endorsed Clinton because of his longtime friendship with her.

He admires Obama as a fine candidate.

He will strongly support the nominee in the fall.

The accusations against McGovern and the twisting of his statements by HuffPo user 'Kennedy' are shameful.

[Shannon2008]

And, we care about this as it relates to Slick Willie's comments? How?

[StillAmused]

.... and we care about anything YOU have to say when you show your agenda with the "Slick Willie" reference?

If you actually knew and understood the full context of Clinton's remarks, you'd be so confused your head would explode.

[MNDADDY]

John Murtha also endorsed Hillary this week. The Marine veteran who actually had the nerve to speak out against Bush/Cheney when it wasn't "cool" to do so.

Has the main stream media covered it? NO! Bill Richardson, YES. JOHN MURTHA, NO!

Who would you rather support you?

[sqwerl]

John Murtha is a scumbag, He jumped on the soldier bashing train and was absolutely wrong with his accusations of those soldiers. He never apologized. He's a typical unaccountable liberal.

[BrooklynLager]

Kennedy isn't a democrat.

[MNDADDY]

I don't hate Obama or pastor Wright. They like, I, want to this god damn war. It will end next January.

[carolh11]

All this ridiculous rhetoric back and forth reminds me of reruns of "Hard Copy" and "Jerry Springer". Unfortunately we now have the MSM carrying the torch of tabloid journalism.

[misslizzi]

Good point. I'm sure they're raking in the bucks with all our internet hits. I think I should lay off Google News and this website and just plain stop reading the news for at least the next couple of weeks.

[MNDADDY]

I agree . . .

Barack has the support of 15.6 million democrats. Hillary has the support of 15 million. (This doesn't include MI and FL, which we should.)

10 million democrats haven't been heard from yet. By my next birthday, mid June, we will know who American democrats choose to be their nominee to face John McCain in the Fall.

Relax . . .

[Shannon2008]

We've known for some time that this race is about the delegate count. It's not about the popular vote, even though Barack leads there including FL (he wasn't on the ballot in MI and we all know he'd get more than 0 votes). We're all waiting for Dean, Pelosi, and the rest of the delegates to weigh-in. It's over soon, way before June. Probably, right after NC.

[passthesewords]

You can tell real men from boys by their comments. we all went schooll with them. The internet allows the weak to be strong or think they are. Men who wont' support a woman for president, because she is woman and these men have a mother, sister or daughter. Or people who won't support a black candidate for president and will sit in freeze weather watching black men,help their team win Super Bowls.

[dollphingurl]

i know plenty of men who would support a woman for president, just not any woman named Clinton. or Rodham. or SHRILLARY.

[WellbornBroad]

PLEASE will the Democratic Party leader adults stand up and tell Hillary it's OVER?
Bill cannot have a third term. Obviously he is willing it to be either Hillary or McCain.
ENOUGH. Gore, Pelosi, Reid, PLEASE stop the destuction.

[misslizzi]

In case you haven't noticed, there are still people in Pennsylvania and other states who would like to have a say in the matter.

[joja]

misslizzie --

At what point, tho, does common sense come into the equation? Anyone with an ounce of it would do what Mitt Romney did for the Republicans -- withdraw gracefully for the sake of the party.

The Clintons are being allowed to tear the party to shreds over race and gender b/c "there are still people who . . . " want to see them fight to the bitter end?(!)

And to what purpose? To see the party destroyed just so Hillary and (especially Bill) can regain the throne as they have predestined it to be? To satisfy their narcissistic whims? To once again be back in the adoring spotlight of the MSM?

How much does the nation have to go thru to make them happy? How many more hoops must we jump thru to please them? How much longer will the Democratic Party poobahs allow the tail to wag the dog?

The Clintons want the nominating process to resemble something more akin to American Idol than a real-life political contest. They've always been more adept at bullshitting than anything else anyway.

[kennedy]

Obama people trying to stop the vote (again)!

[BrooklynLager]

There's nothing you'd like than to have this nomination go on to the convention, and possibly beyond. Divide and conquer.

[ruthinking]

I am beginning to wonder if any of the media has viewed the full video of Wright's sermon? Moments before his famous comment he was talking about Bill Clinton and how he was a friend (compared to Bush). Not a mention about this in the media, nor in most ranting blogs.

[Shannon2008]

We've all said that the videos were taken out of context.

When taken out of context, Wright's comments seem deplorable. However, that's not the full story.

Here is the full context of what Wright was saying:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOdlnzkeoyQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvMbeVQj6Lw

In it he says that the American government does both good and bad. He in no way cursed the American people or the country. He also called 9/11 an unthinkable act. His sermon was dedicated to how we should have responded. He was not advocating voilence against America. He was calling on Americans to reflect on their relationship to God. Wright probably could have selected a better way of saying what he was trying to say.

Anyway, what we see on TV these days is never the full story.

[vincie]

RIGHT, HE ALSO SAID CLINTON DID TO THE BLACKS WHAT HE DID TO MONICA LEWINSKY. STOP TRYING TO DEFEND THIS RACIST REV WRIGHT.

[Bjorn316]

While the democratic party engages in this verbal back alley knife fight to the death. Keep in mind 2000 and 2004. The Republicans lost two elections but still won the white house and what did democrats do about it? Try nothing. The democratic party is not going to win in November. To get there, a million slimey ads on the television will appear first. Then the republicans will just steal it again. If they don't win, I will be shocked they didn't steal it again, the republicans will discover their rifle collections and the police will be busy for the next four years as the republican lunatic fringe will be angry and won't take it anymore. They helped put you all in trouble but it will be the democrats' fault in their deranged minds. Democrats only get riled up when holding a sit in against the Iraq war, so they can get their deranged minds kicked in. Bill and Hillary will fight to the end for one thing, to regain power. They had eight years and did really well as moderate republicans. If Obama gets in, can he really help the US when it's closer to destruction now than at any pont in it's history since WWII? I'm not talking about terrorism, the terrorists can't destroy the US. Only one man can and Bushie's doing one heck of a good job. Even he might not be able to reverse George W.'s war on the US economy. George is the same as Louis XVI, Czar Nicholas II, and Mikhail Gorbachev in that they all destroyed the countries they ruled over. They couldn't help themselves, they should have been working in the fields or in Gorbachev's case managing a McDonalds. I look forward to January 20th, 2009. We shall see if the US makes it to the other side of George's administration.

[BrooklynLager]

Bjorn - I relate, but there are Republicans in this thread trying to pit democrats against each other. Don't encourage them.

[MNDADDY]

ahmen

btw, for any Catholics out here and there . . . Happy Easter :D

[CarolinaDem]

And from the millions of Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, UCC's, and non-sectarian Baptists for whom it is the same day, Happy Easter to you too.