At one heated point in Monday night's Democratic debate, a perturbed Barack Obama finally blurted out to Hillary Clinton what millions of others have been thinking these past weeks. After Clinton said that what her husband says might be different than what she says or what her campaign says, Obama disgustedly said "I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes."
Sorry it's come to this, but this Democratic primary nominating process has, indeed, become all about Bill Clinton. Thanks to Hillary Clinton.
The ex-president has been rolled out as campaign attack dog to bark, bite, snap and tear away at Obama in a way that Hillary -- as candidate -- cannot and will not.
Hillary can't have it both ways. You can't deploy the clout of your husband the ex-president in the middle of your campaign and then not take responsibility for every word he utters, every action he undertakes. Right down to his shameful direct intervention in a crucial polling place in last Saturday's Nevada caucuses.
But there's deeper point. Who exactly is Hillary Clinton anyway if not someone who has parasitically attached herself to the legacy and record of Bill Clinton? Without having been his First Lady, if not exactly his only lady, Ms. Clinton would be but a corporate lawyer turned junior senator from New York and with a less than sterling voting record -- including her authorization of the war in Iraq, approval of a war-mongering resolution on Iran and an inglorious bill to criminalize the national epidemic of flag-burning.
"Elections are about the future," Clinton said tonight, parroting the most moth-eaten of campaign clichés. But Hillary has made it strictly about the past as her only affirmative argument for the future is to resurrect the politics of the previous decade.
In Monday night's debate, all three candidates went at each other. But Obama finally opened up some cuts on the Clintons, calling out Hillary for lecturing him about supposedly being soft on Reagan. "While I was working in the streets watching those folks watch their jobs shift overseas," he said staring at Clinton and referring to those who suffered under Reagan's policies, "you were a corporate lawyer sitting on the board of Wal-Mart."
It might be too little too late on Obama's part. But it was absolutely the right thing to do. Hillary has made Bill, his record, his approach to politics, his policies, his style and her embodiment of all the above the central issue in the campaign. The only honorable position for any opponent of Clinton's is to take her -- and him -- on.
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Hillary has never been the Queen of Hearts. The Queen of Clubs is more her style.
I think the proof we have of the hil and bil show and that they are looking to have two desks in the oval office became apparent to the most blinded hillary supporter tonight. When Hillary lost S Carolina Bill gave the speech. She gave a campaign speech in another state. That is the most obvious dis I have seen them do. Hillary was so sure she would lose the state she left before the vote and only came back for a few hours before the vote to not totally abandon her supporters. I would think long and hard about her willingness to let go of somewhere she can't win according to the polls. If she was the president what would she do about other things she might not look like she might be the winner in? I don't want to try to go back to the 90's as we have had too much trauma and drama since then with Jr bush. We need to heal and come together and the clintons have shown their willingness to divide and destroy the democrat party.
I'm so tired of the Clintons as are all the other Dems I hang with. I was stunned to hear them all say they'd vote for McCain over Hill in November if they have to. I wish Obama would come out and say he served in the state legislature before becoming a senator to show he's had more experience. His campaign needs to get smarter! Hill's experience is limited - being a senator and being the wife of a politician. If sleeping with a president makes you qualified - why isn't Monica running?
The Obama-Post is so anti-Hillary that my comments are never posted but....
The real "fairytale" is thinking the Republicans want to play nice and roll over after 20 years of building their slime machine. The faces will change but not the tactics--in the general election and once the election is over. Ask Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid!
Get real, people, vote for Hillary who knows how to work with the Republicans in the Senate but FIGHTS for what she believes in!
Hillary and Bill Clinton are using very poor judgment in lying about statements that Sen. Obama has made. Distorting the obvious truth is ridiculous and shows mockery towards the voters. I am so disappointed in President Clinton in how he has manipulated Sen. Obama's statements! Hillary Clinton goes on to repeat what he has said ... How disgusting. Barack Obama is a man of judgment and intelligence and apparently much smarter than the Clintons. Sen. Obama is Presidential; Hillary IS NOT. Hillary cannot beat a John McCain -- he is likable, she is not. Obama is likable. In short, he is a winner.
Hill claims that she has been fully vetted, but the fact is there are a lot of real and probably not yet discovered bones in the Clinton's closet. What about the Clinton machine taking money from numerous Chinese contributors, one of whom was indicted just last fall? If Obama needs to smack back the Bill and Hill show, we only need to open the can of worms on all the scandals that dogged them in the 90s and know that they will re-emerge should she get the nomination. Maybe not all are fair, but if she or anyone wants to claim that the Clintons have been vetted and have "clean hands" then just wait until all the Republicans and independents begin remembering all the nastiness we suffered through with the Clinton administration. Listen to Hill's words at the debate- she's "ready to take on the other side, ready to FIGHT them..." as if that is what we want, 4 or 8 more years of partisan politics. We need Obama to bring this country together- Hill can't or won't do that- too many people in this country despise her (for whatever reasons) and if we allow her into the White House, the country will remain divided. Policies matter, but what really matters is the judgment and leadership to make those policies a reality. As a life-long Democrat, I will not support Clinton in the fall, should she get the nod. And remember, Obama created a national organization that is challenging the Clinton machine, and he did so in less than a year! Imagine how much he can do as a President with a mandate from Dems, independents and moderate "Obama Republicans"- Hill would be nothing without her ex-President hubby fighting her fights, while Obama fought his way to this point on his own. So who is really the "sure bet"? For my vote, it is Obama!
While i concede Obama has the depth to climb the bully pulpit and tell us what we need to hear, i do worry his health-care plan is too beholden to the entrenched interests of the Health Care Industry.
In today's "Seattle P.I." (1/23/08), go to the opinion page and read the guest editorial by Thomas A. Preston M.D. It's: www.seatlepi.com
I have been following this issue for years, am a retired nurse and this Dr. Preston knows what he is talking about.
Obama has been distorting Hillary's record from the start of the campaign. Her vote on the war powers act was not a vote for war. It was a vote for leverage to use against Sadaam to get the inspectors back into Iraq. It worked. Bush went to war anyhow. Barrack knows this but has said over and over that she voted for war. He also said that her vote Kyl Lieberman was a vote for war. That is a lie. Any how he didn't campaign against it or vote against it. When he slammed her for being on the board of directors of Wal Mart, he ignored all the good works she had done in her tounger years such as working for the childrens defence fund. These are all in the realm of dirty politics.
I disagree. Obama should have distanced himself from Reagonomics, which Paul Krugman pointed out the NYTimes. He was talking to a conservative NV newspaper and by the way, he got their endorsement. For a young woman lawyer to be recognized and regarded highly enough to be asked on the WAlMART board was quite an accomplishment at that time--we did not know what Walmart would become-a company to boycott, which I do--because of their corporate policies. And what about Barack's judgment in accepting over $600,000 from Mrs. Tony Rezko (the slum landlord) in order to afford the purchase of his $1.6million house. I am not suggesting there was anything illegal in the transaction. Only a question of bad judgment. And Barack is running on the fact that even tho he may not have lots of experience, he brings good judgment to the table. Well, in the most major financial investment of his life thus far, Mr. Obama certainly did not use good judment. Can our country afford OJT for judment as well as experience???
If you are offended by Hillary and Bill's dirty politic attacks on Obama or their outright lying about the issues then please email the Democractic National Committee and let them know.
http://www.democrats.org/page/s/contactissues
IF HILLARY WINS THE NOMINATION AND YOU"D RATHER VOTE REPUBLICAN OR NOT AT ALL in the general election then email the DNC and let them know. We can actually force the DNC to support Obama if they know we will not vote for slick Hillary in November. DO SOMETHING. Let YOUR voices be heard.
Dear Mr. Cooper:
You might just want to take a gander at the Wikipedia entry on Hillary Rodham Clinton and then tell me, or anyone else, that without Bill, Hillary Clinton "would be but a corporate lawyer turned junior senator from New York" - and not sound like a Fox News hound. Before Bill had even garnered a single vote in Arkansas, Hillary Rodham was working in Washington and marked as a comer - someone likely to become a Senator and perhaps, even President! What surprises me most about her claim to "35 years" of fighting for women, children and health care, is that it's true.
Vote for Obama if you think he's better, please, but don't be lazy. Do your homework: like it or not, you'll see that Senator Clinton has been a workhorse and a leader as both a single, and a married, person.
And as for Senator Clinton's being on the board of Wal-Mart making her a devil, what does the indicted Rezko's $625,000 contribution to Obama's buying his house make Obama? A saint? Really, Mr. Cooper - I hope you can and will do better in the future.
Cordially,
godwillen
There's a reason why Hillary Clinton is polling so much stronger than Obama with registered Democrats. She's a Democrat with Democratic values. I defy anyone to tell me exactly what Obama stands for (given his ambiguous "present" votes) other than change...whatever that means. And why shouldn't Bill Clinton support his wife's campaign? Is there are a new rule about campaigning spouses?
I agree that Hillary is trying to have it both ways, but that is part of their strategy. Truly, they give new meaning to the term, "Divide and Conquer. I don't think it's too late for Obama. There was no better place for Obama to have taken on the Clintons than S.C. Now that he has, he can position himself to remain above the fray, and allow a smart/tough, and I mean really smart and realy tough surrogate take on Bill. Obama should keep his focus on Hillary and her record. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, nor the media are running for president and it seems a waste to acknowledge any of "them." By doing so, he lends them significance.
CNN, MSNBC,& NBC appear to have taken sides because of their special interest. They use "clips" of Hillary like wallpaper, while clips of Obama are treated like snapshots. The imbalance of free face time given Hillary might be considered campaign contributions. Not to worry though, these netwoks have made wrong calls on every issue: Clinton's Impeachment, backing Bush, The War on Iraq, Now, again,it's Hillary. If the past is prologue, erroneous assupmtions will be the performance. Don't underestimate the intelligence and decency of the American people!
There may be questions about who Obama is, but there is no doubt about who the Clintons are. Why would anyone, with any intelligence, believe the words of known liars?
Very well said Mark. She may have made it as a corporate lawyer, but I doubt Hillary would be the junior senator from NY without her 'experience' as first lady and her Clinton name. Billary will pull anything to get the nomination ring including, it appears, helping or arm twisting Edwards to stay in the race to siphon off progressive Obama delegates (what was with that Edwards-Clinton meeting after the SC debate?).
I agree totally that Bill is running for president. Hillary isn't woman enough to handle Obama on her own, so she has to bring in her only weapon, Bill, the sleeping giant. Boy this is a pair, no wonder Monica, had a field day in the white house. Hillary is playing divisive politics, now since African Americans have woke at least the majority she is now working on the Hispanics, I hope my hispanics brothers and sisters can see through the quick sand Hillary is standing on.
THANKS FOR THE HONEST ARTICLE!!! IT IS NOT TOO LATE FOR OBAMA, HE IS JUST GETTING WARMED UP.
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Posted January 21, 2008 | 10:10 PM (EST)