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IF B(ill) J(efferson) CLINTON AND HITLARY CLINTON DESTROY THE CAMPAIGN
OF BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA WILL THE DUSKY SONS OF AFRICA REFUSE TO VOTE
FOR HER?
Bill Clinton, on 'Charlie Rose' Show, Suggests Obama Not Ready -- And
a 'Miracle' Hillary Even Has a Chance to Win Iowa
By Greg Mitchell
Published: December 14, 2007 11:55 PM ET updated 8:15 am
NEW YORK In a surprisingly frank interview with Charlie Rose on his
PBS show late Friday night, former President Bill Clinton declared
that his wife was not only far better prepared to be president than
her chief rival Sen. Barack Obama -- "it's not even close" -- but that
voters who disagreed would be taking a "risk" if they picked the
latter.
Repeatedly dismissive of Obama -- which could come back to haunt the
Clinton campaign -- the former president at one point said that voters
were, of course, free to pick someone with little experience, even "a
gifted television commentator" who would have just "one year less"
experience in national service than Obama. He had earlier pointed out
that Obama had started to run for president just one year into his
first term in the U.S. Senate.
Clinton also said, surprisingly, with a laugh, "It's a miracle she
even has a chance" to win in Iowa, adding he was not just "low-balling
you." He said John Edwards might well win -- which would certainly be
preferable, from the Clintons' perspective, to an Obama win there.
He praised Obama's intelligence and "sensational political skills" but
repeatedly suggested that, unlike his wife and some of the other
candidates, he might not be ready for the job. Asked directly about
that, Clinton refused to state it bluntly, but did point out that when
he was elected president in 1992 at about the same age as Obama, he
was the "senior governor" in the U.S. and had worked for years on
international business issues. Viewers could draw their own
conclusions.
Later he said that his friends in the Republican party had indicated
that they felt his wife would be the strongest candidate, partly
because she had already been "vetted" -- another subtle slap at
Obama.
Also: He said the most important thing to judge was who would be "the
best agent for change" not merely a "symbol for change....symbol is
not as important as substance."
He also hit back at the charge that experienced politicians had helped
get us into the Iraq war, saying that this was "like saying that
because 100 percent of the malpractice cases are committed by doctors,
the next time I need surgery I'll get a chef or a plumber to do it."
One more dig at Obama? He said that Edwards had first run for
president after just a few years in the Senate, but then completed his
term and went out and conducted a serious study of poverty.
"I guess I'm old fashioned," he said, in wanting a president who had
actually done things for people. He said some people could "risk"
taking someone who had served just a year in the Senate if they chose.
When Rose said that all this seemed to add up to Clinton hinting that
people would be "rolling the dice" if they picked Obama, the former
president replied: "It's less predictable, isn't it?"
If a call had gone out from his wife's campaign to pull back any
critiques of Obama, her husband clearly did not get the memo. Marc
Ambinder at TheAtlantic.com writes today that Clinton's people were in
the control room at the Rose show urging him to cut the interview
short.
Clinton attributed his wife's decline in Iowa to the press overplaying
her poor answer to one debate question on driver's licenses for
illegal aliens. He did say that he gets "tickled" watching Obama
because of his attractiveness and political skills. "I like all these
people," he said. "I have nothing bad to say about him or anyone
else."
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003686025
OF BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA WILL THE DUSKY SONS OF AFRICA REFUSE TO VOTE
FOR HER?
Bill Clinton, on 'Charlie Rose' Show, Suggests Obama Not Ready -- And
a 'Miracle' Hillary Even Has a Chance to Win Iowa
By Greg Mitchell
Published: December 14, 2007 11:55 PM ET updated 8:15 am
NEW YORK In a surprisingly frank interview with Charlie Rose on his
PBS show late Friday night, former President Bill Clinton declared
that his wife was not only far better prepared to be president than
her chief rival Sen. Barack Obama -- "it's not even close" -- but that
voters who disagreed would be taking a "risk" if they picked the
latter.
Repeatedly dismissive of Obama -- which could come back to haunt the
Clinton campaign -- the former president at one point said that voters
were, of course, free to pick someone with little experience, even "a
gifted television commentator" who would have just "one year less"
experience in national service than Obama. He had earlier pointed out
that Obama had started to run for president just one year into his
first term in the U.S. Senate.
Clinton also said, surprisingly, with a laugh, "It's a miracle she
even has a chance" to win in Iowa, adding he was not just "low-balling
you." He said John Edwards might well win -- which would certainly be
preferable, from the Clintons' perspective, to an Obama win there.
He praised Obama's intelligence and "sensational political skills" but
repeatedly suggested that, unlike his wife and some of the other
candidates, he might not be ready for the job. Asked directly about
that, Clinton refused to state it bluntly, but did point out that when
he was elected president in 1992 at about the same age as Obama, he
was the "senior governor" in the U.S. and had worked for years on
international business issues. Viewers could draw their own
conclusions.
Later he said that his friends in the Republican party had indicated
that they felt his wife would be the strongest candidate, partly
because she had already been "vetted" -- another subtle slap at
Obama.
Also: He said the most important thing to judge was who would be "the
best agent for change" not merely a "symbol for change....symbol is
not as important as substance."
He also hit back at the charge that experienced politicians had helped
get us into the Iraq war, saying that this was "like saying that
because 100 percent of the malpractice cases are committed by doctors,
the next time I need surgery I'll get a chef or a plumber to do it."
One more dig at Obama? He said that Edwards had first run for
president after just a few years in the Senate, but then completed his
term and went out and conducted a serious study of poverty.
"I guess I'm old fashioned," he said, in wanting a president who had
actually done things for people. He said some people could "risk"
taking someone who had served just a year in the Senate if they chose.
When Rose said that all this seemed to add up to Clinton hinting that
people would be "rolling the dice" if they picked Obama, the former
president replied: "It's less predictable, isn't it?"
If a call had gone out from his wife's campaign to pull back any
critiques of Obama, her husband clearly did not get the memo. Marc
Ambinder at TheAtlantic.com writes today that Clinton's people were in
the control room at the Rose show urging him to cut the interview
short.
Clinton attributed his wife's decline in Iowa to the press overplaying
her poor answer to one debate question on driver's licenses for
illegal aliens. He did say that he gets "tickled" watching Obama
because of his attractiveness and political skills. "I like all these
people," he said. "I have nothing bad to say about him or anyone
else."
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003686025