Bill Clinton Travels Country Praising McCain's Decency, Palin's Instincts

[bijou]

sn't it great to have one of the "greatest political minds and talents of our time" working on behalf of John McCain? He is working for him, right?

Here's Bubba on "The View" yesterday, leaving the gals in a state of slightly confused swoon as he finds no end of ways in which to praise John McCain while Barack Obama becomes little more than a parenthetical.

Elsewhere, Clinton commented on Palin's "hotness:"

    "I come from Arkansas, I get why she's hot out there," Clinton said. "Why she's doing well." ...

    "People look at her, and they say, 'All those kids. Something that happens in everybody's family. I'm glad she loves her daughter and she's not ashamed of her. Glad that girl's going around with her boyfriend. Glad they're going to get married.'"

    Clinton said voters would think, "I like that little Down syndrome kid. One of them lives down the street. They're wonderful children. They're wonderful people. And I like the idea that this guy does those long-distance races. Stayed in the race for 500 miles with a broken arm. My kind of guy."

    "I get this," Clinton said. "My view is ... why say, ever, anything bad about a person? Why don't we like them and celebrate them and be happy for her elevation to the ticket? And just say that she was a good choice for him and we disagree with them?"

And, why say anything good about Obama? Um, ever?

On Letterman later that night, Clinton praised Biden, but skipped over Obama again. Here he is, responding to a question about the Palin pick:

    McCain, one of the things that I like about him, and I think Americans like about him, is that he is an intuitive politician. and I think he instinctively thought that she would help him, No. 1, excite the people who were potentially his voters. and number two, demonstrate that he could be a change candidate... So he needed to somehow get people's attention. and I think he thought this would do it. and so and it certainly has been interesting. It's been interesting because it generated more enthusiasm on the part of Republicans and being active in politics—more had been giving to Sen. Obama, the enthusiasm gap closed and the only kind of potentially negative thing is you know, when you get a lot of emotion in a campaign it tends to generate more heat than light. And, right now we all need to be thinking here.

The press has a couple courses of action, here, given that Clinton seems to be actively working against their goal, which is to elect Barack Obama. Do they do their best to ignore him entirely? That would certainly turn Clinton more vengeful than even the primary turned him, and let's face it, a former president named Bill Clinton could find a spotlight in the Marianas Trench. They could stop asking him questions about the Hillary pass-over, the Palin pick, and anything about John McCain. But that just leaves them with the option of asking about Barack Obama, and Lord knows what the man will say if you give him an excuse to spout off. For that matter, Lord knows what he'd studiously avoid saying such that it would become a news story regardless.

His talking points seem to be about the general admirability of John McCain and the political gifts of Sarah Palin, and he's not veering. Welcome to the team, Bill!

Update: Celebs turn on the Clintons, ...

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Unleash the pumas!

[RightCoast]

Hillary 2012!!

Nothing else matters to the clintoons.

[miskie]

Hillary 2012!!

Nothing else matters to the clintoons.

This may be true - especially as it seems every day a former Hill-Raiser or Democrat is endorsing McCain-Palin citing "Country Before Party". Its obvious that they feel no backlash coming from the Clinton Political Machine.

You know as well as I do that if the Clintons had a problem with this, they would certainly make it clear beyond Hillary throwing lukewarm support behind Obama while refusing to do the one thing that Obama needs her for - to rip into Sarah since it would come off as not being a sexist attack.

[debk]

I watched Clinton on The View yesterday morning and again on David Letterman last night.

If I had not seen his interview in the morning, I would not have watched him last night. I was so surprised at what he had to say in the morning....much to the dismay of Joy Behar, in particular....I wanted to see what he had to say to Letterman.

He barely spoke about Obama...though he did slide in there that he would vote for Obama...because he (Clinton) was a Democrat and he would vote with his party...however, I'm not sure how many people noticed it as he didn't say it very audibly. I would have missed it, if I hadn't been totally focused on what he had to say.

Chris Rock came on after Clinton on Letterman....and he went on a tirade that "Hillary lost.....she ain't running...Obama is the one running for President!!!!"

The Dems, in this case, may be justified in being upset....he was certainly more favorable to each individual....Biden, McCain and Palin....than he was remotely to Obama. He gave praise to each of the other 3 and it was quite obvious that Obama was not on his list for "praise". Granted, I'm not sure that praise from Clinton is what a Republican wants....but he was very complimentary towards McCain and he did compliment him for choosing Palin.

It was not what he said about Obama that was bad....it was more he lack of comments that I think the Dems are so upset about. 

[Rick]

"Damn with faint praise"

[Hawkgirl]

  I LOVE IT!!    I disagree with Clinton on policy...but he IS a very smart man and knows EXACTLY what needs to be done if he wants to try to get himself and his wife back in the White House in 2012 

[Jim]

You knew he was going to pop that knife in BHO's back and do it so well nobody would care.

The messiah should never have allowed Bubba to hit the road "for him".  McC knew better than to put Dubya out there.  You leave these guys to raising money.

[Lanie]

I think Bill and Hillary should get a McCain/Palin sticker for their car. 

[Chris_]

I think Bill and Hillary should get a McCain/Palin sticker for their car. 

It would clash with the Hillary 2012 sticker that's already there.

[franksolich]

I think Bill and Hillary should get a McCain/Palin sticker for their car. 

Well, I dunno, madam.

Perhaps some reading of the history of political campaigns might illuminate.

The worthier Democrat candidate and the Big Zero fought it out, hard and long, and there's always going to be some bitter feelings, on both sides.  This was not a friendly campaign, especially given all the vicious dirt the Obamaites and Obamaite primitives spread about the worthier Democrat candidate.

She endorsed him after he officially won the Democrat nomination.

Traditionally, that's all that's required of one, if there's any bad feelings.

It's far too much to demand that the worthier Democrat candidate demonstrate enthusiasm for the Big Zero, given her ill-treatment by the slanders, lies, distortions, and enmity of the Obamaites and Obamaite primitives.

She endorsed him after he officially won the Democrat nomination.

She's not required to do more than that, and in fact I've been surprised she's been willing to spend even five minutes on his behalf.

For historic precedents, I direct you to 1980 (Vast Teddy and the Incompetent One), to 1976 (Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford), to 1964 (Nelson Rockefeller and Barry Goldwater), to 1932 (Alfred Smith and Franklin Roosevelt), &c., &c., &c., all of them instances of especially bitter primary fights.

By her willingness to go further than merely endorsing the Big Zero, it appears the worthier Democrat candidate is more of a man than Vast Teddy, Ronald Reagan (in 1976), Nelson Rockefeller, and Alfred Smith, &c., &c., &c., ever proved themselves to be.

[Tess Anderson]

Chris Rock acted like the ass that he is - he  has no business whining that Bill Clinton didn't say enough about Barack Hussein Obama, a former two-term president can say or do whatever he pleases.

They all act like they're expecting the Clintons to "save" their empty suit, but Bill's taking the high road for once:

"I just don't believe that getting up here and hyperventilating about Gov. Palin, or Sen. McCain for that matter, is a productive use of a former president's time and is not a vote-getter," he said, adding that he admires McCain even though he disagrees with several of his positions.

Clinton said he and his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, gave vigorous endorsements to Obama at the national convention last month and that Hillary Clinton has traveled extensively on Obama's behalf. That includes a tour of Michigan on Saturday.

"I think you can argue that she has done more than all other runner-ups have in the Democratic Party in 40 years," the former president said. "We have been quite clear on this. We're not party-wreckers, and we believe that the country needs to take a different course."

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That last line could be construed as an implicit McCain endorsement, rather ambigious comment from Mr. Ambiguity.

[Lanie]

I think Bill and Hillary should get a McCain/Palin sticker for their car. 

Well, I dunno, madam.

Perhaps some reading of the history of political campaigns might illuminate.

The worthier Democrat candidate and the Big Zero fought it out, hard and long, and there's always going to be some bitter feelings, on both sides.  This was not a friendly campaign, especially given all the vicious dirt the Obamaites and Obamaite primitives spread about the worthier Democrat candidate.

She endorsed him after he officially won the Democrat nomination.

Traditionally, that's all that's required of one, if there's any bad feelings.

It's far too much to demand that the worthier Democrat candidate demonstrate enthusiasm for the Big Zero, given her ill-treatment by the slanders, lies, distortions, and enmity of the Obamaites and Obamaite primitives.

She endorsed him after he officially won the Democrat nomination.

She's not required to do more than that, and in fact I've been surprised she's been willing to spend even five minutes on his behalf.

For historic precedents, I direct you to 1980 (Vast Teddy and the Incompetent One), to 1976 (Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford), to 1964 (Nelson Rockefeller and Barry Goldwater), to 1932 (Alfred Smith and Franklin Roosevelt), &c., &c., &c., all of them instances of especially bitter primary fights.

By her willingness to go further than merely endorsing the Big Zero, it appears the worthier Democrat candidate is more of a man than Vast Teddy, Ronald Reagan (in 1976), Nelson Rockefeller, and Alfred Smith, &c., &c., &c., ever proved themselves to be.

I remember people for Hillary complaining about the supposed sexism and other things the Obama campaign supposedly did to Hillary. I just didn't see it for the most part. I did see feminists acting like one was sexist if they voted for Obama. I also saw ideas that Obama was a Muslim, so vote for Hillary. I honestly saw the most dirt thrown by the Clinton side, but many disagree with me. I think the main dirt I saw thrown *at* the Clinton side was from those who felt that Clinton was too righty, and that anybody who voted for her was a traitor to the left. I ended up voting for Clinton because she did seem more experienced and more like somebody who could get things done.

If the Clintons don't want to endorse Obama, that's fine. Just don't expect people to believe they're endorsing Obama when they're really endorsing McCain so Hillary can run later.