AP: Bill Clinton: I Learned a Lesson

[ursi]

The Associated Press

Sun, Feb 10, 2008 (5:40 a.m.)

Former President Clinton says he's learned a valuable lesson from the dustup over his remarks on the campaign trail _ he can promote his wife's presidential candidacy, but he's not free to defend her.

Clinton also said that everything he said in South Carolina about Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was "factually accurate," but a lot that has been said about what he said is "factually inaccurate."

"I think the mistake that I made is to think that I was a spouse like any other spouse who could defend his candidate," Clinton said, referring to his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is waging a hard-fought contest with Obama for the Democratic nomination.

"I think I can promote Hillary but not defend her because I was president. I have to let her defend herself or have someone else defend her," Clinton said in an interview with NBC News as he was campaigning in Portland, Maine, Thursday.

On the eve of the New Hampshire primary, Clinton called Obama's celebrated opposition to the Iraq war "a fairy tale," suggesting that while Obama had spoken out against the war in 2002 while he was an Illinois state senator, Obama had moderated his anti-war stance during his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign.

more...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/feb/10/bill-clinton-i-learned-a-lesson/

[dkf]

1. Poor Bill. What a victim he is. Poor Bill.

[HereSince1628]

4. "Everything I said was factually correct" just makes him sound like the super parser

back challenging what the meaning of is is.

In other words folks who were upset will only see this as too much parsing too, whatever the meaning of too is.

[MethuenProgressive]

2. Obama's Swiftboating of the Clintons on Race was very successful.

In the linked story, the media parrots the Obama Camp's spin of the facts:

On the eve of the New Hampshire primary, Clinton called Obama's celebrated opposition to the Iraq war "a fairy tale," suggesting that while Obama had spoken out against the war in 2002 while he was an Illinois state senator, Obama had moderated his anti-war stance during his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign.

Later, campaigning for his wife in South Carolina, Clinton suggested an Obama victory there would be a racial one, like the Rev. Jesse Jackson's twenty years ago

[dkf]

9. Oh boy. That's the MEDIAs spin.

Also, James Clyburn's spin (yes the James Clyburn that didn't endorse because he wanted to stay neutral!).

Bill Clinton did this all on his own.

[CreekDog]

3. well, partially learned

:spank:

[Mz Pip]

5. I liked Bill Clinton

and voted for thim twice, but he's been around the political scene long enough to know what he's doing, what kind of an impact his words make and how he is perceived.

This is a lesson he should have learned long ago, not just a couple of weeks ago.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[peacetalksforall]

6. I think what he's saying is plausible and credible. A good analysis and answer.

[DJ13]

7. Poor Bill is hobbled

[Kahuna]

12. Tee hee. Excellent.

:rofl:

[mitchum]

8. Did he do the patented "contrite lip bite" when he said that?

[ursi]

10. ...ZING!

[mitchum]

14. I always imagine the 8 year old Bill first discovering the power of that particular gesture

it is pretty effective...to a point

[Kahuna]

11. That Bill..What a cut-up! nt

[Yael]

13. Now Bill is the victim?

Lord, please, PLEASE end this soon. We can't afford any more drama in our government.