Longtime Clinton pal rides to troubled campaign's rescue

[babsbunny]

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/27841.html

WASHINGTON — With her presidential campaign in crisis, Hillary Clinton has turned to someone she regularly leaned on in the White House whenever controversy swirled or problems needed fixing: Maggie Williams.

Williams, a fiercely loyal longtime friend, confidante and former chief of staff for first lady Clinton, returns to a familiar place — by Clinton's side, this time as the manager of her presidential campaign.

In taking over for Patti Solis Doyle, who quit earlier this month, Williams inherits an operation that appears to have been outspent, outmaneuvered and out-hustled by Barack Obama's campaign. After a string of lopsided losses over the last week, Clinton's campaign is pinning its hopes on halting Obama by running the table of remaining big-state primaries: Texas and Ohio on March 4 and Pennsylvania on April 22.

If anyone can pull together a shaken and divided staff to accomplish that, it's Williams, according to her former colleagues and critics.

[IndianaGreen]

1. Good old Maggie searched Vince Foster's files after his suicide

and before the authorities had a chance to look at them as part of their investigation.

I suppose Maggie is Hillary's Scooter Libby.

A Kansas City native, Williams, 53, was a central player in the Clinton damage-control machine during the White House years.

In 1995, a uniformed Secret Service officer swore under oath he saw her leave White House lawyer and Hillary confidant Vince Foster's office carrying documents after Foster committed suicide. Williams denied it.

She ran up more than $100,000 in legal bills defending Hillary in various investigations.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/02/11/2008-02-11_meet_maggie_williams_hillary_clintons_ne.html

[msongs]

4. I suppose you can back up that accusation with facts nt

[IndianaGreen]

5. Hillaristas can't handle facts!

Let everyone Google it!

PS: There is a sworn statement by Secret Service agent.

[Enrique]

11. maybe Maggie helped Hillary murder Foster

:tinfoilhat:

[saltpoint]

2. After reading a bit on Williams' effectiveness and her get-it-done-now

acuity in politics, my only question would be why she wasn't in charge in the first place.

It looks as if she can only help Sen. Clinton's campaign.

I would appreciate hearing what Texas Hispanic voters think about the Clinton campaign replacing a Hispanic a couple weeks ahead of the Texas primary in a state with a huge Hispanic demographic. Through most of this primary/caucus season, that demographic had gone reliably Clinton. It will be interesting to see what impact, if any, it has in a state like Texas.

[Window]

6. I've read at least two articles relating

to Hispanic's being upset about the firing. To be fair, I also read an article that said Hillary's CM was let go because she really wasn't up to the job, intimidated other workers, was lazy and watched soap operas.


Peace:thumbsup:

[saltpoint]

9. Hi, Window. Yes, I'd read those accounts, but as an individual reader don't

know how to verify them. There is a sense that the money allotted for the primaries up to and including the Feb. 5th states was generously proportioned but that it left nothing to work with (t the same ad-buy rate, anyway) for the post-Feb 5th contests, and it came at a point when Sen. Obama was on the upswing.

[Window]

13. Oh, okay.

Gotcha.



Peace:thumbsup:

[UALRBSofL]

10. I agree, Maggie should have been in charge from the beginning

But, with Penn in charge I don't think they are best buddies. That said, I never cared for Penn. Just my opinion.

[saltpoint]

12. I'm finding it hard to warm up to Penn myself.

I'm an Edwards refugee, so I still really like Daivd Bonior as a terrific model for a manager.

You just can't beat a pro-labor manager!

[lapfog_1]

3. One little suggestion for Ms. Williams...

seriously... fire Mark Penn. He is a cancer to your organization.

[VolcanoJen]

7. Naw. Keep him employed. Keep paying him millions, too.

Mark Penn is The Hotness! I love him! He's the best thing that ever happened to Obama! }(

[TwilightGardener]

8. I love how the Clintons are trying to paint a portrait of competence

now--Williams is a genius! She's so wonderful, she'll turn it all around for them, wait and see! It's morning again in the Hillary campaign! Uh, she was there all along. What makes anyone think she's any better? Just another crony loyalist.