White House Civil War

[XemaSab]

During the 1992 campaign, Bill and Hillary Clinton took several successful bus trips with vice-presidential candidate Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, where they bonded to such an extent that Tipper called Hillary her "long-lost sister." "If there is a subject under the sun that we haven't discussed, I don't know what it might be," said Al. So it seemed fitting that the four of them again boarded a bus three days before Bill Clinton's inauguration, this time for a 120-mile ride from Charlottesville, Virginia, to Washington, re-enacting the trip that Thomas Jefferson had made in 1801.

After conducting an interview with Bill and Hillary, NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw lingered while the two couples sat around a table in the kitchenette in the front of the bus. "It struck me like a college-dorm bull session rather than an incoming administration," Brokaw recalled. "Hillary was not leading, but she was like a junior partner. It was Gore to Bill Clinton, and Hillary was gracefully part of the conversation."

Eight days later, Bill appointed Hillary head of the health-care task force, which was charged with developing a plan to re-structure the health-insurance system. The move took nearly all his top officials by surprise, including Al Gore. Bill had invested Gore with considerable responsibility, but his failure to confide in his vice president was a telling sign of the real pecking order.

Bill and Hillary's joint decision-making at the beginning of his presidency was as overt as it would ever be in the White House. "He would say, 'Hillary thinks this. What do you think?'" said White House counsel Bernard Nussbaum. "They really were a partnership. She was the absolutely necessary person he had to have to bounce things up against, and he was that for her. I sensed a tremendous need for each other. They didn't have to see each other, but they would talk continually every day." In deference to her continuing role as Bill's "closer," staff members called Hillary "the Supreme Court." "We would always say, 'Has the Supreme Court been consulted?'" recalled Dee Dee Myers, the president's press secretary for two years, now a V.F. contributing editor. Whenever Bill said, "Let me think about it," aides knew he intended to call Hillary.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/11/clinton200711

[islandmkl]

1. did she pick out the interns? did she write cue cards for bill to refer to..

when dealing with world leaders? are there notes in the WH First Lady archives demonstrating her lining-out of any legislation coming out of the WH?


by the way...how'd that health care thing work out with her out front?

[murielm99]

4. I guess you think it would count only if she called it

"community organizing" or something equally vague.

[Rageneau]

2. So Hillary's years as First Lady DO count toward her experience., eh?

This article makes it clear that Bill relied on Hillary's advice and opinion on many issues. That means she had input and consulted on matters of the highest national priority and help fashion political policies to address them. How can that not count as Presidential experience, when she was more in the loop than Gore was?

[paperbag_ princess]

3. that what I was going to say

Obama supporters want it both ways....

they want to say she has no experience yet also slam her on NAFTA

[melody]

6. When she is married to the man who rammed NAFTA down our throats, you bet I will

She wants it both ways -- she wants to look like she was partly in charge but doesn't want to accept responsibility
for NAFTA.

[paperbag_ princess]

7. Of course she had a prominent role in the administration

They said it at the time and she has claimed that all along...
and it is also fair to judge her on what was accomplished...

[Bucky]

5. I remember those days, those bus trips, the energy and excitement.

The four of them there was powerful. There was a such a sense of, I dunno, Obamaness to them.

[Botany]

8. A good read

Both Gore & the Clintons are and were complex
people. I wish they could all get along like we
do @ D.U..

[XemaSab]

10. .

:rofl:

[Adelante]

16. Ha ha

:D

[John Q. Citizen]

9. Thanks for posting this. Very interesting article. n/t

[Danger Mouse]

11. interesting article...no wonder gore is hesitant to endorse clinton...

heh...

[Samantha]

12. Al Gore was Bill Clinton's co-president - not Hillary Clinton

Bill Clinton made a private deal to that effect with Gore in 1992, according to David Mariness' writings on the subject, in order to convince him to run on the same ticket.

When Hillary Clinton and her surrogates make claims to the contrary, they are demeaning the work of Al Gore during that time frame.

[XemaSab]

13. You think that's why Gore hasn't endorsed her?

:shrug:

[Samantha]

14. I think his reasons have changed as events have evolved

I believe in the beginning he did not feel compelled to endorse Hillary because of his past run-ins with her while he was Vice President -- this too has been documented by Mariness and recently mentioned by commentators on cable networks. I believe he has been both personally and professionally disappointed by the Clintons, and the former is just as important to him as the latter. I do not think Gore would endorse anyone he does not feel has high personal ethical standards -- even if they have the raw ability to perform the job.

I also think he entertained the idea of not endorsing anyone.

After a period of time, I believe he started quietly leaning toward Obama. No link, just gut. I feel this is probably the case because Obama has expressed so many opinions on issues, specifically the war and the environment, which are extremely close to those of Gore. Gore might have decided to watch him a bit longer before he decided to endorse him.

With events unraveling as they have, I do feel Gore is standing by now deliberately remaining neutral on the chance an "arbitration" might be necessary at the convention. Obviously, he will not be considered as a fair arbitrator if he has endorsed one or the other. In that regard, I believe he will make no public endorsement until a candidate is named.

Putting all that aside, if the fireworks accelerate and it looks like the chances to win the White House will be greatly diminished by the Clinton versus Obama fight now in progress, I think he will step out and make his preference known. I would be extremely surprised, if not shocked, if that preference were Hillary Clinton.

[XemaSab]

15. Day 2 ping

:)