Bill Clinton not surprised by Obama?

[JimGinPA]

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/04/obamas_rise_may_not_have_surpr.html


Last week's discussion about Secret Service protection which culminated in the 'Is-he-crazy?' realization that Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain didn't have it (He now says he'll get it.) was actually part of a House budget hearing on the financial needs of the protective agency which is grappling with its longest presidential campaign. For which it has Barack Obama to thank.

The Secret Service's visible involvement in the 2008 campaign began in May 2007 when it began guarding the Illinois Democrat. It was the Service's earliest involvement in a White House contest.

The early protection for Obama is a reminder of how quickly he evolved (exploded?) from a much talked about phenom to established contender. Yes, a good deal of the reason for the quick turn to the Secret Service involved concern that Obama might face particular peril because he is black. But Obama also darted to center stage in a way that few expected.

One careful observer who might not have been surprised at Obama's ascent is Bill Clinton, himself a brilliant practioner of the political game.

Clinton mentioned Obama only in passing in David Remnick's long and insightful September 2006 profile of the ex-president, but what he said seemed to suggest he'd already looked the Illinoisan over carefully.



Clinton, according to Remnick, 'thinks (Obama) has the intelligence and the toughness necessary to be President...'

But, said Clinton, Obama has to be careful about running too soon—“like John Edwards.”

The implied counsel to wait doesn't seem like it comes from personal experience.

Clinton had been governor of Arkansas for 12 years and thus somewhat more seasoned than Obama, when he first ran, in 1992. But he was only 46, a year younger than Obama will be on election day.

Of course, you couldn't blame Clinton for thinking that maybe Obama should bide his time since Hillary Clinton was lining up her own presidential bid at the time of the interview.

Later in the profile, Bill Clinton seems to want to neutralize one of the bigger advantages Obama would have against Hillary Clinton, at least among Democratic voters, his opposition to and vote against the Iraq war.

Clinton, Remnick writes, was infuriated at "the way the Democrats were beating each other up about the past (in other words: Hillary’s 2002 Senate vote authorizing the President to use force in Iraq) rather than forming a coherent alternative to the White House’s stay-the-course rhetoric. “This deal with Iraq makes me want to throw up,” he said. “I’m sick and tired of being told that if you voted for authorization you voted for the war. It was a mistake, and I would have made it, too. And Congress made it once before, at the Gulf of Tonkin resolution.” The blame was with the White House: “The Administration did not shoot straight on the nuclear issue or on Saddam’s supposed ties to Al Qaeda prior to 9/11.”

[blogslut]

1. Very interesting

Thanks for the link. :)

[JimGinPA]

2. I Thought It Was Too...

Apparently not enough drama to interest others here though. Sank like a rock in sewage.

[writes3000]

3. Interesting read. Thanks. n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

4. K&R

:kick:

[hedgehog]

5. Didn't Bill put off an earlier run in 1988 to allow a bimbo eruption to die down?

"He needed to get more experience" Yeah, that's the ticket!

[FrenchieCat]

6. Thanks!

and BTW, Obama gained 2 additional delegates in ND today! :hi:

[Catherina]

7. K&R. Slick Willy at it again n/t

[Cha]

8. bil clinton always thinks he it has it down..

when nothing could be further from the facts.

[easy_b94]

10. ASSumptions w/pic

[goclark]

9. Do people realize that we would have a Co-President

and that Bill would really be the President?

Technically, this would be his 3rd term.

Does anyone that has observed this campaign think for one minute that he would allow her to be the President?

How many recall the time they were in IA/NH and he was running his mouth talking to reporters.
She kept telling him to get on the bus that it was time to go.
He just kept on talking and talking and putting his foot in his mouth.

I knew then who wore the pants in that family.

[karynnj]

11. Interesting, but self serving

Consider that this was September 2006 - remember thyat in June and July 2006, it was the Clinton wing of the party that was adament that the Democrats NOT get behind an alternative solytion for what to do in Iraq - and they vilified Kerry for insisting on bringing Kerry/Feingold to the floor. His stated preference was NOT TO have a plan, but to criticize Bush. (It was bad enough that their re4ason was political, rather than a Kerry like view that he could not as a Senator stay quiet when soldiers were dying and the plan was wrong, but they were also wrong politically.)

What he was complaining of in September 2006 was that HRC had mispositioned herself. Unlike Kerry or Edwards she was still saying her vote at the time was right. Unlike Kerry, she was not leading the effort to move the country behind changing course. What Clinton saw in the polls was that for the first time, in fall 2006, the majority of Americans were in favor of getting out in a year.

Clinton was likely not looking out for Obama with his concern that he could run too early - he was likely hoping he would not be in HRC's way. What was clear was that in 2006, the Clinton's goal was to remove anyone who could be a threat to HRC.

[BeyondGeography]

12. The run-up to IWR was an insult to any thinking person, Bill

that's why so many of us were appalled, and remain so. You had Andrew Card saying you don't roll out a product in August, you had Cheney rattling the sword at a VFW meeting just before Labor Day, Rice stating on MTP you don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud, etc. We all knew it was bullshit, and we didn't even expect Democrats, in that environment, to call bullshit. We just wanted them to vote, "no," on a resolution that was nothing more than a permission slip for the Child Monster. That's enough to make you puke, Bill? Guess how we feel.

[Cha]

13. bil clinton being disingenous

and thinking he matters.