Maybe I've been too hard on Bill Clinton

[Curtland1015]

I've been among the crowd around here who has been berating Clinton for not being more zealous in his interviews. But after thinking about it, I wonder if maybe I've been too hard on the guy.

Clinton's assertion that you don't have to say bad things about the other guy is true at its base. While Clinton never had to worry about a "Rove" when he was running against Bob Dole, he still received his share of unfair press when he was campaigning. On top of that, after becoming president, he probably got routinely screwed by the media at large more than any other figure in modern history. Maybe when he sees attacks leveled against other politicians, be they Democrat or republican, he empathizes. He, if anyone, would certainly know how they feel.

As for his recent appearances on The View, Letterman, et al... do we know for sure whether the intent was to stump for Obama, or was he going on there to push his book? I know he plans on doing some campaigning for Obama. Maybe we should wait and see what he says out there on the trail as opposed to his gracious words on the talk show circuit before we judge his intent?

I'm not saying I think he's completely blameless. Regardless of his choice not to attack the opposition, he could certainly still act a little more enthusiastic to wards the Democrat who IS running for president. But Clinton is not an active politician anymore. He certainly has nothing to prove to us or anyone else.

So I guess what I'm saying is, I'm willing to give him a chance. I'll reserve my ultimate opinion of his actions and motives until I see how this election plays out. I think he deserves that much.

[patrice]

1. I'll second that motion.

[niceypoo]

22. The attacks against Bill Clinton are ironic given...

Bill Clinton described, almost verbatum, the approach that Obama has been taking in the general election. Particularily his description of saying nice things about your opponant on a personal level ("Sarah Palin is a compelling candidate and has a compelling personal story" - Obama) and his basically ignoring Palin in his critique, instead focusing on McCain.

Knee jerk reactions are a result of talking first and thinking later...

[patrice]

28. I don't want BC to go away; I just want his input to be that of a peer with other Dem factions.

[mucifer]

2. While Obama is being attacked with lies from the nra he needs a white guy from Arkansas

who was president, to give his support.

[Zuiderelle]

3. His interview on The View was fantastic.

He was speaking to a mixed audience and made a very strong case for Obama. When he's on the campaign trail he will stump for Obama the same way he did in his convention speech, a part of which they aired at the beginning of that interview.

Clinton is a loyal democrat and good politician. He got a lot of flack for respecting Dole and now he gets a lot of flack being a gentlemen about McCain. I'll trust his method of diplomacy over someone who shouts and screams about how evil their opponents are. And Obama obviously follows the same playbook of grace, dignity and respect.

[noonwitch]

8. Bill was right to show respect for Bob Dole

Dole is a good guy, and a veteran. Obama's campaign does need to be careful about what attacks they use against McCain, in particular, they shouldn't make any attacks about his record in the Navy or his POW experiences.

There is so much else to attack, in McCain's political record.

[Captain Hilts]

12. Bob Dole and Ted Kennedy ran a great senate. Michael Dukakis has spoken well of Dole.

He earned it on the Hill.

And no one - NO ONE - hated GHWB more than Dole did. It was the laugh of Capitol Hill in the 90s.

[Captain Hilts]

16. He and Hillary will be rattled cages in Ohio this week. Go get 'em! nt

[Jennicut]

4. I odn't think Bill gets that politics is EVEN uglier then when he ran

and it was plenty ugly then. But it is downright horrific now and its a 24/7 media as well. Way faster then in 1992 and 1996. He is a bit behind the times.

[Captain Hilts]

6. You didn't live in Washington in the 90s, and now. It IS ugly now...

so I marvel at all the folks here "not wanting to relive the 90s" as if it was Clinton's fault. The Repulbicans have brought this on the country and they are still doing it.

I think United Statesians are tiring of it. But only one side can stop it - the Republicans - and we'll just have to buck up and act above the fray.

[Curtland1015]

7. Yes, I do think that might be a part of it.

As I said, there was no "Rove" back when Clinton ran. Not that politics hasn't been dirty ever SINCE there has been politics. But it certainly seems to be amped up in the past eight years.

[Captain Hilts]

9. There was an 'Attwater'. He was Rove's coach and mentor. nt

[Jennicut]

10. It started in the 90's but I don't blame the Clintons. It was Newt and co.

That started it. That tried to impeach him. That shut down the government. That helped start the Vince Foster was murdered crap. Ugly stuff but it was before Bush and stolen elections and you are unpatriotic if you are against the war. It has gotten worse and worse and worse.

[mtnsnake]

11. Maybe you could tutor Bill and bring him up to date in the world of politics (snicker)

He is a bit behind the times

Now thats just precious, an internet junkie who knows more about politics than Bill Clinton. lmao

[Jennicut]

14. He really showed his political acumen in the primaries. The guy has lost his touch.

I greatly respect many of the things he has done. I voted for him in 1996 when I was 20 years old. But he needs to realize that politics in 2008 is you either hit back hard or you go down. Its not just the economy. You have to counter the Rethugs at every single turn. The war room was brilliant in 1992. But its 2008.

[Captain Hilts]

15. A lot of the crap attributed to Clinton was just not true.

Yeah, he had a dog in the fight, but some of the media have actually retracted some of the shit they attributed to him.

[Captain Hilts]

5. A good temperament and 'acting nice' is the MAJOR advantage our ticket has over their ticket....

Our ticket doesn't act rashly. We 'play well with others'. As did Bill Clinton. Bubba, Obama, Biden and Hil all 'get' it. THIS is what will get Sen. Obama elected.

See how George F. Will this morning TRASHES McCain's attitude:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/22/AR2008092202583.html

Under the pressure of the financial crisis, one presidential candidate is behaving like a flustered rookie playing in a league too high. It is not Barack Obama.

Channeling his inner Queen of Hearts, John McCain furiously, and apparently without even looking around at facts, said Chris Cox, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, should be decapitated. This childish reflex provoked the Wall Street Journal to editorialize that "McCain untethered" -- disconnected from knowledge and principle -- had made a "false and deeply unfair" attack on Cox that was "unpresidential" and demonstrated that McCain "doesn't understand what's happening on Wall Street any better than Barack Obama does."

In any case, McCain's smear -- that Cox "betrayed the public's trust" -- is a harbinger of a McCain presidency. For McCain, politics is always operatic, pitting people who agree with him against those who are "corrupt" or "betray the public's trust," two categories that seem to be exhaustive -- there are no other people.

[RichGirl]

13. One thing that everyone seemed to have missed.

On Letterman, Bill said he thought that Obama would win. Dave asked him if it would be close. He said "no". That's showing a lot of confidence if he thinks Obama will win big. He said it before: Obama will win handily.

It would be really nice if there were at least one ethical, speaks for himself, person on the right who actually complimented Obama once in a while. But they are all robots to the Rove slime machine and can only attack negatively. The fact that we have many, not just Bill, who respect McCain, shows that democrats are more decent, fair and honest.

[OwnedByFerrets]

17. Waiting till AFTER the election is too damn late.

We, the democrats and the country, need his enthusiastic endorsement right now.

www.wearableartnow.com

[Captain Hilts]

18. He and Hillary are going to spend a couple of days in Ohio this week. nt

[Curtland1015]

19. Too late for what? I could trash Bill Clinton on here till the cows come home.

How would that effect anything? I'll wait and see because all I can DO is wait and see. I might as well try and keep a positive opinion while I'm doing so.

[SIMPLYB1980]

20. Just want to say thank you, I think you almost get why Clinton's

supporters will not relent on their support for the Big Dog. I think a lot of Obama supporters will understand a lot better after they have been defending Obama for eight years in the Whitehouse. The media will be against him the whole time, just like they were for Clinton. I don't have a problem with defending Obama for the next eight years just like I don't have a problem defending Carter or Clinton, it's something all Democrats should do.

[Captain Hilts]

27. BINGO! I was going to say the same thing. I wasn't that excited about him in his first term...

But as time went on, I saw the press HATED him and conservative Democrats were the worst problem of all.

He was kind of on his own.

I actually liked him MORE after Monica because he showed he was a tough guy. Weird, I know.

[ShortnFiery]

21. No, he's now the spouse of a powerful United States Senator. No slack for bitter old politicians.

[Zuiderelle]

23. You got that right. Oh wait.... you said "no slack for bitter old politicians..."

not bitter old DUers.

Never mind.

[Balderdash]

24. The same people trashed Bill Clinton before the

Convention. Clinton better do this or he better do that, like anyone on DU can do anything to the man. Then when Bill Clinton kicked ass at the Convention, butter wouldn't have melted in their mouths. I prefer my statesmen to behave like statesmen, we don't need Bill Clinton in the mud. We need him talking plainly and clearly to those Independents that only he can get.

[scheming daemons]

25. Fine.. don't get in the mud..... but don't praise McCain either....

Don't make it palatable for people to vote for McCain.


He has to make it clear that a vote for McCain would be disastrous for the country.


Yesterday... he was giving McCain too much credit.


I'm not saying to attack the guy....but how about NOT praising him so much?


Is that too much to ask?

[Balderdash]

26. Our nominee does the same thing.

It's one of the things that I like about him. I prefer statesmen over loudmouth Limbaugh like blowhards. Clinton made his points and made them well without rancor and hard feelings.

[Captain Hilts]

29. That's exactly right. He's not playing to the choir on DU. Not even trying.

He's got a bigger audience of 'undecided's to talk to.