Here is the latest quotation from Bill Clinton in his continuing role as surrogate attack dog in his wife's presidential campaign, in a speech to a veteran's group in North Carolina:
"I think it would be a great thing if we had an election year where you had two people who loved this country and were devoted to the interest of this country and people could actually ask themselves who is right on these issues, instead of all this other stuff that always seems to intrude itself on our politics."
uh, translation? "Senator Obama is lacking in patriotism, a disloyal traitor." Yup, ol' Bill was not referring to McCain when he uttered those words. Time was that Bill Clinton was pretty tired of loyalty-oath politics himself. He clearly did not enjoy dealing with a Republican Congress that constantly preached at him on patriotism and accused him of being un-American back in the day. But times change, and now that his wife is one notch less liberal than Obama, he is willing to play the same card that others played so many times on him.
The Obama campaign was not thrilled to hear that crap. Retired Air Force Gen. Merrill "Tony" McPeak (who serves with Obama's election effort now) said he was disappointed by the comments and compared them to those of tailgunner Joe McCarthy, the 1950s communist-hunting senator. Politics by character assassination? Baseless accusations of "not loving America"? Well, yes, McCarthy liked to do that. His efforts were motivated by a desire to UP the popularity of the Republican Party by tarring Dems as "fellow travelers" with the Communist Party international. Clinton makes his accusation in order to achieve the same goal: to win an election.
So here's the deal. Once and for all, the three remaining presidential contenders, Obama, Clinton, and McCain, are all patriots. None of them are running in order to betray the USA to the government of China, Russia, or even Liechtenstein. They are all motivated by a desire to do their duty as it is granted to them to see their duty. So let's give this loyalty crap a rest! And let's put Bill Clinton into a box with a label on it reading "do not open before January 2012".
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Comments: 31
Power is at the heart of one candidacy, and the Clintons will do or say anything to win.
Then again, is he really helping? After all, he did humiliate her publically.
She should have sent him packing with Monica...
I myself have at times been caught up in this need to find any sort defect in those who reflect opposites of my own views. That is just human nature. However we need to some how get past this and look to the best interest of the country and not just vote for someone who cares only about our own little part of the world.
Doesn't Obama have his own group of cheerleaders. Sure he does.
Politically, our nation has been locked into being against someone rather than for someone for so long that many look for evil in everything the opposition does rather than tout reasons for voting for their candidate and that is exactly what Chis did with this statement from Bill Clinton.
Myself I saw it as a variation on my own political fantasy, which is a Presidential election in which both party's select candidates that I think are presidential material and as a voter, I am stuck with the difficult choice of deciding which of them will get my vote. Democrats were presented with this opportunity this year with respect to the Democratic nominee and instead of taking advantage of it both sides have to some extent sunk back into politics as usual.
When this campaign started my opinion of Barrack Obama was that someday he would make a fine and perhaps even great president, but that he had yet to show me he was ready to assume the responsibilities and deal with the pressures that accompany that office. He may still someday fulfill the promise I saw in him, but to do that he will have to reign in those of his supporters who have picked up the Republican play book of strategies one of which sees anyone who is not with you 100 percent as as enemy whose every move and statement is filled with evil motive and hidden messages. As long as this mentality is allowed to thrive there is little hope of unifying our nation.
If we are to become unified we must pick up the playbook of a Republican, Gerald Ford, who saw his opposition not as enemies but as adversaries who should be treated with respect. The candidate who picks up that particular banner and succeeds, will go down in history as a great president.
The weird thing here is that I am not generalizing from this that I could never vote for Hillary clinton for President. In fact, I will promise you explicitly here that, should Obama fail to get the nomination, I WILL vote for Senator Clinton.
Nonetheless, I am annoyed at the nonsense that Bill is spouting: nonsense that John McCain would be very very happy to use in sound bites against Barack Obama should Obama get the nomination. What happened to loyalty? I hope that obama's camp will not retaliate by questioning Clinton fitness for office. or has he done that already?
It was bad patriotic theater, but on Obamas part, not Hillarys.
I'd still write in Hillary in November.
But i would smirk.
You really should lighten up and learn to enjoy life.
That was no contest.
Does Chris W have the same speechwriter Rush Limpaugh uses. Limpaugh is constantly translating anything the Dems say into something totally different. Typical Republican modus operandi.
Crossing the line? Who believes such propaganda rubbish, people who hear satanic sayings in rock Albums when played backwards?
He had a choice with this sentence. It could have been: "We need to concede up front that all three of these contenders, my wife, Senator Obama, and Senator mcCain, are loyal Americans of good character. We need to get back to the issues in this campaign and stop quibbling about silly things".
I point out merely that this is not what he said- and also that it does not appear to be what he wanted to say either. His criticism of Obama goes far beyond statements that his wife is more experienced, and is rather sharp edged for a fellow Dem.
And no, I do not use Rush's speechwriter. Rush and I both use our own material. I despise Rush, and he would probably despise me if he read anything that I write, which I doubt he ever will.
I note also James Carville's statement that Richardson's endorsement of Obama is "an act of betrayal." This vindicative, "we own you", attitude is part of the Clinton's problem. The entitlement mentality, the "why are people so stupid that they can't see that it is my right to be President no matter what" attitude, the "my opponent is evil and so is everyone who supports him" thinking is exactly why so many people have been abandoning the Clinton's. Why if Hillary is nominated we will have another Republican president.
This is so very true. In this instance it is mearly a smoke screen and attempt to get people to look else where besides Obama's close and personal ties to this Anti-American pastor.
I happen to agree with that conviction.
It was interesting to see Carville compare Richardson to Judas Iscariot today because Richardson had the gall to support obama instead of his mentors, the Clintons.
let's see, if Richardson equals Judas, than Hillary would equal Jesus Christ. Not quite willing to buy that one, though like i say, I would vote for her before mcCain.