US News
Bill Clinton's mea culpa: Hillary must defend self
Feb 9, 2008, 7:03 GMT
Washington - Former US president Bill Clinton, after provoking furore for attacks on his wife's chief rival for the White House nomination, said he may have made some mistakes trying to defend her.
But in an interview with NBC television on Friday, he said his remarks were 'inaccurately' reported and interpreted. And he conceded that he had to let Hillary Clinton defend herself in the future.
The reporter tracked Clinton down in a diner in Portland, Maine, where Democratic voters are to hold a presidential caucus on Sunday.
Candidate Clinton, 60, and fellow Democratic senator Barack Obama, 46, are neck and neck in one of the hottest contested campaigns for the nomination in recent times.
'I think the mistake that I made is to think that I was a spouse like any other spouse who could defend his candidate,' he said. 'I think I can promote Hillary but not defend her because I was president.'
'I have to let her defend herself or have someone else defend her,' he said.
The former president has charged that Obama, a crowd-rousing public speaker, had a 'fairy tale' idea about what he could do as president.
He also dismissed the South Carolina party primary victory by Obama, who is African-American, as not much more than the wins by civil-rights activist Jesse Jackson, who is black, in the heavily black state during 1980 presidential campaigns.
'I did not ever criticize Senator Obama personally in South Carolina. I never criticized him personally,' Clinton said.
The former president's role in a possible presidency by his wife - it would be an all-time-US-first - has been frequent grist for the pundits' mill.
Would he be called the 'first man' to the former first lady? Or would he call the shots?
The candidate has insisted she would wear the 'pant suits' in her White House.
The former president said he would not interfere with the work of a 'strong vice president, strong secretary of state, strong secretary of treasury.'
'I will not be on the staff full-time. I will do what I'm asked to do.'
'You know, we'll talk through things. And I'll be available for whatever specific assignments seem right,' he said.
Clinton dismissed suggestions that he should withdraw from the campaign and mind the business of his globe-trotting foundation.
'Nobody else's family members are doing that,' he retorted. 'I would be campaigning for her if we were not married.
'She's the best qualified person to be president I've ever had a chance to support, and I feel strongly about it,' he said.
Clinton said in the future, he would 'promote her but not defend her.'
'Even if I win an argument with another candidate, it's not the right thing to do,' he said.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
say something stupid sp4 .
so we can jump on your ass...
I did not introduce racism into this campaign!
over Osama Obama. Hillary over no brain McCain.
Bill isn't any different than any other person coming to the defense of a family member regardless of the situation.
Times have changed, and every word uttered is recorded, excerpted, digested, and rehashed. Bill's personal shoot-from-the-hip style is not optimal in a world that parses everything, and reports everything.
Unfortunately, this causes candidates likewise to pre-think everything, and practice NOT making mistakes, and reduces spontaneity. It also means that no candidate will take a position that some in their party would consider extreme while in their own primaries. Now that McCain has pretty well sewn up the GOP side, you see Bush attempting to pass the mantle - but many Conservatives are not happy with Bush, either.
The fundamentalist bloc simply wants a candidate who panders, and Romney's very expensive attempts to do so, in the face of his own policy history, make me wonder even if the fundamentalists believe in the positions of their own candidates.
This country needs to hear a lot more from the middle, and a heck of a lot less from the retards on the extreme right. I see Ted Haggard gave up the ghost, and most of these televangelists are just in it for the bucks anyway, or their own personal glory in being worshipped by adoring yahoos. Pity those who contribute to these megachurches, expecting to buy their way into heaven.
It's my hope that he keeps doing exactly what he is presently doing.
The difference with Bill is that he's SMART.
If Bill is so smart, why is he backpedaling so fast?
He's smart, but also used to the limelight. This time, it is NOT about Bill, and apparently he had not gotten the message, despite party people trying to get through to him.
The question is how much weight the memory of the 1990's brings to Hillary's campaign. She cannot spend her time apologizing for Bill's well-intended utterances.
That's what makes the campaign so interesting to watch - like a soap opera in real-time. Obama's campaign is dull, in comparison.
The GOP STARTS OFF dull, and goes downhill from there. Like watching 'Rambo 28', starring John McCain. The more Huckabee campaigns, the more support he gains that may NOT end up with McCain in the end, as they pander (best word I can come up with) to different bases within the same party.
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,330188,00.html
“I’m more into miracles than math,” Huckabee said Friday. “Miracles, I understand. Math is a little harder. People have said, well, you’ve got to have anywhere from 70 to 80 percent of all the rest of the delegates. That’s assuming no other delegates leave the people they’ve supported so far. … But as we all know, a candidate can say one word, do one thing, have one particular moment that can end his whole career so, you know, I’m not saying I’m just driving behind (McCain) at the NASCAR race waiting for him to lose a tire. But crazier things have happened.”
page: 1
okFeb 9th, 2008 - 13:19:01
sp4 your up to bat..
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