Leading Democrats To Bill Clinton: Pipe Down - Newsweek

[WillyT]

<snip>

Prominent Democrats are upset with the aggressive role that Bill Clinton is playing in the 2008 campaign, a role they believe is inappropriate for a former president and the titular head of the Democratic Party. In recent weeks, Sen. Edward Kennedy and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, both currently neutral in the Democratic contest, have told their old friend heatedly on the phone that he needs to change his tone and stop attacking Sen. Barack Obama, according to two sources familiar with the conversations who asked for anonymity because of their sensitive nature. Clinton, Kennedy and Emanuel all declined to comment.

On balance, aides to both Bill and Hillary still see Bill as a huge net plus in fund-raising, attracting large crowds and providing a megaphone to raise doubts about Obama—even if some of those doubts are distortions. But there's concern that in hatcheting the Illinois senator and losing his temper with the news media (last week he thrashed a San Francisco TV reporter for asking about a lawsuit filed by Clinton-backing teachers union members to limit the number of Nevada caucuses), Clinton is drawing down his political capital and harming his role as a global statesman. "This is excruciating," says a member of the Clintons' circle, who asked for anonymity. "But the stakes couldn't be higher. It's worth it to tarnish himself a bit now to win the presidency."

During a December taping with PBS's Charlie Rose, a frustrated Clinton called Obama "a roll of the dice," as aides tried to end the interview. Then, in New Hampshire, he argued angrily that the story of Obama's principled position on the Iraq War was a "fairy tale," a charge few reporters bought. Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the top-ranking African-American in Congress and officially neutral, found Clinton's tone insulting and said so publicly.

When the former president called Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat gave Clinton an earful, telling him that he bore some blame for the injection of race into the contest. In any event, both Hillary and Obama made peace on the race issue at the Las Vegas debate. The Clinton camp now fears that Kennedy is leaning toward Obama, according to the Clinton source, though Kennedy's office says he is making no endorsement "at this time."

Clinton aides admit the boss sometimes goes off script. Obama officials say this itself should be a campaign issue. Greg Craig, who coordinated Clinton's impeachment defense in 1998 and is now a senior Obama adviser, argues that "recent events raise the question: if Hillary's campaign can't control Bill, whether Hillary's White House could."

<snip>

Link: http://www.newsweek.com/id/96385

I think we are into uncharted waters at this point in the game.

:wow:

[dkf]

1. if Hillary's campaign can't control Bill, whether Hillary's White House could

Hillary has NEVER been able to control Bill. Bill does what he pleases. end of story.

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. ...

:yoiks:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. Fat chance.

[WillyT]

4. And Then There's THIS !!! - Bill Clinton As Poll Watcher\Campaigner !!!

<snip>

Las Vegas, NV - Just minutes before local voters entered one of the controversial casino-based caucus sites at the Mirage resort Saturday morning, former president Bill Clinton made a surprise visit to personally lobby voters on behalf of his wife and to accuse her pro-Barack Obama union opponents of deliberately intimidating and misdirecting potential caucusers

The former president then entered the caucus site ballroom setting off a polarized, passionate exchange of shouts and chants between supporters of his wife Hillary Clinton and those of Obama, bringing forth charges from some voters that it was Clinton himself who was engaged in intimidation.

As caucusers lined up outside the Mirage ballroom, Clinton mingled with the crowd hugging whomever was in reach and avidly urging those present to support Hillary Clinton. He told The HuffPost that his wife's campaign staff had been "flooded" with complaints from hotel workers throughout the city that they have been "rescheduled" and "reassigned and told they could not vote until November."

In dialog with the HuffPost, Clinton charged at least three times that the Culinary Workers Union, which endorsed Obama, was deliberately trying to suppress votes of pro-Clinton union members. "We hope there won't be so much of this that she won't be competitive," he said, referring to his wife's chances of winning today's Democratic caucus.

Immediately after he made his charges of voter intimidation, the ex-president then stationed himself inside the door of the caucus room and began to individually lobby voters on behalf of his wife.

<snip>

More (plus video): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/19/bill-clinton-ignites-ruck_n_82327.html

Man... we've definitely stepped through the looking glass!

:wtf:

[Missy M]

5. Another anonymous source story....

Bill Clinton is a private citizen and should be free to campaign for Hillary. I don't put much creed in anonymous source stories.