This shit is getting so ridiculous that I don't even know where to begin. The guy in Iowa fucked up, no doubt about it. He admitted it. Yet here they are making hay out of it, with an assist from the media.

The Clinton campaign is caught lying *yet again* about her experience and the media dismisses it as misspeaking. NAFTA. North Ireleand peace agreement. Bosnia peace agreement. Sniper fire in Bosnia. All refuted by objective/contemparenous accounts and the media basically SHRUGS.

If it wasn't for those countless Horse's Mouth articles about the unfairness of the media, I say she's getting a real big assist from the media right now. But then that would be unfair.

Nice analysis, Greg.

Love how they use the word "gutter" a day after Richardson did on Fox.

Anyone remember how Wolfson promised to let Bill keep on keepin' on with all the lightining rod activities after Nevada? Well, that's what they did in SC, and it came back to bite them.

Now they're trying a new tack. Obama is usually pretty deft in his reply, so we shall see. Meantime, I loved seeing the Players Poll in dead tree Sports Illustrated this week (March Madness cover/s). It seems professional hockey players like Hillary. In fact, one of them preferred her because he figures Bill will really be running the show. Priceless.

Te strategy is to grab at anything, anywhere, about anyone to make noise. It's not that hard to understand.

It's a noteworthy development. We'll see where it goes.

As long as you keep covering this bullshit posturing, it will continue. It's a sick vicious cycle that you have got to break COLD TURKEY. The campaigns have a vested interest in this feigned outrage. It only works, though, if the media covers it.

It's a noteworthy development. We'll see where it goes.

I think what you really meant to say was:

It's a noteworthy development. We'll continue to print everything the Clinton campaign says verbatim - with nary a thought or critical analysis whatsoever - and see where it goes.

More great stuff from HRC Election Central!

thanks, Kathleen. Freaktown doesn't appear to agree.

He somehow managed to read this as a pro-Hillary piece. Not sure how anyone who presumably considers himself literate could conclude that, but there you have it.

That mean old Barack! He's calling us out on our legitamacy and questioning our motives! How dare he!

Greg - seriously, you should just have all your postings link to hillaryclinton.com

Greg:

For what it's worth, I appreciate your reporting. And I admire your ability to shrug off the constant, ridiculous -- and often times downright cruel -- attacks on your integrity by some of the commenters on this site.

The bloodthirst for both Clintons, even among so-called Democrats, never ceases to amaze me. With all this revisionist history about President Clinton, it truly is amazing he was able to get elected -- twice.

"Bill Eruption"..."Blue Dress"...same paragraph.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Excellent.

one thing that constantly puzzles me about the tiny and unrepresentative minority of pro-Obama bias cops here is that they confuse the reporting of a campaign's comments/spin with the endorsement of them

this post is not pro-Hillary. it clearly says that the clinton team is doing this for a strategic purpose, which is to tarnish obama's high-mindedness. pointing this out is not an endorsement of this aim.

we reported these comments because they are news, just as we reported obama's comments on the conference call today.

it's sad that this needs to be restated, but so be it.

it might not be a bad tactic for the clinton campaign. the media loves to cover bill, so they will likely jump all over this...

in the meantime, bill is still popular among most dems (with the exception of the vocal minority of clinton-hating dems who post on blogs)... obama has made his promise of a new style of politics one of the pillars of his campaign, so this tactic of making bill the victim (whether it's legitimate or not) of newly dubbed "gutter" attacks by obama may have some legs.

the big risk, of course, is that the media would prefer to bash bill clinton than BO, so the whole thing could backfire, too...

seems to me to be interesting in a non-issue distraction sort of way. i don't have a problem with TPM covering this kind of stuff. it's the "inside baseball" part of politics that political junkies who read TPM follow.

I think Bill, as First Gentleman-or whatever they would call him, will consistently try to grab the limelight from the former first lady.

If Ms. Clinton is elected, this version of the Bill and Hillary show will truly be pathetic.

He needs too much attention.

Bill: how can we miss you if you won't go away?

No. The more Bill Clinton inserts himself into the campaign, the worse it is for Hillary Clinton. It doesn't matter whether you love him or hate him, if he is the story then he can't help but diminish his wife and the justification for her candidacy.

Wise move by camp Clinton as Bill's yap worked out so well for them the last time.

Which part of the kitchen sink is Bill? The faucet or the drain?

This long post can be summarized: "The Clinton conference call gave Greg and others a bunch of crap about Obama being mean to Bill so that they could push the Bosnia story off the headlines."

And Greg obliged them in spades.

I agree this is not a pro-Hillary piece. It's, as you say, a report highlighting a new strategy employed by the Clinton campaign (the newest, and most clever, use of Bill), and I - amongst others here, I'm sure - appreciate this observation.

Hang in there with the hyperbole! We're still with you, Greg...

If reality serves us anything not highly flattering of Obama, then reality is racist.

And anyone who reports such reality is a racist, too. In Hillary's camp, nonetheless.

If we Dems don't get ourselves together & unify behind a candidate, McBush is going to take it. Pure & simple.

The MSM is working overtime to elect St. John- voters who only watch tv & it's news will elect McCain, no mistake about it. MSM is going to be whole hog promoting McCain as the next President from now until Nov.

Wake Up, Dems.

The argument that all of Clinton campaign's tactics are OK because they're just fighting for the nomination, but that Obama can't respond in kind because "he promised a different kind of politics" are ludicrous.

They're saying "you should turn the other cheek if you're that good".

They ARE old politics, and they can see their enemy, but they don't want him to defend himself.

What they're forgetting all along is that America is watching, and the people of this country are not as stupid as they're counting on them being.

As far as I'm concerned, Barack holding a lead over somebody who had the name recognition and political machine behind them for 20 years, is a clear signal that America is ready for the Clintons to fade into the background.

I think you;d be better off just linking to the campaign's press releases and let the readers decide if this is really news or a bunch of highly paid, over caffeinated staffers wanking off in each other's general direction.

My opinion, It's not really news it's spectacle. But journalism has never been able to resolve the difference between the two.

Greg, your problem is that you are constantly framing the story for us. Why?

Yes Greg, take it from a true Clinton hack; this does not come across as pro-Hillary in any way.

And by the way - you're pretty cute!

Who let the dog out?

Both the Clintons will be marginalized after this campaign. Very sad really.

Is referring the blue dress really worse than comparing Bill Richardson to Judas? That represents HRC's "high road" apparently.

Ok, enough already with the greg spouting clinton talking points already. Please!!!!!!!!!! It's getting really boring. Just go after the points and lay off the personal attacks. It's been the same thing for months and months and months. It's not like the personal attacks are going to change anything.

On occasion, greg has made corrections. However, the more he gets personally attacked, the more likely he will not make corrections in the future. So, please lay off. Thanks.

Re Clinton "He's a master of language and knows how to imply something without directly saying it."

He used that skill well with Hillary, and with the American people. "I'll be working late and ordering Pizza dear."

Questioning another Democrat's patriotism is somehow "in bounds" while reminding people of how he pissed (or can we say ejaculated?) away his Presidency leaves 'em shocked, shocked.

I suppose we'll all get over it and vote for the Democrat in November, no matter who it is.... but boy, these Clintons are really revealing themselves as low life (or street fighters?)

Even their kind of low life will look pretty good to me when compared to McCain... but it'll be a hard choice. When this is done I'll vote for Hillary if she is my only choice, but I'll be holding my nose.

Obama just needs to keep on the high road. The problem is the media narrative follows the Clinton lead... The FORMER PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES take the low road... and then some low level Obama operative hits a little low in return... and the whole thing is reduced to a tit for tat story between equals. The equivalence is a lie, but the media doesn't know how to report a story except as two equal sides.

Aim for the sky Barack. (Or figure out how to fight with brass knuckles.)

Greg,

It's not a "Bill Eruption".

It's a "BUBBA ERUPTION".

Get it straight! Thanks!

I think that's a pretty good comment by the Iowa supporter of Obama, and Obama surrogates should keep taking it to Bill in the same manner. He gets to act like some party elder while he's acting in the most self-interested fashion. Perhaps reminding people of some of the overwhelming noise and distractions of the Clinton presidency, which were Bill's own fault, would take him off that pedestal a bit.

Ooh, ooh, Greg! Your breathless reporting of this dull-as-a-box-of-rocks story has me on the edge of my seat! Bill is back in action! Gadzooks! What's next? The campaign announces that Chelsea is back, too?! And, look, they're accusing the Obama campaign of going negative! Genius! That Clinton campaign is so clever! It's stra-teee-gically brilliant! Now everyone is going to think that Obama is the negative one! Damn them and their mad genius! Damn them all!!!

I wonder when the reality that she is not going to be the Dem nominee will begin to settle in. She won't catch up in the pledge delegates, and the pop vote is very likely to remain Obama's. The Clintons are trying very very hard to wrestle this nomination from Obama, and, to be fair, it has been a very close race. But, it seems like they're having a real hard time letting go. Hillary's chances of getting the nomination is the longest longshot in the history of politics. If she succeeds, it would be hailed as one of the great political stories ever, but if she fails, while continuing to smudge Obama, all she will have succeeded in is showing that she is suborn, and that she is willing to damage the democratic parties chances in November in pursuit of her lofty ambitions.

As an Obama supporter I do want to see Obama turn the other cheek, no matter what Clinton does. Or atleast see Obama supporters respond in an appropriate manner. I think it sucks that that comment was made.

At the same time, look at what James Carville said. This is America, people can support whomever they want! Also, for Richardson to come out for Obama at the time he did- I don't think he was jumping on the Obama bandwagon at all. If anything he was the opposite of Judas!

I think the Obama camp needs to STAY ON THE HIGH ROAD. I just know how hard it is to hold back cause the Clinton camp just picks, picks, picks.

Also, the McCarthy comment was made by a retired general, I don't think it was thought up by the Obama campaign- ya know.

How much of what these people say actually comes from the candidate? They need to train their people on being appropriate. Both candiates.

I think most people are turned off by this crap. Even though yes, Clinton started it, Obama needs to just distance himself from it, and only put out reasonable statements.

I don't think we can expect the Clinton's or their people to back off. In my opinion, Bill is making an a** out of himself when he says dumb stuff like that...Retired generals can maybe get away with it, but not a former president.

Why? It's a blog. Bloggers can't post responses or remarks? I'm so confused. I thought that was the point.

Hillary advisers see tarnishing Obama's high-mindedness as so imperative that they'll grab any opportunity to do so and risk whatever potential downside they may see in refocusing the race on the former President.

No one in the entire country wants to visualize the Blue Dress again. The Blue Dress is nothing but downside, but since the Obama camp brought it up, they are the ones who are going to feel the PA voters' fury over it. Watch how the Blue Dress comment becomes another Wright nightmare for Obama.

After Wright, "downside" has been redefined.

When Obama was able to keep his campaign positive, people flocked to him. As "billysumday" suggested, Obama would be wise to find a different way of countering Hillary, one that doesn't allow her to bring him down to her level.