McCain 'Don't Know Much'
Amazingly funny, and accurate: ...

http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2008/08/obama_ad_mccain_dont_know_much.html

Pass it on!

A new Obama ad uses the classic Sam Cooke song "Wonderful World" (with altered lyrics) to show that McCain doesn't "know much" about the economy and would continue the policies of the Bush administration. The closing line: "Do we really want four more years of the same tune?" The ad begins airing today on national cable in battleground states.

--
Kevin B

I'm saying it now: President Barack H. Obama, Jr., 2009 - 2017

As much as I resent the whining Bill has done, I agree with Wolfson on the point of praising Clinton achievements. There really is nothing to lose by doing so, and it only serves to point out a stark contrast with the last eight years.

Waaaahhhh, waaaaahhhh!! I ran the country for 8 years yet I'm nothing but a petty manchild! Waaaahhhhhh!!

Oh, and Bill? You did try to use race to sink Obama. No one accused you of being racist, but you certainly exploited it.

Oh, and go to hell, you are an embarrassment to the Party, and to the presidency.

This is maddening. Clearly the Democratic Convention is about the Clintons. It's not about getting Obama elected so we don't have to deal with McCain and the erosion of health care, a push to privatize social security, more wars for the sake of wars, tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the middle class and the national debt, the Supreme Court swinging hard to the right on abortion rights, and four more years of ignoring global warming and our energy crisis.

http://pufferfish.typepad.com/

sorry Greg but to say Rift seems to me to be making it more dramatic than it is. Why not say tension?
Ambinder has even more info by the way which has to do with who is advising Bill on his speech. Care to guess? Mark Penn. So I think that needs to be made clear too.

Just to recap:

The issues which affect hundreds of millions of people at home and abroad = less important to Bill Clinton than his personal peevishness.

http://strategy08.wordpress.com

Bill is feeling "tension" so he will need to be "stroked" to he can feel "relieved" then we can all have a "happy ending."

I think there is a big difference in terms of how the media/voters respond to the 2 speeches:

--A rousing speech by Hillary Clinton will be a nice help to Obama. A tepid speech will not. I would say about 80% of the response to her speech will focus on how it helps/hurts Obama.

--Bill Clinton is another matter. A tepid speech by him, or a few sarcastic jabs by him, will only hurt Bill's reputation and Bill's persona. I'd say 80% of the reaction there will be on how Bill feels. After all, he was not the one running, and as others have pointed out, if there was anything that hurt Hillary at times, it was Bill's certain off-the-cuff remarks, the "Jesse Jackson" dismissal of Obama, and the way the former head of the entire party was seen as stooping to the level of a back-bencher.

(and Danny Noonan above puts it well...this convention is supposed to be about Obama getting elected, not about the Clintons. The more this story is pushed, the more we WILL see backlash, i.e., "why is everything all about the Clintons?" type backlash.)

It appears that several lifelong Clinton supporters and many DLC types are all on message throughout the media. Even in their words of support for Obama/Biden, they manage to insert doubt. Are these people willing to destroy the village?

You know, I don't have a lot of trouble believing that Bill Clinton is acting like a childish, thin-skinned jackass.

But I have even less trouble believing that Howard Wolfson is just making things up in a pathetic attempt to remain relevant.

PS - sorry about the technical issues. User error; my fingers must have a case of "the Mondays."

After the Racist Sexist scumbag campaign waged against the Clinton's by Oilbama and his cult followers, why in the world are Hillary and Bill saying anything but the truth to the American people. Obama is a mediocre junior Senator with miniscule legistlative accomplishmensts saddled
with a bitchy wife who goes around giving sanctimonious lectures about “mean” Americans. This from a woman out of Princeton and Harvard Law making $300,000 a year. Obama is running dirty scummy chicago style campaign and should be denounced as an empty suit and is the only candidate for President this year who voted for Dick Cheney's Energy Bill. Rezco, Rev Wright, and William Ayers best bud, good old Oilbama.

And rightly so

The Obamas branded the Clinton as being racist KKK members. They smeared Hillary.

Why should the Clinton forget Obama's distasteful campaign?

And Obama has flip flopped on campaign spending, FISA, Iraq, offshore drilling, etc.

Hillary should be the nominee.

This is all becoming very cartoonish. Do Clinton and his surrogates not realize that even if Obama does what is suggested here, it will come across as ridiculous? The only thing that is being demonstrated here is that Bill Clinton is a big baby. I'm sad to say that in the course of this Primary, Bill Clinton has systematically dismantled what was already a fragile legacy. I'd say, he'd be well-served to set that great big ego aside and get to work trying to rebuild said legacy.

msnbc has been nothing but six straight hours of yammering about the obama/clinton feud. and every fucking 'democratic' spokesmodel has gone on there and only reinforced the dissension.

david shuster(!) of all people was the only one i saw who cautioned that these numbers aren't significant and that there appears to be a republican connection (duh). who cares what the facts may be, as long as you can bash the clintons and diminish the democrats.... it's a twofer!

I see the trolls are here in droves.

Bill and Hillary have this AMAZINGLY large ego and sense of entitlement. They might be the sorest losers I have ever seen.

Yo Wolfson...don't ya have alogcabin reTHUGlican meeting ya need to go to

STFU

I DETEST Bill Clinton BUT Barack is already praising his term on the trail invoking the fact that incomes rose $6K on average in his term...

I agree that it would be painless for Obama to through a few good lines of praise toward Bill Clinton in his speech on Thursday and he probably will; but give me a break Clintons.... keep this stuff to yourselves for now!!!!!

If that is all it would take, then Barack should do it. Problem is both Hillary and Bill speak before Obama.

Bill needs to realize that he is damaging his legacy right now. I mean Hillary got 18M votes, but Obama is also getting 80% of the democratic base vote, and assuming most Republicans dislike him, he's really playing to 10% of the country who still supports him.

If he came out in complete support of Obama, the Dem base would rally around him. Nobody wants to dislike him, but he's making it so damn hard to let bygones be bygones in this instance.

More than hurt feelings I think he's seeing his DLC power base dwindling. I have little doubt that he would love to see Obama lose, however I think he's smart enough to realize Hillary isn't going to win in four years if Obama loses. The best chance they'd have is getting a DLC'er to win the primary and then choose Hillary as their running mate.

You guys should get over yourself. Whatever the status of Wolfson, what he suggests is

1) absolutely simple to execute (and then some more)

2) in everyone's interest. Not just because of the unity it exudes, but you give credit to an older generation that is being replaced. And... you remind the whole nation that is watching who the winning team really has been ?

Under Bill Clinton economy and international status etc etc was good. So obviously you want to contrast that with Bush, and instead of saying "back to Clinton" you say.. time for change.

It doesn't mean that you cannot credit at the same time a past presidency. They are two INDEPENDENT things !

When were things good the last time ? You got it. Clinton... "Time for Change !!!"

So it's absolutely STUPID to have any rift, any reproach, any back and forth between the two groups on here whatsoever, the benefits of just shutting the fuck up, are simply overwhelming. If you guys can't see that.. you really don't deserve to win.

Much ado about nothing. Get back to us, about where things stand between the Clintons and Obama, after they all have taken their convention bows.

Hey, I have a crazy idea. What if a well-run Democratic campaign knew the media was salivating to report on a "rift" between Obama / Clinton so they used the media's rabid inability to focus on anything else to game the story and keep COMPLETE FOCUS on the details of the convention and then AT the convention the 2 supposedly rifting sides (who have been in close communication for weeks) showed complete unity and used the media's focus to highlight the positive messages of the convention, the party, and the candidates? Is that something you'd be interested in?

OR, how about everyone stops for a minute and asks themselves if they're biting on the storyline the GOP wants to push all week long and is ACTUALLY PAYING TO ADVERTISE so you focus on it and shows some discipline for once and STOPS TALKING ABOUT IT??

Wolfson's exactly right, by the way, and it would be great to see both of those things happen at the convention.

Couldn't agree more with Esmense. There's a history here, and so let's leave it there: history. Give credit to everyone, in OVER ABUDANDANCE. It doesn't harm Obama, it doesn't harm anybody, and it will make everyone happy and motivated. In fact it will appear as a united Democratic party: content with itself, the direction it is going, its history and the present leadership

What is more appealing than that ?

I agree, Peter Pan. Well said.

they should stop talking to the press and settle this quietly.

CT voter --

Don't let Clinton hatred swamp your common sense. It's not the Obama camp or the Clinton camp that is intentionally feeding this (although supporters of both are reacting is less than wise ways) -- it is the Republicans. Because doing so works to their advantage and against Obamas.

This is a chance for Barack to demonstrate his leadership skills. As president he'll be dealing with pouters like Putin, so he might as well finesse Bill now and show us how it's done. It is a shame to see Bill out-grumpying McCain.

I realize that there isn't much happening in the news, but eventually we're going to have to find another story beyond the drama surrounding the Clintons. It's time to turn the page.

The Clintons' family are piece of work. Chelsea Clinton should not even try to run for office because her father has done an ir-repearable damage.

Next week Bush, Cheney, Lieberman lead off the RNC.

Be interesting to see what the MSM does with so much grist for their mill that they don't have to manufacture news

Bill Clinton has nothing to lose by continuing the rift. Barack Obama has everything to lose. That's what makes him so stupid. It's almost like he's trying to lose the election so he can prove how racist America (and Bill Clinton) really is.

Bill is such a f****** baby. He is the main reason that Hillary didn't get the VP slot. The Obama camp probably felt that it was too much of a risk and that he couldn't be trusted. Even though Hillary would have been the VP nominee, Bill would have shot his mouth off, and he would have done everything to undermine Obama.

I'm tired of hearing from Bill on how great Republicans are, NAFTA, GATT, defense of marriage act, what a great president John McCain would be, how liberals need to come to the center, bs, bs, and bs.

Look, I'm the last one to defend Bill Clinton, but something smells here. Wolfson, Carville, and Begala have been beating this disunity drum for days, particularly since Biden was picked as VP but Wolfson started even before. The natural assumption is that they are doing so at the Clinton's behest, but I have to wonder.......

Even if Bill and Hillary want Obama to lose, they surely don't want to be this transparent, I wouldn't think. I don't doubt there are feelings of resentment, esp with Bill being who he is, but WHY the blatant, insistent airing of any discord?

I saw James Carville interviewed this a.m. and he should be shot! Totally gratuitous, intentional trouble-making, to stir up the enmity (or supposed emnity) between Obama and the Clintons. Is it just that no one will put them on camera if they don't sing this song?

People posting here -- with their deep in the political weeds partisan (for their candidate) hatreds -- aren't representative of voters in general. The general view of Clinton and his administration, by middle and working class people who were responsible for their own economic situations at the time (30s and older) is that it was a much better time economically. Most people give Clinton, who was president at the time, credit for that. Just as most people today place the blame for today's economy on the current holder of the White House.

There is a real power play going on in the Democratic party -- the long-time Washington insider congressional power players (and their staffs), some of whom, like Kennedy, have held power for close to half a century and many others whose time in Washington long pre-dates the Clintons' arrival, have used the Obama candidacy to drive out and diminish the power of the Arkansas outsiders who took over the reins of executive power, and accumluated some power out in the hinterlands, among both ordinary voters and party activists and leaders, over 16 years ago.

Whether diminishing or extinguishing the Clintons' power is a good thing or not for the party in the long run, making it more important than winning this election is NOT in the party's best interest NOW.

Something that Obama's supporters too often seem to realize. They fail to understand that running against the Clintons offers no advantage in the general election, and in fact can do real harm.

But they just can't seem to stop themselves. I think for many defeating the Clintons has always been much more of a priority than actually winning in November.

Bill Clinton is a big, f*cking baby! He should take notes from his former Vice-President on how to behave when dealt an electoral blow. Geez, Gore lost the entire presidency because of the Supreme Court and he's never acted with anything less than absolute maturity and grace. I hope Al calls him and tells him to grow up.

I have sat back the last 6 weeks or so to calmly take in the process and the proceedings.

And I have to speak out...

If the Clinton supporters and rabid Clinton fans cost Barack Obama this election, I can promise you that we will return the favor in 2012. It is obvious that Bill and Hillary are plotting her campaign for 2012 and that will not happen if Obama wins. It is so machiavelian.

Obama supporters will line up behind another worth candidate and sink the Clinton for President campaign again. I promise it. And if she is able to bully her way to the Democratic nomination....you can expect another four years of President McCain... because we WILL remember this nightmarish behavior.

The road runs two ways. Sink our candidate and you can kiss our good will and votes goodbye. I expect a candidate like Mark Warner will take Shrilliary down in 2012. Just my thoughts. Instates like West Virginia and Tennessee Hillary won because she was the non black candidate. Wait until she runs against a moderate white man from a southern state. She will have her ass handed to her.

The Clintons had better watch their step or their legacy will be destroyed. I already have no respect for the drame, lies, deception and scandals that have plagued their years in the national spotlight.

Obama has no clue how to unify anything.

That the Clinton's continue to control the narrative is perfect evidence of that.

Talk to the avatar.

The GOOPers are hyperventilating over the possibility of Bill as an obstacle for Barack. The right-wing cartoonists like Ramirez whose work the Chicago Tribune buys from the totally right-wing Investors Business Daily - IBD - (I call it Irritable Bowel Disorder) are showing the balloons for the balloon drop being replaced by BC and HRC with bowling balls. It fits into Limbaugh's Operation Chaos.
The tighty righties are praying for rain to dampen the Obama speech in the stadium, but they'd be tickled even pinker than they already are if Big Dog caused trouble.
The question is whether he can get over himself and support Obama because McCain would be a disaster.

DemDave72 --

You are exactly the kind of Democrat who may cost the party THIS election.

How many times did you vote for Nader in the past?

What is Bill Clinton? Eight? He should just say what it is he wants to say and get it over with. He'll come across as bitter and self-centered, which is exactly what he is. But he'll be done with it.

Then he should grow the hell up. It was a POLITICAL CAMPAIGN. Nothing personal, Bubba. For once in your life, maybe you could consider acting like an adult.

Well as someone who intends on supporting the Dem candidate whoever it might have been I have to say anyone reading the posts here would have to assume things would be much the same had Hillary won. Obama supporters would now be the ones whining and threatening to sit out the election. History shows the Dems have been famous for this after any hotly contested election. Grow up all of you.

I AM SO TIRED OF THE CLINTONS
This is not about them . . . this is about the legitmate winner of the Democratic Primary and his right to stand in the limelight and celebrate. His time to cheer on his supporters with a platform of Change for a better America for all.
This is a crucial time for all to put the importance of the future of America at the fore front of business and put aside all personal grudges and disapointments.
CLINTON'S YOU LOSS . . . ACCEPT IT !
Let the Democratic Convention begin . . . .

You could tell at the time that Bill was scorched by Obama's downplaying his administration record.

The Clintons were Obama's opposition. The Clintons were pulling out all the stops against Barack, and were even needling him about not being tough enough to take the pounding.

Barack's remarks about Bill were actually pretty mild -- said Bill didn't change the political trajectory of the country the way Reagan did -- but sure pissed old Bubba off.

It wasn't Barack who questioned Bill's comments in SC, it was others in the black community.

I am sorry Bill is going to speak at the convention, but as he is an ex-president, there is really no way around it.

He could torpedo his legacy (such that it is) with a petulant speech in Denver, and wouldn't be doing Hillary any favors. Or he could suck it up and deliver the kind of unifying message befitting an ex-president to his party.

Bill has never been about party or country or anything but Bill, so I am not hopeful.

Bill and Hill need to take a pill!

"I forget her name, but the AA Repub Strategist, so I don't give much credence to it, but it pretty wild assertion to make if one was just making it up."

"I really do not care that Bill Clinton is personally offended by anything that went on in the primaries. He brought it on himself, and is now stunned that his foolishness is seen in a way that poorly reflects on his legacy. He needs to STFU, and fall in line if he wants to salvage it. If he continues on this course, and BO does not come away with the Whitehouse, imagine what AA's (and others) will think of him then. There will be an asterisk next to his name ***the old pompous wind bag that cost the best candidate in the 2008 election and the 1st AA dem nominee EVER the Presidential Election."

Whatever do you mean by "AA"? Asian, Armenian, Azerbaijani? Oh, I forgot. We all look alike, right?