« Obama campaign turns thuggish (update: podcast available) | 'Please remove his distorted and misleading articles from your site' -- an email exchange »
PrintAugust 28, 2008
Bill Clinton's digs at Obama
It may have appeared all sweetness and light at last night's session of the Democratic Convention, but as Stephen Green of Vodkapundit fame points out, Bill Clinton couldn't resist getting in a few digs at Obama while calling on Democrats to unite behind his banner:
And why does Bill think Obama is "the man for the job?" Let's take a look at his words.Well, Clinton based that endorsement on "everything I learned in eight years as President." It's all about Bill.And why is Obama so good? Because "the long, hard primary" had "strengthened him." In other words, Obama was weak to start.And with Joe Biden on board, "America will have the national security leadership we need." Obama wasn't qualified, so he picked a veep who was.But the digs didn't end there.Clinton very pointedly mentioned crushing "credit card debt." And Biden is pretty much a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delaware's many credit card companies. Clinton knows that. The media know that. And pretty soon they'll remind you of it, too.And then there was the claim about Obama's "acute grasp of foreign policy," which is sure to remind folks that Obama was against the surge before he admitted it's working, and that Biden - like Hill - voted for the Iraq War.
After all the drama of the past couple of days wondering if he would wholeheartedly endorse the candidate, all the pathos, all the angst - Clinton came out and actually made a pretty effective speech - about his own administration and what Hillary's candidacy represented.
But you have to know that Clinton - a man who can parse the word "is" - knew exactly what he was saying about Obama during his speech. One look at Michelle Obama was worth a thousand words. Rather than her usual smile that lights up a room, her lips were pressed tightly together and she appeared upset.
There were several calls between Obama and Bill Clinton on Tuesday and Wednesday. No one knows what was said but it is apparent that Clinton did not feel constrained by whatever Obama and his campaign thought he should be saying in his speech. So much reflection on his own administration and Hilalry's candidacy was not, I am sure, in the Obama convention playbook. Hence, Michelle Obama's tight smile and Clinton's dual edged praise of Obama.
That's okay, though. The Obama campaign zinged Bill Clinton back. The music being played when Bill Clinton was exiting the stage was "Addicted to Love" sung by Robert Palmer.
