A Problem Like Bill
By Eugene Robinson
Washington Post
Hillary Clinton tells audiences that having lived in the White House for eight eventful years, she's eager to take charge as president on "day one." Apparently, though, so is Bill.
Before the Clinton campaign's recent shift to themes of warmth and approachability, a major weapon against the Barack Obama insurgency was the argument that Hillary could move right in and get to work reforming health care or restructuring foreign policy. She wouldn't need to spend months learning how to work the buttons on the Oval Office telephone.
It's true that Obama, like almost all presidents, would face a steep learning curve as he worked to master the arcane procedures and perquisites of life inside the White House bubble. So would any of the other contenders from either party, except Clinton. The learning-curve issue for her -- and it has no precedent in American history -- would be figuring out how to deal with a husband who was very good at being president but shows little talent or motivation for being a president's spouse.
Sexism might have something to do with the fact that Hillary Clinton has to answer questions about her husband that the other candidates never get asked about their wives. But Bill Clinton has always had a way of making himself the story, and he's at it again.
When the Clintons made a campaign stop at an Iowa grocery store Tuesday, Hillary's face said it all. She realized that Bill had departed from the script and wandered off to another part of the store, and cameras caught her scanning the aisles with a look of sheer terror. Bill was supposed to be at Hillary's side; instead, he was way over yonder, giving an interview to "Entertainment Tonight." What was supposed to be a controlled photo op had suddenly turned into a happening.
Spontaneity gives ulcers to campaign staffers, but the supermarket stop got much more coverage than it would have if Bill had followed the script. He ended up drawing more attention to himself than the candidate -- which is in keeping with his formal campaign speeches. On the stump, he draws big crowds and comes off as charming, eloquent and persuasive. But reporters who have tallied his words say that he talks more about himself than about his wife -- at a ratio of about 9 to 1.
(Continued here.)
Washington Post
Hillary Clinton tells audiences that having lived in the White House for eight eventful years, she's eager to take charge as president on "day one." Apparently, though, so is Bill.
Before the Clinton campaign's recent shift to themes of warmth and approachability, a major weapon against the Barack Obama insurgency was the argument that Hillary could move right in and get to work reforming health care or restructuring foreign policy. She wouldn't need to spend months learning how to work the buttons on the Oval Office telephone.
It's true that Obama, like almost all presidents, would face a steep learning curve as he worked to master the arcane procedures and perquisites of life inside the White House bubble. So would any of the other contenders from either party, except Clinton. The learning-curve issue for her -- and it has no precedent in American history -- would be figuring out how to deal with a husband who was very good at being president but shows little talent or motivation for being a president's spouse.
Sexism might have something to do with the fact that Hillary Clinton has to answer questions about her husband that the other candidates never get asked about their wives. But Bill Clinton has always had a way of making himself the story, and he's at it again.
When the Clintons made a campaign stop at an Iowa grocery store Tuesday, Hillary's face said it all. She realized that Bill had departed from the script and wandered off to another part of the store, and cameras caught her scanning the aisles with a look of sheer terror. Bill was supposed to be at Hillary's side; instead, he was way over yonder, giving an interview to "Entertainment Tonight." What was supposed to be a controlled photo op had suddenly turned into a happening.
Spontaneity gives ulcers to campaign staffers, but the supermarket stop got much more coverage than it would have if Bill had followed the script. He ended up drawing more attention to himself than the candidate -- which is in keeping with his formal campaign speeches. On the stump, he draws big crowds and comes off as charming, eloquent and persuasive. But reporters who have tallied his words say that he talks more about himself than about his wife -- at a ratio of about 9 to 1.
(Continued here.)
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