From Bubba to Flubba: Slew of gaffes makes pals wonder why Bill is losing it

BY KENNETH R. BAZINET and MICHAEL McAULIFF, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Saturday, April 26th 2008

Whatever the reason he's off his game, the 42nd President has become a chronic headache for his wife Hillary on the campaign trail.

WASHINGTON - He's just not the same Bubba.

Hillary Clinton's husband is still brilliant, still passionate and still a magnificent campaigner. But people who have known him and observers who have watched Bill Clinton for decades say he's lost at least half a step.

Think of him like Michael Jordan - only the past-his-prime version, playing for the Washington Wizards.

More than one acquaintance used the same words: "He's just not the same."

Colleagues point to a slew of potential reasons for Bubba stepping in it so often, including psychological and medical.

Some think he's not up to speed with the instant news world of the 21st century and spending too much time with wealthy, globe-trotting pals.

"What you hear from adoring rich guys in Davos is very different from what you hear in the living rooms of Iowa," said one.

Others theorize he's frustrated that Obama has co-opted the same "change message" that got Clinton elected in 1992.

Many think he's just older, and perhaps his heart bypass surgery in 2004 took more of a toll than people realize.

"It is possible that Bill Clinton's recent gaffes are a result of his bypass operation," said Dr. Marc Siegel, an NYU associate professor who has interviewed Clinton's heart surgeon.

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