Bill Clinton is in the spotlight and accused of undercutting Barack Obama, as Hillary Clinton prepares to make her speech at the Democratic Convention tonight, where she is expected to promote party unity. *Update* Video added
The Hill reports critics are accusing Bill Clinton of deliberately trying to undermine Barack Obama in a speech he gave in Denver today, the same day his wife is due to give a speech at the Democratic convention and a day before Bill is expected to speak at the same event.
Democrats that have expressed, privately and publicly, reservations about what the unpredictable Bill Clinton will say tomorrow night during his address to the Democratic National Convention. They will understandably be a little more worried today after hearing about Bill Clinton's comments made in Denver.
Former President Bill Clinton posed a hypothetical question on Tuesday, which some see as an attempt to question the Democratic Party's choice of Obama as the nominee for presidency.
Clinton asked,
"Suppose you're a voter, and you've got candidate X and candidate Y. Candidate X agrees with you on everything, but you don't think that candidate can deliver on anything at all. Candidate Y you agree with on about half the issues, but he can deliver. Which candidate are you going to vote for?"
Understanding immediately how his remarks might have been construed by some, he then went on to assure the audience by saying,
"This has nothing to do with what's going on now."
Bill Clinton went on to speak about the importance of a politician to be able to keep the promises they make during their campaign season, after they win an election an d how voters take into account whether a politician has that ability or not when deciding who to vote for.
During the contentious and at times nasty nomination battle between Clinton and Obama, the Clinton campaign repeatedly pushed the question of whether Obama, a freshman senator, had the experience or the ability to deliver on his promises if elected. Clinton, they argued, was more suited to do so.
The Hill also reports that Democrats are "very nervous" about the speech Bill Clinton will give tomorrow night because of his propensity to go off "teleprompter" and ad-lib during his speaking engagements.
Paul Begala, who is a former Clinton aide and strategist, assures The Hill that Bill Clinton is solidly behind Barack Obama by stating,
"He's totally for Barack. He's totally for Barack."
Some bloggers are having fun with Begala's assertions, with
Weekly Standard writer, Dean Barnett,
saying, "Phew! Can you imagine how Clinton would behave if he were only “partially” behind Barack?"
Was it an innocent hypothetical question the media is making too much of, or a subconscious attempt to point out what both Bill and Hillary tried to imply during the primaries against Barack Obama? Could it even have been a deliberate dig at the DNC for choosing Obama while Bill Clinton believes Obama does not have the ability to keep the promises he has made?
Maybe the more important question would be, how many people are more interested in seeing Bill Clinton's speech on Wednesday, waiting for him to go off script, than they are to see Barack Obama's speech on Thursday?
