Middle East peace is always the last item on the agenda of our presidents. It’s one of those “legacy builders,” where they get to say, “. . . and he worked tirelessly at the end of his second term in the hopes of building a lasting peace in the Middle East.” Bill Clinton did this. George Bush is doing this. The next president, if he’s lucky to serve two terms, will also doubtless do this.
And now it looks as though we can add yet another foreign policy goal to the list: settling the Somali problem. First, it was Blackhawk Down. Now with this president, he just lobs a bunch of bombs at the problem:
BBC NEWS | Africa | Air raid kills Somali militants
A US military spokesman told the BBC that it had attacked what he
called a known al-Qaeda target in Somalia, but refused to give further
details.
Al-Shabab, considered a terrorist group by the US, is the
military wing of the Somali Sharia courts movement, the Union of
Islamic Courts (UIC), until Ethiopian troops ousted them in 2006.
The group has since regrouped and is in effect in control of large parts of central and southern Somalia.
When this is all said and done, Bill Clinton will go down in history as the man who absolutely ruined his wife’s campaign. Not that she didn’t do a fair job of it; not that her advisers haven’t done a fair job of it; not that she deserved it. But he’ll go down as the man who could have single-handedly won her the presidency and didn’t, simply because his old ego won’t allow him to not spar directly with the press:
Crooks and Liars » Bill Clinton accuses the Obama campaign of playing the race card
Bill Clinton is still upset about what happened during the South Carolina primary. The victimization used in this campaign has been tiring. From the WHYY blog
Unfortunately, scarce does not include the original video of Bill Clinton’s remarks in South Carolina, so here’s that clip for the full context. Note that in every case, it is unquestionable that his insistence on going round and round with the media – rising to the “bait” of the South Carolina dude, arguing with the WHYY chick, pretending to be disinterested in the last dude – is what gets him into trouble every stinkin’ time. Don’t tell me you can’t see the “oh, shit,” in his eyes on the Jesse Jackson comment. Don’t tell me you can’t see him backtracking. It’s all right there, the stupid clod.
Bill, shut the fuck up, already.
What can I say? Today is just not a good day for the Clintons. Bill says, “If you elect me, I’ll reform the energy bill!”
It’s spankin’ time at El Rancho Clintono.
Hillary Clinton – from whose camp the “shuck and jive” comment originated, whose camp brought up Obama’s childhood drug dalliances (at least twice), who has had to fire at least four people for sleazy tactics like planting questioners and hitting below the belt, whose husband called Obama’s candidacy a “fairy tale,” whose husband said an Obama presidency would be a “roll of the dice,” and who has insisted on misconstruing Obama’s comments on Reagan for political benefit, and the list goes on – claims that (poor Hillary!) she needs to respond to the attacks the Obama camp has made.
Um. Ok.
Clinton says she must counterattack – Yahoo! News
“I took a lot of incoming fire for many, many months and I was happy to absorb it because obviously, you know, I felt that was part of my responsibility. But toward the end of a campaign you have to set the record straight,” the New York senator said.
Gracing a dead man with any kind of praise or speaking of him in any positive light – however oblique – is clearly the work of a Rightie. Just look at all the praise Republicans have for Jesus. Thus it should surprise none to note that, of all the Democrats who stand thus accused, the Clintons did it more. This and more at FactCheck.org’s wrapup of the Democratic primary in South Carolina.
Does it seem at all unethical to anyone else that Bill Clinton is campaigning for Hillary? Is there some precedent of former presidents actively involved in the candidacies of new ones? Not endorsement, active campaigning.
