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ON DEADLINE: "Good Bill" vs "Bad Bill"
Yahoo!News ^ | November 27, 2007 | Ron Fournier

Posted on 11/28/2007 4:54:49 PM PST by Kaslin

DES MOINES, Iowa - As only he can do, Bill Clinton packed campaign venues across eastern Iowa and awed Democratic voters with a compelling case for his wife's candidacy. He was unscripted, in-depth and generous.

He also was long-winded, misleading and self-absorbed.

"Good Bill" and "Bad Bill" (his nickname among some aides) returned to the public arena Tuesday as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton brandished her double-edged sword of a husband to fend off rivals in the Jan. 3 caucus fight.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Clinton told 400 Iowans at the start of his three-city swing, "I have had a great couple of days out working for Hillary."

In the next 10 minutes, he used the word "I" a total of 94 times and mentioned "Hillary" just seven times in an address that was as much about his legacy as it was about his wife's candidacy.

He told the crowd where he bought coffee that morning and where he ate breakfast.

He detailed his Thanksgiving Day guest list, and menu.

He defended his record as president, rewriting history along the way.

And he explained why his endorsement of a certain senator from New York should matter to people.

"I know what it takes to be president," he said, "and because of the life I've led since I've left office."

I, me and my. Oh, my.

Late in his 50-minute address, Clinton told the crowd that wealthy people like he and his wife should pay more taxes in times of war. "Even though I approved of Afghanistan and opposed Iraq from the beginning, I still resent that I was not asked or given the opportunity to support those soldiers," he said.

In truth, Clinton did not oppose the Iraq war from the start — at least not publicly.

If the former president secretly opposed the war but did not want to speak against a sitting president (as some of his aides now claim), what moral authority does he have now? And did he share his objections with his wife? She started out as a hawkish Democrat but is now appealing to anti-war voters.

The former president also put his own spin on the history of free-trade agreements under his watch, blaming President Bush for turning the accords into job-drainers. "Say want you want about my trade deals," he said, "but I enforced them."

Sen. Clinton benefited from her husband's verbal sleight of hand when he told a long story about a man who credited the former first lady for playing "an independent role in the Irish peace process."

While that may technically be true (Hillary Clinton did travel to Ireland and played host to the region's political players), an "independent role" is not the same as a "critical role," and Clinton didn't bother to explain the distinction.

You might be wondering — so what? Clinton won two presidential elections (and five terms as Arkansas governor) despite his "Slick Willy" reputation and habit of self-aggrandizement. He's not on the ballot next year.

His wife is. And she benefits from his popularity and rhetorical skills.

Clinton's stump speeches have always been remarkably accessible despite their length and complexity. One reason is that, while he talks without notes, Clinton's remarks are organized like a neat classroom outline.

For example, on Tuesday he had four big reasons why Democrats should back her:

• She has the best policy plans;

• She works well with Republicans;

• She's a problem solver;

• And she has the best range of experience.

For each of those reasons, he had a half dozen or so facts, anecdotes or arguments to support them — and each of those categories had several bullet points of their own.

Clinton navigated this mental outline with the same rhetorical crutches he used in Arkansas and Washington.

He would mention something in passing and promise to get back to it ("I'll say more about that in a minute"), and he always did.

He would "show" people what he meant rather than just "tell" them ("I'll give you just one example," he said before giving two or three).

He gave any impatient crowd members hope that the speech would soon end ("And, finally, let me say ... ," he said at least twice before launching into another topic).

What he left the crowds with was the assurance that his wife understands their plight. For a man who convinced so many voters that he felt their pain, this may be his most powerful calling card Clinton can leave to Iowa crowds and his wife.

"You need somebody who is strong, competent and has good vision, and never forgets what it's like to be you," Clinton said.

And, no, he wasn't talking about himself.


TOPICS: Front Page News; Politics/Elections; US: Iowa
KEYWORDS:
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To: Ann Archy
I don’t think Bubba can construct a sentence without “I” or “me” in it.
21 posted on 11/28/2007 6:46:23 PM PST by Miss Didi ("Good heavens, woman, this is a war not a garden party!" Dr. Meade, Gone with the Wind)
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To: Dagnabitt

Rotting beneath a tombstone in an Arkansas garbage dump!


22 posted on 11/28/2007 6:47:05 PM PST by RS_Rider
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To: Kaslin

His sociopath ways are worse than ever.


23 posted on 11/28/2007 6:47:51 PM PST by pray4liberty (Watch and pray.)
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To: Aristotelian
...because of the Clinton defense spending cutbacks that our troops didn’t have enough body armor and reinforced vehicles? Didn’t Clinton spend the “peace dividend” (after the end of the Cold War) and neglect the military? Didn’t he reduce the size of our forces, so that we became stretched thin with our involvement in Iraq?

No question about it. And, as I recall, we didn't get a tax cut with the "peace dividend", either.

So, he's hardly in a position to complain about "no tax hike" when the military had to be re-equipped.

24 posted on 11/28/2007 7:07:53 PM PST by okie01
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To: katieanna

Even so, it’s gotta be easier on the ears than listing to that wife of his!


25 posted on 11/28/2007 7:28:30 PM PST by MonicaG (In hoc signo vinces)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

“When Clinton’s oversize, unreadable memoirs appeared in stores—invariably discounted—I hefted one up and turned to the index.”

That’s because there were only two sections in the index.

“I”
and
“ME”


26 posted on 11/28/2007 10:43:00 PM PST by UCANSEE2 (- Attention all planets of the solar Federation--Secret plan codeword: Banana)
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To: Dagnabitt

yeah, prison.


27 posted on 11/28/2007 11:45:56 PM PST by tina07 (In loving memory of my father,WWII Vet. CBI 10/16/42 - 12/17/45, d. 11/1/85)
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To: xtinct
What is the matter with us as a nation when this harridan can trot out this felon and use him as an asset in her campaign? They both should be in jail!
28 posted on 11/29/2007 5:20:50 AM PST by Rummyfan (Iraq: it's not about Iraq anymore, it's about the USA!)
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To: Kaslin
In the next 10 minutes, he used the word "I" a total of 94 times and mentioned "Hillary" just seven times in an address that was as much about his legacy as it was about his wife's candidacy.

LOL! So who's really running?

29 posted on 11/29/2007 5:21:36 AM PST by Rummyfan (Iraq: it's not about Iraq anymore, it's about the USA!)
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To: Kaslin
Late in his 50-minute address, Clinton told the crowd that wealthy people like he and his wife should pay more taxes in times of war. "Even though I approved of Afghanistan and opposed Iraq from the beginning, I still resent that I was not asked or given the opportunity to support those soldiers," he said.

WTFO? There are any number of ways he can support the troops! He can also send in all the tax money he wants - no one is stopping him!

I am so sick of this charlatan and grifter and his sanctimonious pap! Will he just STFU?

30 posted on 11/29/2007 5:24:34 AM PST by Rummyfan (Iraq: it's not about Iraq anymore, it's about the USA!)
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To: Kaslin
• She has the best policy plans;

Unfortunately she can't disclose them till afteer the election!

• She works well with Republicans;

Maybe with some RINOs. But truthfully I don't believe she works well with anyone!

• She's a problem solver;

One example please? Oh yes, the White House Travel Office Staff - is that how she solves problems? Or Vince Foster?

• And she has the best range of experience.

Ha! What range of experience?

31 posted on 11/29/2007 5:30:21 AM PST by Rummyfan (Iraq: it's not about Iraq anymore, it's about the USA!)
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To: AdmSmith; Berosus; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; KlueLass; ...

when I think dirty tricks, I think Hillary Clinton:

GOP Titans Level Attack on Romney,
Sparking Republican Spat
(Those who know him best)
State House News Service
28 November, 2007
Jim O’Sullivan and Michael Norton
Posted on 11/28/2007 5:16:55 PM EST by Alter Kaker
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1931914/posts

Giuliani camp dismisses report
AP via Yahoo | 11/28/07 | LIZ SIDOTI
Posted on 11/28/2007 7:51:32 PM EST by dixiechick2000
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1931986/posts


32 posted on 11/29/2007 10:08:39 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Profile updated Tuesday, November 27, 2007___________________https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Captain Peter Blood

We used to have a smaller version of Clinton in South Carolina, his name was John Jenrette. Horry county folks used to say,”everybody knows he is a crook, but he is OUR crook”. I have met and shook hands with Jenrette when he was still in office and I had some understanding of his charisma which he used to great affect. On the other hand, I have never understood Bill Clinton’s power, even though he seems to be Jenrette on steroids. Clinton always seemed to me to be such an obvious con artist that when he was reelected I was flattened. Most of the time now I feel as though I have fallen down the rabbit hole.


33 posted on 11/29/2007 10:16:38 AM PST by RipSawyer (Does anyone still believe this is a free country?)
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