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Kristol: It's Not Going to be Obama-Clinton
Weekly Standard ^ | June 5, 2008 | Bill Kristol

Posted on 06/05/2008 4:27:57 PM PDT by COUNTrecount

The Obama camp has moved quickly--and deftly--to shut down the Hillary Clinton bid for the vice presidential pick.

The well-sourced Jackie Calmes reports in the Wall Street Journal that "close advisers to Sen. Obama are signaling that an Obama-Clinton ticket is highly unlikely." The way they’re signaling it is by suggesting that, even for Hillary to be considered, Bill Clinton would have to “release records of his business dealings and big donors to his presidential library.” No one thinks Bill Clinton is inclined to do this.

And even if he did, there would still be no guarantee for Hillary: “Even if Mr. Clinton did open his records as part of the traditional vice-presidential vetting process, the unprecedented complications he would pose for an Obama White House as the vice president's spouse go deeper and broader than his personal records, Democrats on both sides say.” Indeed, Calmes continues, “Referring to a potential vice-presidential slot for Sen. Clinton, a senior Obama adviser says: ‘The more this gets vetted the less likely it becomes.’”

So the unvettability of Bill Clinton is the way Obama avoids having to offend Hillary and her almost 18 million voters. Obama won’t have to publicly rule out Hillary, or make a potentially insulting case that others are better qualified for the job. He’ll merely emphasize publicly, as he did on NBC last night, that there will be a lengthy process and wide-ranging search--thereby conditioning people to understand that there is no presumptive front-runner for the vice-presidential pick: “We're gonna go through a process in the vice-presidential search where I look at a whole range of options." And putting Caroline Kennedy on the three-person search committee is clever--a woman who is anti-Hillary but whose presence really can’t be criticized by Hillary supporters. It’s also, of course, a certification of the Kennedys as Democratic royalty over the Clintons.

At some point--I’d guess pretty soon--Hillary will see the writing on the wall and will take herself out of the running, so she can save face, and to ensure she can’t be accused of creating trouble if Obama loses in November. So Obama will be able to make his choice without being accused of having spurned Hillary.

The apparent decisiveness and deftness with which Obama and his team seem to be resolving with the Hillary Clinton problem is an impressive opening move in his general election campaign.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008veep; kristol; obamahillary
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1 posted on 06/05/2008 4:27:57 PM PDT by COUNTrecount
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To: COUNTrecount

How would you like that glare at the back of your head for four years?


2 posted on 06/05/2008 4:30:28 PM PDT by steveo (Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.)
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To: COUNTrecount
Clinton would have to “release records of his business dealings and big donors to his presidential library.

Won't happen.

3 posted on 06/05/2008 4:31:07 PM PDT by Graybeard58
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To: steveo

As if the back of his head would be intact for that long.


4 posted on 06/05/2008 4:31:49 PM PDT by Dahoser (America's great untapped alternative energy source: The Founding Fathers spinning in their graves.)
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To: COUNTrecount

You could make lots of money off of that picture if you could market it..........

Hint: Denver


5 posted on 06/05/2008 4:35:04 PM PDT by The_Republican (Hillary is a turd that won't flush.)
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To: COUNTrecount
What we are seeing is a behind the scenes power struggle in the Democratic Party and the Clintons are basically getting run out of town on a rail. It's a beautiful thing to watch. Obviously they made one enemy too many and they are paying the price.

The only downside is that we have McCain running on our side. Had we put a real conservative on the ticket, we could be looking at the biggest presidential landslide in history.

I still think McCain will pull it out but it will be a lot closer than it needed to be.

6 posted on 06/05/2008 4:37:33 PM PDT by SamAdams76 (I am 61 days away from outliving Vicki Sue Robinson)
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To: COUNTrecount

What would Obama’s camp do if Klintons agree to release the records?

They won’t be the real records I am sure, but partial fake records.

However, by the time it becomes known fact, it would be too late for Obama to get rid of Klintons. Then he would be at their mercy. They will tell him how to deal with little problems like that........

Step 1) Call Lenny Davis and Sdyney Blumenthal........


7 posted on 06/05/2008 4:37:59 PM PDT by The_Republican (Hillary is a turd that won't flush.)
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To: The_Republican

This is actually too sweet for words. The very platform that Shrillary clung to in her lust for the Oval Office is now being used as a club against to get anywhere near it.

Sweet irony.

Touche!


8 posted on 06/05/2008 4:46:02 PM PDT by romanesq
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To: COUNTrecount


9 posted on 06/05/2008 4:46:11 PM PDT by I see my hands (_8(|)
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To: Graybeard58

I think the same could be said of talk that she wants a nomination to the SCOTUS. There is no way she survives an FBI background check or scrutiny of her finances with Bill. And if she could, there is the slight problem that when rank ordered by qualification to sit on the Supreme Court, she is about 80,999th in line.


10 posted on 06/05/2008 4:49:30 PM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
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Comment #11 Removed by Moderator

To: SamAdams76
It's a beautiful thing to watch.

Indeed it is.


12 posted on 06/05/2008 5:02:12 PM PDT by COUNTrecount
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To: SamAdams76

For sake of historical fantasy: can you imagine what Ronald Reagan could do in this election cycle? He’d win 65-35 or 70-30 with ease and take every electoral vote - with possible exception of DC. Obama would even lose his home state of IL when faced with the real Ronald Reagan..... (not that I’m not terribly glad we had him when we needed him in 1980-89, but can’t we clone him or something?)


13 posted on 06/05/2008 5:07:41 PM PDT by Enchante (Barack Chamberlain: My 1930s Appeasement Policy Goes Well With My 1960s Socialist Policies!)
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To: COUNTrecount
"for Hillary to be considered, Bill Clinton would have to “release records of his business dealings and big donors to his presidential library.” No one thinks Bill Clinton is inclined to do this."

Wow, that's a good way to block the Clintonistas. No way can they release all those names of library donors and his business dealings, etc. THAT would end Hillary's career right there. It is great to see the Clintonistas being frozen out of power, even if we now have to deal with Obama and his horde of leftist jihad lovers.
14 posted on 06/05/2008 5:10:56 PM PDT by Enchante (Barack Chamberlain: My 1930s Appeasement Policy Goes Well With My 1960s Socialist Policies!)
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To: COUNTrecount

Barry “O” might be a liberal nut-job, but he’s no fool. He realizes that the democrat “dream ticket” would end up being his worst nightmare as he would competing with both Bill and Hillary for the spotlight and the Clinton’s will NEVER play second fiddle to anyone, regardless of the fact that he’s at the top of ticket.


15 posted on 06/05/2008 5:29:44 PM PDT by apillar
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To: Wally_Kalbacken
And if she could, there is the slight problem that when rank ordered by qualification to sit on the Supreme Court, she is about 80,999th in line.

Maybe, but she's 3 ahead of Ruth Buzzy Ginsberg...what's your point?

16 posted on 06/05/2008 5:49:08 PM PDT by Mygirlsmom ("My advice: Quit supporting the party that is symbolized by an ass." Ted Nugent)
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To: Mygirlsmom

That the punditry trafficking in the idea of her sitting on the Supreme Court of the United States are smoking crack.


17 posted on 06/05/2008 5:58:52 PM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: COUNTrecount

BTTT!


18 posted on 06/05/2008 6:16:23 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Doc Savage

You aren’t suggesting Arkancide now are you? <sarcasm off


19 posted on 06/05/2008 6:18:54 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: SamAdams76
What we are seeing is a behind the scenes power struggle in the Democratic Party and the Clintons are basically getting run out of town on a rail. It's a beautiful thing to watch. Obviously they made one enemy too many and they are paying the price.

This is the only delicious aspect of the election cycle! I have waited for this for a long time!

20 posted on 06/05/2008 6:22:36 PM PDT by ladyinred
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