bill bashes back

Potential Next First Lady Bill Clinton's campaign appearances with his wife the senator may be few and far between - but don't think he isn't pulling those levers behind the curtain. The New York Post reports on how he took on the Times this week while raising another gazillion dollars for Camp Hillary.

"He said his wife wasn't getting a fair shake from the Times," said Curtis Sliwa, the WABC Radio host, who was there as a guest. ("I'm a Rudy guy," Sliwa explained.)

"Clinton said the Times is attacking Hillary because she won't apologize for her vote on the war in Iraq," Sliwa said. "The Times has always been super supportive. It's the equivalent of Rudy Giuliani attacking The New York Post."

Oh and don't let the chummy photo of Barack, Bill and Hill in Selma a couple of weeks ago fool you either. Big Willie is trying to deflect criticism about Hillary's war stance(s) - and force the Times to take on Obama.

"Clinton focused on the fact that three years ago - shortly after Barack Obama burst onto the world stage with his speech at the Democratic National Convention where John Kerry was nominated - Obama was asked how he would have voted on the Iraq war if he'd been in Congress at that time.

"And Obama said, 'I'm not sure,' " Sliwa recalled. "Clinton said the Times has a duty to report on Obama's initial ambivalence."

Ouch.
Michelle? Your turn.

Forget the Speech: Look at Laura

Lame duck George W. went on for a good fifty minutes about the same stuff he usually goes on about during his sixth State of the Union snore-fest. (Although I particularly enjoyed the reference to them Hy-brid Vee-hickuls) What's the only thing that kept the TV audience from dozing off? The all too few shots of Laura who dazzled in a Red-State-Red suit with just enough sparkle around the buttons to give it a little kick.
Take that Edwards.


Too bad the Democratic triumvirate below wasn't close enough to get a good look, because they desperately needed something to shake them out of their slumber.





(Pic snatched from barackoblogga.com)

Eventually, they did wake up, and the camera caught Obama clapping for a man who many in his base consider evil incarnate.

Note to Michelle: Tell Senator BO that yes, he has to look bi-partisan blah blah blah...but when he applauds- he should take a tip from Sen. Clinton and keep his hands low so it's hard to tell. Now Hill can say to those who talk about the need for reaching across the aisle 'see, I clapped for parts of the Bush speech'...and she can tell George-haters 'see, I didn't.' Genius.

Candidates In, Potenetial First Ladies Left Out

Clinton. Brownback. Richardson.
All three made web-announcements this past weekend about running for president and NONE of them mentioned their First Ladies-in-waiting.

Senator Hill's speech-ette had the best opening line. "I'm in. And I'm in to win."
(vid from hillaryclinton.com)
It also had the best slow pans from side to side to make it more interesting visually. But what it didn't have was any mention what so ever of Bill...although the photo behind her (on the table, screen right) was a subtle reminder that Big Willie is always in the background. So even if it turns out she doesn't actually really know how to win the presidency after all - he does dammit.
(Nice red state jacket too, by the way.)


There wasn't even a picture of Mary Brownback in the web video announcement of Kansas republican, Senator Sam Brownback.
He mentioned America's "culture" five times and praised God three times - but he couldn't squeeze in a "Mary" or two?
Unlike the other candidates, he did add a little folksy guitar under a photo shopped pic of him in front of the White House. Should go over well in the reds.

(vid above from brownback.com)
(vid below from richardsonforpresident.com)
And New Mexico's democratic governor Bill Richardson made his exploratory committee announcement in English and Spanish without a word in either language about wife Barbara. Nada. He was more than willing to pimp her to win re-election as governor last fall - but I guess now he's gotta prove he can carry the weight by himself.
They all want to project that image. (Obama too.) That is of course until word leaks out about their affairs with the 20 year-olds. Or until they're actually in office and their approval ratings drop to the lowest levels in the history of approval ratings. The stingy bastards want to hog all the glory, until the public can't stand their asses...then it's the First Lady who has to hit the second-term campaign trail to Kalamazoo for f!@#'s sake to convince people to vote for bonehead. Just ask Laura Bush. Oh well. The price of being FLOTUS.

Billary

Pic e-ganked from Freakingnews.com

While all the other First Lady wannabes bring their own assets to the race, NOT ONE of them brings what Big Willie brings. And the Clintons are counting on the political machine they spent decades building to work just as hard and successfully for Hill as it did for Bill.
Christie Vilsack, you think you were good in New Hampshire last year?
Well, more than a decade earlier Hillary was there learning the lay of the land and making some very industrious friends.

From (Forbes):
'Nancy Richards-Stower, a New Hampshire attorney, said she'll work just as hard for Sen. Clinton as she did for Clinton's husband.
Richards-Stower recalled her first meeting with Mrs. Clinton at a restaurant where her husband was making his first campaign appearance in New Hampshire. As they climbed a staircase, Mrs. Clinton mentioned how eager she was to campaign for her husband.
"Mrs. Clinton, forgive me, but you've not done a New Hampshire campaign before," Richards-Stower told her. "The people you need to get aboard the campaign are going to want to spend time with your husband, not you."
Clinton responded by pinching a sizable section of her own hand.
"Nancy, my skin is this thick," she said. "If you think that I shouldn't do an event, I'd like you to tell me."
"Of course, the very first event she did was a sellout crowd," Richards-Stower said, laughing at how much she underestimated the wife who would like to become the nation's first female president.'

Patakis, You Ain't Gotta Go Home, But You Gotta Get the Hell Outta Here.

O.K. Miss Libby. Time's up. Mrs. Spitzer's U-Haul is backing up in the driveway of the manch and your husband is dragging his ass when it comes to the next move. You couldn't swing a dead cat during the midterms without hitting Bloomberg, Giuliani, or Clinton - but people are smellin' Georgie-boy's ambivalence.
The New York Sun says

"Mr. Pataki is the only of the four to have opened an office in the early caucus state of Iowa. Unlike Mr. Giuliani, who has managed to stay politically relevant out of office, Mr. Pataki does not have the same impassioned following. Additionally he has many of the same socially liberal positions Mr. Giuliani has, which could be liabilities in the GOP primary."
Alright Libby - you want it? Get to work.

"The Pataki Bloodbath" (NY Post)

First Lady Frontrunners (D)

MICHELLE OBAMA
Wife of U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D) Illinois

Like her husband, she appears to have a great package. Harvard trained lawyer. Mother of two delightful girls.
Game face still wildly fluctuates between pretty darn good and it's so cold in Chicago my fingers froze and I couldn't put on my lipstick.
Answers to questions about husband's fidelity already point to skeletons in closet - may be source of that hint of dread.

PRO: Relative unknown. Unfamiliarity breeds admiration.
CON: Approachability quotient low.
TIP: Find a good look and stick with it. Avoid joker-brow facial expressions.


BILL CLINTON
"Husband" of U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) New York

William Jefferson Clinton ladies and gentlemen.
The perfectly coiffed snowy mane.
The frown-grin that morphs effortlessly into Squint of Concern.
The resume. The work to make sure "that woman" left in dust.
The extraordinary fundraising skills from years on ho stroll. Willie J. would be an excellent First Lady. Too bad the people/voters who don't like his wife, REALLY don't like his wife.

Pro: Been there.
Con: Been there.
Tip: Continue spousage in absentia. Appear separately and talk about Hil in glowing terms. Public realistic enough to accept old couple together out of friendship, duty, respect.
Will throw-up a little in their mouths if you try to prove you're together together.

THERESA HEINZ KERRY
Wife of U.S. Senator and possible presidential candidate (again) John Kerry (D) Massachusetts.

Teh-reh-zahhhh worked nerves in 2004.
Initially intriguing with the "I'm used to saying whatever I want" frankness. Then rich lady doing too much bus travel fatigue set in.
So did irritability and incoherence.

Pro: Husband is actually into her. Digging that.
Con: Does not yet know how to pull a Laura, zip-it, and stay above fray.
Tip: Sharply reduce usage of plastic tabs that make back of suit jacket collars stand up a la Diane Sawyer.


BARBARA RICHARDSON
Wife of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson

Never mind that New Mexio ranks 38th in the U.S. when it comes to overall health care, in a new ad for hubby's reelection campaign - Babs sez hey- at least in some categories - NM not near last place anymore.

Pro: Can't go wrong with blond hair, pearls, and enough meat on your bones that voters don't think you're vain.
Con: Exterior not yet polished enough for a run at the Big House.
Tip: Take two inches off the bottom. Invest in some Lancome Flextencils.