Following Bill
08 August 2008 12:27 am by Taylor Marsh
BY TAYLOR MARSH
Whoever the vice presidential pick, he or she has the worst billing ever. Following
William Jefferson Clinton is never an easy task. But that’s the slated scheduling
according
to NBC News.
NBC News has learned that the Obama campaign, in an effort to quiet talk
of the Obama-Clinton drama, has offered Bill Clinton a speaking role on Wednesday
night at the Democratic convention — before the vice presidential running
mate speaks.
Now, whether the reasoning is as reported or not, and for argument let’s say
it is. It tells a troubling tale that the Democratic nominee and his team obviously
were in a quandry about having the former two-term president on the bill. That
says a couple of things to me, according to the NBC spin on it. First, it hints
that the people now running the show not only don’t get Bill Clinton’s impact,
but also think they can absolutely win without him. They might want to call
Al Gore? Because before you can turn the political page you’ve got to win.
The other reality is that maybe this all simply took longer to put together and work out than anyone anticipated.
Another question is whether a spot on the roster for Wednesday suddenly
appeared or whether it was waiting to be filled, maybe because of rumors swirling about a high profile Democrat who
shall not be named or the event not mentioned, because the
imbroglio, whether manufactured or real, is a pr
nightmare beginning to amass so that even top Democrats are talking.
But Bill will speak, though you’ve got to wonder why that was even in question. Winning needs to be all. So it was announced late on Thursday, when not long afterwards Obama takes off
to Hawaii for a week’s vacation. No one can doubt he needs the break, has
earned it and can use it. If everyone shut down the political jabber for a week
it might do us all a lot of good.
