Clinton campaign advisers and supporters: Bill Clinton 'needs to stop'

[TeamJordan23]

Clinton campaign advisers: Bill Clinton 'needs to stop'

(CNN) – Democratic sources supportive of and regularly in touch with the Clinton campaign describe what one calls "a huge wave" of sentiment that Bill Clinton "needs to stop."

The sources — who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject — act as either unpaid advisers or surrogates for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Interviewed separately, they agreed that the former president's recent headline-generating statements "hurt more than helped" his wife's South Carolina campaign.

His comments criticized as racially insensitive, the verbal sparring with Barack Obama, and his "scolding" of the media are "distractions," say these Clinton supporters. Hillary Clinton, says one, "needs to take and be the lead."

The former president has long been renowned for his adept political skills. But he is "missing a beat" and has "become tone deaf" about the dynamic he has brought to his wife's campaign, according to one source who has known both Clintons for decades.

"Something has happened," says the source. "He just wants to help her too much, or maybe protect his own legacy too much."

Another source, who worked in the Clinton administration, called it "unbelievable" that the former president linked Barack Obama's South Carolina victory to Rev. Jesse Jackson's wins in 1984 and 1988 in the state.

Though Clinton campaign had invested considerable time and money in South Carolina, the former president's remark was interpreted by some as an attempt to dismiss Obama's win as an expected outcome in a state where more than half of Democratic primary voters were African-American.

The introduction of race as an issue in the 2008 Democratic contest has caused angst and anger in the Democratic Party over the past few weeks — including what one source described as an "angry" phone conversation between the former president and Sen. Ted Kennedy just after the New Hampshire primary.

In the phone call, Kennedy expressed his alarm that race had been injected into the campaign to the detriment of the party.

Kennedy and his son, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, today endorsed Obama's campaign at a Washington, D.C. campaign event. They were joined by Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late John F. Kennedy, who endorsed Obama Sunday in a New York Times editorial.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/01/28/clinton-campaign-advisers-bill-clinton-needs-to-stop/

[quinnox]

1. Maybe Bill should dial it back a bit

It is Hillary who is running after all, and lately he has been in the headlines too much.

[Radical Activist]

2. Funny thing about Obama

The people who attack him always end up looking worse than he does. The Clintons got outmaneuvered by the new kid in town.

[hayu_lol]

3. Team Jordan, isn't it about time you started to tell us the good things...

about your candidate instead of these endless Hate Hillary bits and pieces?

Unnamed sources...mysterious people who have so much to say that they hide in the broom closet. It is simply marvelous how you can continue to put out this unidentified crap as if you were really trying to be helpful.

Get a life.

[Radical Activist]

4. heh

Its a serious point. If you look at Obama's entire political career you'll see that this is part of a pattern. Clinton isn't the first one to lose to Obama at this game. He's good.

Team Jordon?

[AX10]

5. Obama knows how to play victim...

just like Bush in 2000. Both are smarmy.

[Az_lefty]

6. Bill can't tone it down, he's narcissistic...

has to be the center of attention.

[asjr]

7. What a crock! Anonymous sure does

run his mouth.

[tishaLA]

8. definitely right about one thing: the campaign has to

bring the focus back to sen clinton and away from bill. his centrality to the campaign's narrative makes her look weak when he really needs to be there to add to her strength

[mdmc]

9. :(

:(