by Andrew Malcolm
Pennsylvania, the next important Democratic primary state, is a lot like the very first primary state of New Hampshire except that Pennsylvania has millions more people, thousands more square miles, live members of minority groups, actual cities, big-league sports teams, a sizable number of electoral votes, streets not named for trees and an economy based on more than knickknacks and apres-ski lounges.
Everyone in New Hampshire is on a first-name basis with every candidate of every party in recent memory, or says they are. But Pennsylvania is large enough that every candidate could be in the state at once and hardly anyone would notice.
So it's a very exciting thing in the Keystone State when you run into an actual candidate or, almost as good, someone famous who's married to an actual candidate. That's what happened to Ceena Ford the other day when she skipped classes at Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School to see former President Bill Clinton at Dickinson College in Carlisle.
He's still campaigning, as he always seems to be, this time for his wife, Hillary, who wants to move back into the White House and relive those fun times of the 1990s that we all remember so fondly. But first she's got to really thump this younger senator from Illinois by hundreds of thousands of votes in several states to look like she's catching up to him in this marathon primary election season.
So, the ex-president was speaking about himself and his wife too and suddenly, OMG, he was standing right there next to Ceena. It was, like, so unbelievable! So Ceena did what any conscious teenage girl does when excited: She reached for her cellphone and took the picture above. And then to show it to the world, she sent it to CNN.
Andrew Malcolm writes for Top of the Ticket, the L.A. Times' political blog.
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Comments
Oh my, if anyone should NOT take a photo like that, it's Bill Clinton. It brings back all the memories of Monica and his fascination (and other things) with a young girl intern. This guy never learns.
Posted by: Gordon | March 31, 2008 8:01 AM
I also agree this looks bad. Kinda like Foley photo taken with a boy scout troop.
Posted by: bill r. | March 31, 2008 8:55 AM
Some parents are really stupid. If I had a girl that age I wouldn't let her get anywhere near Bill Clinton. How can Hillary protect our country when she has just left all these young girls unprotected with Bill in their mitts. The only call that Hillary may get at 3 am is "Hey come and pick up your husband" ..... from some chippy.
Posted by: Phil | March 31, 2008 9:38 AM
That's just not right.....She's too young Bill. Bills too creepy
Posted by: Oh Please | March 31, 2008 9:52 AM
As Slick Willy grabs...
Posted by: Obama Nanny State | March 31, 2008 10:00 AM
OK - where were bubbas hands in this pix?
Posted by: kathy | March 31, 2008 10:05 AM
Bill Clinton is one of the nicest men on the planet when it comes to putting up with the public. He was in Chicago once and was nice enough to stand and talk (and wave a LOT) to everyone while he was president even when the secret service men were trying to pull him away. Does anyone remember the news footage of him calmly patting out the fire in a little girl's hair when she accidentally leaned forward into a candle while her class was singing in front of the pres? It was the automatic reaction of a guy who is a parent. And by the way, the young lady who took the pic with Mr. Clinton will certainly be the talk of her town. What is wrong with that?
Posted by: Jack | March 31, 2008 10:09 AM
Not to worry, if you could only see the back of her head, then there would be a problem!
Posted by: Dennis C | March 31, 2008 10:11 AM
Priceless.....
Posted by: Jim | March 31, 2008 10:14 AM
And if Bill Clinton had snubbed her, you same folks would be up in arms about that. Grow-up, this isn't a high school reunion or voting for American Idol.
Posted by: Rob Gard | March 31, 2008 10:28 AM
To some this may be a creepy picture. But it's pretty cool that he takes time to pose with the average person.
Posted by: alexa | March 31, 2008 10:32 AM
Oh, please. I certainly don't agree with some of Bill's actions in the past, but they don't make him a pervert -- they make him typical of plenty of husbands and fathers in every town that reads the Trib. Not a saint -- but not a demon, either. We've gotten to a point in this nation where every nuance of a candidate's actions is picked at and dissected. This picture shows a silly moment with a nice kid, nothing more. We're rapidly approaching a point where a person would have to be crazy to tolerate the scrutiny to which we subject our candidates... creating the perfect climate for zealots and megalomanics. To me, that's a lot more scary.
Posted by: Jan | March 31, 2008 10:33 AM
Lighten up all you dirty- minded, unable-to-let-it-go, old geezers. This is just a cute, spur-of-the-moment, oh-my-gosh photo taken by an excited high schooler. That's all. Get over the '90's and move on, will ya. That she sent this snap on to the media is the troubling thing.
Posted by: Sydney | March 31, 2008 10:34 AM
Heaven forbid politicians do things that get young people excited about politics in this country. Maybe if Bill went overseas and made ignorant, embarassing statements about Iran and Al Qaeda 3 days in a row, all the Republicans here would approve.
Posted by: Paul | March 31, 2008 10:42 AM
Too bad Ceena is hearing the re-write of history, and not the facts. Bill Clinton and his Democratic Congress were doing so poorly during his first year that (for those who remember), his fellow Democrats were overwhelmingly voted out of office in 1994 and replaced with a Republican Congress, WHICH PROCEEDED TO DO GREAT THINGS OVER THE NEXT YEARS. Of course, the Clinton adminstration took all the credit, until he was himself impeached. While he and his friends continue to say that his private extra-marital affairs were not anyone's business (true) history remembers it as a case where he did NOT keep it private, brought it into the Oval Office, and then lied about it under oath, ALWAYS repugnant.
Posted by: tony.s | March 31, 2008 11:06 AM
You have to admire the guy to take time for candid oppurtunities. You Republicans have your minds in the gutter. I think it's great that Bill has a sense of humor and can share a laugh. Let's get the Dem's back in the whitehouse
Posted by: Grampa Dan | March 31, 2008 11:08 AM
I don't suppose there's any guessing as to where Bills hand is in this picture, is there??
Posted by: Manimal | March 31, 2008 11:22 AM
I'm pretty sure it was the tongue ring that he was fasinated with -
Posted by: mike | March 31, 2008 11:35 AM
"live members of minority groups"
... versus the thousands of zombies crawling out of the grave and heading to the polls?
Posted by: Melime | March 31, 2008 11:44 AM
I think it's great. Bill isn't a stuffed shirt like so many politicians. I hope to meet him someday and get the same kind of camera phone shot with him!
Posted by: kara | March 31, 2008 11:59 AM
Not such a good picture, it sends too many reminders....unfortunately.
Posted by: RuthieM | March 31, 2008 1:26 PM
Boy a photo during campaigning is a far cry from a Mr. Microphone session in the oval office! Puuuhhhlease get your minds out of the gutter. Campaigning involves taking pictures with, well everyone...babies, kids, college students.
Give the girl some credit. I would have had my photo taken with him as well. Not all women college students pull a Har-Monica Lewinsky!
Posted by: meesh | March 31, 2008 3:35 PM
Um, is her tongue pierced? I wouldn't blame Bill for any impropriety here . . .
Posted by: jk | March 31, 2008 5:53 PM
Grow up. Those of you who can't let go of Bill Clinton's one Oval Office indiscretion should keep in mind that Monica was no innocent. She was a college graduate when she became an intern. If you delve into her life,you will find that Monica smoked quite a few other cigars. Bill's mistake was not to admit to the affair and lying under oath. Otherwise, his indiscretion was of a personal nature between himself and his wife. Try to separate his policies from his personal life, if you want judge him, because if you do, you will find that he was the one of the best presidents in the 20th ventury for this country.
Posted by: the truth | March 31, 2008 6:00 PM
"I did not have phone sex with that woman.......!"
Posted by: groucho | March 31, 2008 6:34 PM
@"The Truth"
You said:
"Grow up. Those of you who can't let go of Bill Clinton's one Oval Office indiscretion should keep in mind that Monica was no innocent."
Just ONE indiscretion????? Oh boy....
Posted by: The REAL truth | March 31, 2008 7:51 PM
Let it go people....he's just being nice to a young lady who will always have this momento of a past president. Get your minds of the the gutter for once when it comes to Clinton. He is not always "there".
Posted by: Susan Christian | March 31, 2008 9:11 PM
Just ONE indiscretion????? Oh boy....
Posted by: The REAL truth | March 31, 2008 7:51 PM
************************
Response,
Yes, one while he was president - Monica Lewinsky. All the others predate his presidency. And frankly, this Bill bashing is getting tiresome; why don't you Bush bash the 3 trillion dollar deficit - not tittilating enough for you "moral" surrogates of the Repugnants.
Posted by: the truth | March 31, 2008 9:31 PM
Kudos to all of you clear thinking people who stuck up for Bill--and to the rest of you? Get over yourselves!
Posted by: KJ | March 31, 2008 10:26 PM
What a ham! Bill Clinton still has it: -- pizazz, style and grace. He's a natural politician, and he's here in his element on the campaign trial and loving every minute of it. I think it's cool
Posted by: Eric Miller | April 1, 2008 9:30 AM
Amazing, isn't it, how many who posted here are willing to forget and forgive a serial womanizer?
Here is a guy who used his position and power as a politician and government servant to victimize young women.
Wonder if all of these Bill apologists would be as forgiving to infamous womanizers as Bob Packwood or Clarence Thomas.
Posted by: groucho | April 1, 2008 12:32 PM
Seriously! it's a photo, taken from a cell phone at arms length. I bet half the people who posted about it being creepy are creepy. It's a fun picture and she'll always remember it. And I'm not a Hilary backer either. I've given over $1000 to Obama's campaign already, but even I won't stoop to the level of calling this creepy.
Posted by: Vincent Johnson | April 1, 2008 3:02 PM
Sure, Clinton made a mistake, however, it's not like half of the people on here hasn't cheated on their significant others at some point. Why don't we focus on something a little more important, like our 9 trillion dollar deficit, or the countless innocent middle-easterners we're slaughtering, or maybe even, crazy idea here, the well-being of our own population?
Posted by: nikki | April 2, 2008 3:39 PM