Former President Bill Clinton speaks at the University of Wyoming, Thursday March 6, 2008, in Laramie, Wy. (AP Photo/Laramie Boomerang, Ben Woloszyn)
by Mark Silva
Where in the world is Bill Clinton?
Why in Wyoming, of course.
Next whistle-stop in the long and winding road to the Democratic presidential nomination.
The Associated Press takes us this morning to Rock Springs, a mining hamlet where the former leader of the free world gathered up 1,000 people to talk about clean-coal technology.
And about his wife, the former first lady seeking the White House.
The voluble former president now is playing a lower-key, but no less determined role in a campaign that already has become one for the history books:
By BETH FOUHY
and MEAD GRUVER
Associated Press Writers
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) — This small mining hamlet might not be the first place one would expect to find the former leader of the free world.
But here was Bill Clinton in southwest Wyoming, two days before Saturday's Democratic caucuses, telling about 1,000 people how his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, would establish 10 clean-coal technology projects if elected president in November.
"Some environmentalists don't think we ought to be doing anything with coal, but they're wrong," he said. "Think about it, you could become, maybe, the first totally energy-independent state in the United States."
For a former two-term president, such chatter may sound like fairly mundane stuff. But months into the Democratic nominating contest, he still stumps vigorously for his wife across the country, still finding the right role for himself in an unprecedented and high-profile experiment in how best to help her.
Her advisers credit him with boosting her support among rural voters, especially men. He also phones through a list of party "superdelegates" almost daily, urging them to back the former first lady. And he has raised considerable cash for her campaign, both at events with the well-heeled and in online appeals to smaller donors.
What he doesn't do — anymore — is criticize Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton's rival for the Democratic presidential nomination. And he has not appeared onstage with his wife since Super Tuesday, Feb. 5.
Still a beloved figure to many Democratic Party stalwarts, Bill Clinton remains a decidedly mixed blessing for his wife's campaign. While once viewed as an unmitigated asset, his angry tirades against Obama in New Hampshire and later South Carolina overshadowed her message and appear to have caused lasting damage to her candidacy among black voters, a key party constituency.
But campaign aides believe that after months of trial and error, they have finally found a role for the former president that plays to strengths without needlessly reminding voters of the theatrics of his White House years.
The answer: play the traditional political spouse.
"He was the first to acknowledge after South Carolina that he'd failed to anticipate how he'd be held to a different standard than other spouses," said Mike McCurry, who was Clinton's White House spokesman. "Right now, he's in a place he's very comfortable with. But I'm sure he's biting his tongue a lot."
On the trail, the former president travels to so-called "secondary markets" that receive less media coverage, and to rural areas. His speeches now focus on policy and on his wife's strengths, after months where he seemed to talk as much about his own record as he did hers.
It was far different in New Hampshire, where he dismissed Obama's opposition to the Iraq War as a "fairy tale," and in South Carolina, where he lectured reporters on their alleged bias in favor of the Illinois senator. When Obama won there by a landslide, Bill Clinton appeared to marginalize him as just another popular black politician in a heavily black state.
Since then, black voters in state after state have largely abandoned Hillary Clinton, contributing to a string of losses she suffered last month to Obama.
It was a glaring stumble for a man once so popular with blacks that Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison dubbed him the "first black president." Hillary Clinton even offered an apology of sorts for her husband's behavior in South Carolina when she addressed the State of the Black Union conference last month.
"If anyone was offended by anything that was said — whether it was meant or not, misinterpreted or not — obviously I regret that," she told PBS's Tavis Smiley, who hosted the conference in New Orleans.
McCurry, for his part, said the close state of the race and the likely importance of superdelegates to the outcome again has made Bill Clinton an important asset for his wife.
"Wooing superdelegates is the best possible way to use him," McCurry said. "The currency and sway a former president brings to that process is pretty substantial. A lot of them have spent time in the Oval Office, probably at his invitation. And his calling them will remind them what a huge responsibility it is to be president of the United States and how we need someone in there who is ready to do the job."
But Ari Fleischer, a former spokesman for President Bush, said Bill Clinton had badly overshadowed his wife just when she needed to establish her own identity and credentials as a candidate.
"If she loses, his role will be looked back upon as one of the unique surprises of the campaign," Fleischer said. "How can someone so popular with the base of his party hurt his wife so badly? And how did he underestimate the unique power that a former president has, especially one with his strength and sense of drama?"
Beth Fouhy reported from Washington.
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Comments
Where is Bill Clinton? You won't believe this but he is out scouting the field for new White House interns to staff his office if Hillary helps him get back in. He has become good at eluding the press, hasn't he? One of the most high profile persons in America and the press doesn't know where he is? Could be he uses disguises.
Posted by: GW | March 7, 2008 8:18 AM
Bill Clinton will be in Philly today, meeting with the ward leaders to seek their endorsement for Hillary. The African American Mayor of Philly has endorsed Hillary as well as the Gov. of PA, Ed Rendell. Pennsylvania should go big for Hillary.
GAME OVER.
Hillary Clinton has proven that she can win the big states that are the must wins for the Dems in November.
Obama failed to close the deal. In Ohio, despite outspending Hillary 3 to 1, Obama won ONLY 5 out of 88 counties, those five where the large black voting populations live, the only voting block that Obama won in Ohio.
If you can't win in Ohio, you cannot win the Presidency.
Obama is unelectable. It's time for him to exit the race and the Dems to rally behind Hillary.
Posted by: John | March 7, 2008 8:24 AM
Of course he is in Wyoming because the person who claims to be ready from day one needs help. She can't campaign on her own.
And this is suppose to be about a strong female candidate? Ready means rolling over when that red phone rings and letting Bill answer it if he isn't busy with an intern.
Posted by: Greg | March 7, 2008 8:26 AM
John,
Despite winning 83 out of 88 counties in OH and also TX, Hillary only picked up 15 delegates. She still is BEHIND Obama. He does not need to bow out. She needs to start blowing him out of the water with huge wins by large margins. Sorry buddy.
Posted by: john | March 7, 2008 9:36 AM
y are'nt u addressing the nafta clinton set up in canada.not obama.i live in canada,this is big over here
Posted by: king | March 7, 2008 9:39 AM
Bill Clinton will be in Philly today, meeting with the ward leaders to seek their endorsement for Hillary. The African American Mayor of Philly has endorsed Hillary as well as the Gov. of PA, Ed Rendell. Pennsylvania should go big for Hillary.
GAME OVER.
Hillary Clinton has proven that she can win the big states that are the must wins for the Dems in November.
Obama failed to close the deal. In Ohio, despite outspending Hillary 3 to 1, Obama won ONLY 5 out of 88 counties, those five where the large black voting populations live, the only voting block that Obama won in Ohio.
If you can't win in Ohio, you cannot win the Presidency.
Obama is unelectable. It's time for him to exit the race and the Dems to rally behind Hillary.
Posted by: John | March 7, 2008 8:24 AM
Well John at least you got the Bill is in Philly part right.
Game over is right. Look freak boy. I don't know how much your getting paid my the Clinton campaign to post here, but it's to much. God forbid your one of those "my candidate or nothing, type Kool-Aid guzzlers.
Your candidate has permanently corrupted this election. She has has done so at her own peril. Clinton has no regard for the democratic party and will NEVER UNITE IT. Obama voters will flock in droves away from the democratic party in order to show their disdain for the way Hillary has conducted herself. She has made a fool of the proccess and that amigo is being generous. Anyone who can't see the damage that has been done by her scorched earth tactics is deaf, dumb and blind. Mostly DUMB.
Support this egocentric, megalomaniacal b%tch if you want but believe me she will NEVER get to the Whitehouse. I and other FORMER Clinton supporters will make sure of that. You a%sholes want to play hardball, then hardball it is. Rmemeber we're from Chicago. Suck on that!!! I might throw in also that you are obviously mathematicly challenged.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/119010
Hillary Clinton won big victories Tuesday night in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island. But she's now even further behind in the race for the Democratic nomination. How could that be? Math. It's relentless.
To beat Barack Obama among pledged delegates, Clinton now needs even bigger margins in the 12 remaining primaries than she needed when I ran the numbers on Monday—an average of 23 points, which is more than double what she received in Ohio.
Superdelegates won't help Clinton if she cannot erase Obama's lead among pledged delegates, which now stands at roughly 134. Caucus results from Texas aren't complete, but Clinton will probably net about 10 delegates out of March 4. That's 10 down, 134 to go. Good luck.
I've asked several prominent uncommitted superdelegates if there's any chance they would reverse the will of Democratic voters. They all say no. It would shatter young people and destroy the party.
GAME OVER!!!
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | March 7, 2008 9:56 AM
Clinton's NAFTA switcheroo and Canadian meddling
Well, the Canadian press is reporting that it was actually the Clinton campaign that sent word to the Canadian government not to take the anti-NAFTA talk too seriously.
Somehow, by the time the story made it to print, Canada’s conservative Prime Minister’s office had "leaked" a memo that said it was Obama’s campaign that was saying not to worry about NAFTA. The Clinton part of the story was ignored.
This begs two questions: what is Canada doing meddling in our election and why was the Clinton campaign's involvement in this dropped from the story?
From the Globe and Mail:
"The news agency quoted that source as saying that Mr. Brodie said that someone from Ms. Clinton'scampaign called and was "telling the embassy to take it with a grain of salt."
The story was followed by CTV's Washington bureau chief, Tom Clark, who reported that the Obama campaign, not the Clinton's, had reassured Canadian diplomats."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080306.NAFTA06/TPStory/National
Posted by: Walter | March 7, 2008 10:28 AM
Yeeehaw, Bubba!
Posted by: Jeff | March 7, 2008 10:29 AM
Thank you Bill for supporting your wife. You were one of our great Presidents.
HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT !!!
Posted by: tsr | March 7, 2008 11:45 AM
Where is Bill Clinton? You won't believe this but he is out scouting the field for new White House interns to staff his office if Hillary helps him get back in. He has become good at eluding the press, hasn't he? One of the most high profile persons in America and the press doesn't know where he is? Could be he uses disguises.
Posted by: GW | March 7, 2008 8:18 AM
We all know where he is. Pushing his wife on the power brokers in Philly.
After all she can't do anything for herself.
Posted by: Citizen X | March 7, 2008 1:00 PM
I THOUGHT THAT YOU PEOPLE SCREEN FOR OBSENITY IT LOOKS TO ME THAT SOMEONE IS NOT DOING THIER JOB WITH SOME OF THOSE COMMETS ON THERE ABOUT MRS CLINTON I THINK YOU SHOULD READ A LITTLE CLOSER BEFOR PRINTING THEM
Posted by: HELEN N | March 7, 2008 2:23 PM
Why does she win these states by such small margins? She barely won the first round in Texas. All Obama's win margins are huge against her, and he's won the delegates. If it had been her who had won all these states and been ahead in the delegate count she would not even know a man named Barack Obama, she would have left him in the dust so long ago, her and her husband! Why she is still in this game is ridiculous and she needs to drop out NOW!! All she's doing is perpetuating more negativity and division and ugly among the dem party and it's pretty awful.
Posted by: RuthieM | March 7, 2008 3:10 PM
Obama is unelectable. It's time for him to exit the race and the Dems to rally behind Hillary.
Posted by: John | March 7, 2008 8:24 AM
No actually John it's time for your girl Hillary to start acting like an adult instead of pretending to be some kid throwing dirt in a sandbox. She's a horror show. You know, like something in a horror movie, A monster!
She's an analyst dream come true. Multiple personality disorder, a sociopath, you know your garden variety misfit.
Posted by: Anton Chigurh | March 7, 2008 3:44 PM