BILL CLINTON: TAKE A VACATION January 25, 2008 If ever someone needed to take a vacation and leave the campaign trail it is the former president of the United States Bill Clinton. If the Democratic Party wants to have any hope of being a united party in November party leaders –other than the leader of the party—Bill Clinton—need to tell Hillary’s husband that he is doing much more harm than good to the Democratic Party by his remarks against Obama. If the two term former president wants to keep his excellent post-presidency reputation intact he should go back to his philanthropic activities and his business at his presidential library and the Clinton Initiative programs. If the first serious woman running for president of the United States wants to prove she can win the White House on her own merit she should tell her husband to move to Sweden or some other country far away from upcoming primary states. If the Democratic presidential contest is not to drift down to its lowest level about who was friends with what slum landlord or who was on this or that board of directors of unpopular corporations then Bill Clinton should find a hobby other than politics. If Democrats don’t want to give away their high ground—after all they are not the party with the unpopular president currently in the White House—they should all encourage Hillary’s husband to exit stage left. The overall tone of the Democratic presidential campaign has gone downhill since the 42nd president of the United States started taking such an active—and mainly, negative role—in the campaign. The discussion has gone away from the key issues of the day from Iraq to solving the housing crisis and other economic ills to name calling and arguing over really nothing at all in order only to score political points. William Jefferson Clinton is an astute politician, probably one of the best political minds in the past fifty years, who appears to have lost his exceptional skills campaigning for his wife. It now looks as if President Clinton’s remarks and actions are helping his wife’s main opponent, Senator Obama. It is very unfair for Obama to have to respond to two Clintons these days. After all, it is Hillary that is the one running for president. This is rapidly being lost as the former president continues to give talks discussing the “glory days” of his presidency. If Hillary and the others are using the the word “change” in every other sentence having your spouse talk about going back to the days of his presidency in the 1990s certainly is not change. And, it is not experience to talk about your husband’s presidency either. Hillary is being overshadowed by her husband on the campaign trail. We are not going to be voting for a return to a Bill Clinton presidency. Hillary has to explain how she will provide “change” for the country. Having a spouse talking about the past isn’t going to do it for her. And, having a spouse who is taking away from her message on the economy and foreign policy issues is petty and demeaning for a former president of the United States. Watching the Clintons one wonders how much they really want power to help the country or how much they really want power to have power again. Now that the former president has interjected himself front and center in the campaign of his wife it is time for voters to ask what role will he play in her White House if she is elected. America actually can survive without a Bush or Clinton in the White House. Voters realize it is time for a change—hopefully both Clintons will wake up to the fact that we aren’t voting for a restoration of Bill’s presidency but voting for a candidate with new ideas of his or her own. Bill, go to Sweden or Hong Kong or somewhere far away from the campaign trail and let your wife run for president on her own. The other candidates seem to be doing just fine running on their own. Hillary, go out on the campaign trail without Bill and battle Obama and Edwards on your own. Hillary, if you can’t win against your Democratic opponents on your own how do you hope to beat your Republican opponent in the fall if you get the nomination. As a voter, I want to vote for only one person for president—not a husband and wife team to occupy the Oval Office! --Robert Guttman
Founder and Director, CPFR
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