Clintons Enter Desperation Mode

Another update: Marc Ambinder notes Clinton staffers tried to end the interview.

Update: Michelle Malkin links to a WaPo item on the Clinton library story mentioned below - the Times piece is expected to drop on Sunday. The sources have "knowledge" of the donations but didn't disclose much except that many came from the Middle-east - they named a few names. The suggestion of Marc Rich linkage is buried on page 2 - pay for pardon? Or is that suggestion meant to deflate tomorrow's news? Clearly, this is damage control trying to get in front of whatever is coming from the NY Times tomorrow. The Clintons know how to play the game.

Clinton has also been challenged by members of Congress for accepting a reported $450,000 donation to his library from the former wife of fugitive financier Marc Rich before he granted Rich a pardon for tax evasion in 2001. Neither Clinton nor the Rich family confirmed the donation.

There must be at least something to that purported Sunday New York Times piece on questionable Clinton Library donors. Dismissing the attacks on Clinton, Inc for going negative on Obama, Bill Clinton kept them up while on with Charlie Rose.

One has to wonder if, knowing some mud was coming their way from the New York Times, they didn't opt to drag Obama down into it first. If you doubted the Obama drug smear was a planned attack, you can pretty much get over that thought now.

Here's what he interjected at some point while also propping up John Edwards and conceding it would be a miracle if Hillary won Iowa. Clearly they'd prefer an Edwards win.

Clinton did say that he gets "tickled" watching Obama because of his attractiveness and political skills. "I like all these people," he said. "I have nothing bad to say about him or anyone else."

Unfortunately, Clinton also said all this and more:

... former President Bill Clinton declared that his wife was not only far better prepared to be president than her chief rival Sen. Barack Obama -- "it's not even close" -- but that voters who disagreed would be taking a "risk" if they picked the latter

Repeatedly dismissive of Obama -- which could come back to haunt the Clinton campaign -- the former president at one point said that voters were, of course, free to pick someone with little experience, even, he said, "a television commentator" who would have just "one year less" experience in national office than Obama. He had earlier pointed out that Obama had started to run for president just one year into his first term in the U.S. Senate.

Later he said that his friends in the Republican party had indicated that they felt his wife would be the strongest candidate, partly because she had already been "vetted" -- another subtle slap at Obama.

"I guess I'm old fashioned," he said, in wanting a president who had actually done things for people. He said some people could "risk" taking someone who had served just a year in the Senate if they chose.

He also repeatedly drew a distinction between Obama's focus on "hope" and his wife's actual accomplishments. If a call had gone out from his wife's campaign to pull back any critiques of Obama, her husband clearly did not get the memo.

Update: Bryan has some video clips here. Full transcript here.

Comments

[Fred Beloit]

The hungry pack gnaws on itself. Both parties are sure to engage in this fun activity.

[AJ Lynch]

The Clinton team thinks if they say it often enough, people will start to believe Hillary is the "experienced" candidate. You know like Laura Bush or Lady Bird Johnson.

[Fred Beloit]

The feminists must be going half nuts over how to reconcile their doctrines with this proposition: I'm his wife, He let me share in his work activities. Therefore, I can now operate on this sick patient. There is no better school than tutelidge by a spouse.

[Ray]

"voters were, of course, free to pick someone with little experience, even, he said, "a television commentator" who would have just "one year less" experience in national office than Obama."

Or Hillary who has exactly the same amount of experience as Obama.

[Frank]

Bill isn't talking to Iowa voters; he's poll-savvy enough to pick up on the backlash he's caused and to realize she's done in Iowa. His concern is staying out in front of the big money people, the DNC people and the media people. It's got to be really frustrating for Clinton Inc. Kerry had a likeability problem, but compared to Dean, he appeared at least sane and had enough credentials (if not accomplishments) to be viable. Hillary is even less likeable, doesn't have the resume and doesn't have a Dean to contrast with. She peaked back when DNC people were concerned about the influence of Kos Ko. and Iraq was still front and center. Ironically, the success of the surge contributes to the perception that Hillary's not the only game in town. Call it Petraeus' Revenge.

Bill knows that perception is everything and if wife falls to third in Iowa and can't pull off New Hampshire, the consensus will turn to "toast" really fast and all the cash in the world won't save her.

[Joseph McNulty]

Watch for a third-party candidacy from Lou Dobbs, fueled by Clinton money, whether Hillary gets the nomination or not. See Clinton's comment about a "television commentator." The Clintons do nothing by accident and are thinking several moves ahead. If Obama looks like he will get the nomination, Clinton will promote the candidacy of Lou Dobbs to make the nomination a "poisoned chalice" for Obama. If Hillary somehow survives and the Clinton slime machine saves her in the primaries, even if someone like John Edwards wins Iowa (obviously, Clinton's aim in talking up Edwards), then the Lou Dobbs candidacy would be just what she would need to win the general election. The only question will be whether Lou Dobbs will do it, so a third-party, not obviously connected to Clinton, will approach him. The nexr three weeks will be interesting. Look for something big to break in the next three weeks. The Clintons may have had private detectives working months ago for this moment. If I were Obama, I would hire a food taster.

[Fat Man]

If you think that Bill sold the pardon to Rich and Green (love the names) for $450,000 and a roll in the hay with Rich's former hose-bag, you are falling for the dezinformatsiya the Clintons left around.

The IRS wanted Rich and Green real bad. If the pardon cost them a nickel, it cost them at least 9 digits left of the decimal place in various anonymous bank accounts around the world.

Wake up people. The Clintons are are much bigger and bolder crooks than Bonnie and Clyde.

[Bandit]

When WJC says his wife is much better prepared to be president than anyone is he implying that looking the other way is the primary qualification?