SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Dec. 18, 2007
Is Barack Obama A Young Bill Clinton?
On Experience Question, Obama Finds Himself In Same Boat As Former Arkansas Governor
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He should know - that's a fair description of Clinton when he sought the presidency in 1992.
The fact that the former president is stealing a page from the same Republican playbook used against him 15 years ago underscores the threat Obama poses to the candidacy of Clinton's wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.
It also illustrates Clinton's penchant for rewriting history.
"Even when I was a governor and young and thought I was the best politician in the Democratic Party, I didn't run the first time. I could have," Clinton said on PBS's "The Charlie Rose Show," referring to the 1988 presidential campaign.
"And I had lots of Democratic governors encouraging me to. I knew in my bones I shouldn't run - that I was a good enough politician to win, but I didn't think I was ready to be president," Clinton said.
While there may be some truth to that statement, Clinton didn't seem at the time to lack confidence in his abilities as governor or a potential president.
He was worried about rumors of infidelity, some of which were investigated by his own staff, and privately expressed doubts about whether he could win in 1988.
"He's being a little disingenuous," said Art English, a political science professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Clinton was 42 in 1988, four years younger than Obama is now. Already one of the nation's longest serving governors, Clinton accomplished little between 1988 and 1992 that added to his depth of experience - other than winning a fifth term as Arkansas governor while promising not to seek the presidency before his term expired.
He broke that promise.
As a first-time presidential candidate, Clinton cast himself as an "agent of change" in troubled times, and faced criticism from Republicans about his youth and inexperience.
Obama finds himself in the same boat, with Clinton manning the torpedoes.
"If you listen to the people who are most strongly for him, they say basically 'We have to throw away all these experienced people because they have been through the wars of the '90s and they made enough decisions and enough calls that they made a few mistakes. And what we want is somebody who started running for president a year after he became senator because he's fresh, he's new, he's never made a mistake, and he has massive political skills. And we're willing to risk it,'" Clinton told Rose.
He called Obama an "enormous talent" in the way a boss condescends to a scrappy new intern.
"Is it more important to have somebody who is basically by his very nature a compelling, incredibly attractive, highly intelligent symbol of transformation, or is it more (important) to have somebody who also would symbolize change by being the first woman president, but has actually done incredible numbers of things to change other people's lives," he said of his wife.
There is a fair case to make that Obama is not ready for the presidency.
Less than four years removed from serving in the state Senate, Obama can't point to more than a decade in the governor's office as could Clinton. He wasn't a war hero, as was a young presidential candidate from another era, John F. Kennedy. And he didn't serve first as vice president, as did the 40-something Teddy Roosevelt.
Even his admirers in Springfield have their doubts about Obama.
"The unknown is the administrative and foreign policy experience," said Sen. Kirk Dillard, a Republican who supports Obama.
Obama knows that he's asking voters to take a leap of faith.
"... People have to feel comfortable that, 'You know what? This guy can handle the job,'" he told The Associated Press last summer. "It's a stretch for them because I haven't been on the national scene for long and haven't gone through the conventional paths that we traditionally draw for our presidents, so they've got to stretch a little bit during a period where there's a lot of stuff going on internationally, right?"
He said at the time his challenge was to define experience as something more than service in Washington or a state capital. He needed voters to take the full measure of his life, his judgment and his style, Obama said, because if the race turns into a battle of resumes, he loses.
So it was no surprise that Obama was ready to respond to the former president's criticism.
"Here's a quote," Obama said with a smile. "'The same old experience is irrelevant. You can have the right kind of experience or the wrong kind of experience. And mine is rooted in the real lives of real people, and it will bring real results if we have the courage to change."'
"And that was Bill Clinton in 1992."
By Ron Fournier
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Add a Comment See all 129 Comments
- There is only 3 things in this world that scares me.
Osama, Obama, and your mama! - Reply to this comment
- "Is Barack Obama A Young Bill Clinton?"
Poor Michelle! - Reply to this comment
- We''re just wasting our time.After a year you''re not even going to hear any news about this guy,what''s his name Obama?Go in the bathroom and say his name a couple of times in front of the mirror.Doesn''t sound right,isn''t it?
- Reply to this comment
- Abdoul
Also I don''t think that I would like being ONE OF MANY women. I wouldn''t like to SHARE a man. - Reply to this comment
- "Erasmus, whats your answer?" posted by Abdoul_Pasha
You mean about being in your Harem?
Well, I think I might have to pass on that. I don''t think you would like me, I am VERY rebellious and have a mind of my own.:) - Reply to this comment
- No, he''s not Bill Clilnton. The Neocons will eat him for lunch.
If you''re going to go on record, Joe Biden has passed more bi-partisan legislation than any candidate on the stage. Why isn''t anyone supporting that?
We don''t have time for Obama to learn how to lead this country, we need somebody that can hit the floor running right out front at the onset. Hillary can do that, and she will have one of the most effective presidents we have in decades as part of her support system. - Reply to this comment
- Gennifer Flowers.
- Reply to this comment
- "Bill Clinton was labeled by Ross Perot as like "a corner store owner wanted to run Wal-Mart".
- Posted by funchip at 05:48 PM : Dec 18, 2007
I remember that. Great laugh line in the debates.
Most of Perot"s verbal attacks was aimed at George H. W. Bush though, and that really helped Clinton in the long run. - Reply to this comment
- A young Bill Clinton? Hmmm...I don''t think so. There haven''t been any Jennifer Flowers show up so far, and I doubt seriously if there is a blue dress in Barack''s future. I do think he would make a wonderful president though.
- Reply to this comment
- "obama hasn"t done anything while in congress, except talk."
- Posted by bill1fj at 05:46 PM : Dec 18, 2007
He should be doing push-ups and jumping jacks ?
"Obama sponsored 152 bills and resolutions brought before the 109th Congress in 2005 and 2006, and cosponsored another 427."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_obama#Senate_career - Reply to this comment
- Bill Clinton shouldn''t forget that he was once attacked by Ross Perot on the issue of experiences in presidential campaign 1992. Bill Clinton was labeled by Ross Perot as like "a corner store owner wanted to run Wal-Mart". Bill Clinton''s foreign experience was virtually zero at the time.
Shameful for Bill Clinton to turn around and attack Obama regarding the experiences on Friday''s PBS interview. - Reply to this comment
- Obama is a lot like bill clinton.
Similar personality
Similar ideas
Similar wifes
Similar affairs
One difference is that bill clinton did actually do things while he was governor
obama hasn''t done anything while in congress, except talk.
we should base our votes on people that act, not talk, no matter which party we prefer. - Reply to this comment
- "I think hes a little blacker than Bill. Sexually I think Monica Lewinski should answer that question. If Bill likes marijuana and cocaine too than the answer is YES."
- Posted by BaghdadsHere at 05:23 PM : Dec 18, 2007
Stop bashing our troops buddy. - Reply to this comment
- "Stop bashing our troops buddy."
- Posted by BaghdadsHere at 05:24 PM : Dec 18, 2007
Bush is not the troops" buddy. He has caused the needless deaths of our troops. - Reply to this comment
- Erasmus, whats your answer?
- Reply to this comment
- Is she the one who said "Bring It ON !!" and later had to admit that the big mouth that said that had caused needless deaths of American servicemen ?
Or was that Dubya ?
Posted by Iceman_1960 at 05:19 PM : Dec 18, 2007
IceBoy....Stop bashing our troops buddy. - Reply to this comment
- "Is Barack Obama A Young Bill Clinton?"
I think hes a little blacker than Bill. Sexually I think Monica Lewinski should answer that question. If Bill likes marijuana and cocaine too than the answer is YES. - Reply to this comment
- Note that the Republicon Corporate media special interests are running scared from and fictitiously slandering those that will end their reign of influence in the US Congress, as has promised Barack Obama. A vote for another Republicon for president guarantees more of the same corporate corruption in America: the dumber america gets, the more likely Americans vote with the heads up their fatasses and will vote Republicon.
Posted by neoconism at 12:41 PM : Dec 18, 2007
*****************************************************i agree 110% with you on this comment - Reply to this comment
- "She has a big mouth an GANGSTA" STYLE ATTITUDE...not becoming of a dignified woman...let alone a first lady for this great country."
- Posted by tiddsanbeer at 03:14 PM : Dec 18, 2007
Is she the one who said "Bring It ON !!" and later had to admit that the big mouth that said that had caused needless deaths of American servicemen ?
Or was that Dubya ? - Reply to this comment
- "Her brief term as a Senator from a relatively unimpotrant area of New York..."
- Posted by tibu987 at 05:07 PM : Dec 18, 2007
You have your Chambers mixed up.
Senators represent the entire state. Members of the House of Representatives represent only certain districts.
And two terms is not a brief tenure, although many Senators have been there longer. - Reply to this comment
